Charles Wells Ltd Vintage Early Landed (((Bottled 1996)))
⏳ Drinking Window
As a distilled spirit bottled in 1996, it does not mature further in glass and is fully expressive now, remaining stable for decades if kept sealed and upright.
🍽️ Food & Wine Pairings
Dark chocolate, blue cheese, roasted duck
✨ Technical Specifications
This exceptional vintage Cognac represents a legendary chapter in Anglo-French liquid history: the tradition of 'Early Landed' spirits. Distilled from the 1973 harvest by the venerable house of Hine, the young spirit was shipped in cask across the English Channel to age in the cool, damp, and highly humid cellars of Bristol under the supervision of Charles Wells Ltd. Unlike Cognac matured in the drier cellars of Jarnac, Early Landed Cognacs benefit from a slow, gentle maturation where the humidity prevents excessive evaporation of water, allowing the alcohol level to glide down gracefully while preserving incredibly delicate, floral, and orange-peel notes. Bottled in 1996, this release showcases the exquisite synergy between Grande Champagne terroir and traditional British cellar aging, offering a refined, pale, and remarkably ethereal profile far removed from heavier, wood-dominated spirits.
🍾 About the Producer
Established in 1763 along the banks of the Charente River in Jarnac, Thomas Hine & Co. represents one of Cognac's most distinguished artisanal houses, underscored by being the sole cognac house to hold a British Royal Warrant since 1962. Hine centers its philosophy on the premier crus of Grande and Petite Champagne, farming 115 hectares across the chalk-dominant, undulating hillsides of Bonneuil under certified sustainable practices (HVE and CEC). Under long-standing Cellar Master Eric Forget, the house champions the belief that monumental cognac begins as pristine white wine. Vinified exclusively from Ugni Blanc, the wines undergo double distillation on fine lees in traditional Charentais copper pot stills, followed by aging in lightly toasted, fine-grained French oak casks to preserve floral vivacity and mineral nuance. Renowned for its single-estate and single-vintage bottlings, Hine is celebrated globally for benchmarks such as Antique XO Premier Cru, Homage Grand Cru, and its legendary Early Landed vintages matured in humid British cellars.
🍇 Base Ingredient
Ugni Blanc
🍷 Alcohol By Volume (ABV)
40%