“In this series we bring you our #FavouriteThings Holiday Gift Suggestions which we personally recommend”
This fall I was fortunate to have been invited to a Brandy tasting with Master blender Mrs. Cécile Roudaut. It was a wonderful experience and now I am sharing with you my personally recommended Gift Suggestion for the most disxriminating people on your holiday gift list.
ST-RÉMY VSOP
THE FRENCH ICON
St-Rémy VSOP embodies the iconic and historical taste of St-Rémy. It is a translation of the original recipe that has made St-Rémy famous around the globe.
TASTING NOTES
APPEARANCE
Amber-yellow lit with glints of gold.
NOSE
The vivacity quickly yields to fruity notes of apricot, peach, gooseberry and wild strawberry. Floral aromas blend subtly with tones of vanilla and wood. The abiding sensation is pleasing and harmonious.
PALATE
What the nose promises, the palate provides. Delicate and balanced mouth, with fruits and wood flavours, and a grand vanilla finale.
SERVING SUGGESTIONS
With its light and subtle nose, St-Rémy VSOP is excellent neat, on ice or in cocktails.
St-Rémy VSOP embodies the iconic and historical taste of St-Rémy. It is a translation of the original recipe that has made St-Rémy famous around the globe. The vivacity quickly yields to fruity notes of apricot, peach, gooseberry and wild strawberry. Floral aromas blend subtly with tones of vanilla and wood. The abiding sensation is pleasing and harmonious. What the nose promises, the palate provides. Delicate and balanced mouth, with fruits and wood flavours, and a grand vanilla finale. With its light and subtle nose, St-Rémy VSOP is excellent neat, on ice or in cocktails.
$26.49 available at BC Liquor Stores
This versatile brandy is carefully aged in small French oak barrels, revealing an intense bouquet of exquisite fruity and floral aromas, accented with subtle tones of vanilla. This aromatic fruity and spicy brandy is perfect for mixing or sipping solo.
$30.45 available at the LCBO.
ST-RÉMY XO
THE SOPHISTICATED CHOICE
Multi-award-winning across the globe, St-Rémy XO is a rich and complex brandy. Its French aromatic intensity remains true to the style of the House.
TASTING NOTES
APPEARANCE
Luminous amber, with a rich golden aura.
NOSE
Mature nose underpinned with echoes of oak, and delicate vanilla aromas, layered with hints of ripe fruits and honey.
PALATE
A rich palate of flavours. Subtle notes of wood and vanilla are enriched with flavours of gingerbread, candied apricots, dates, figs and nuts. This complex taste is subtly spicy and offers a long finish.
SERVING SUGGESTIONS
Offering multiple layers of flavors that make it remarkable to critics and connoisseurs alike, St-Rémy XO can be enjoyed neat, on ice or in classic cocktails.
Gold, San Francisco World Spirits Competition 2022. Multi-award-winning across the globe, St-Rémy XO is a rich and complex brandy. Its French aromatic intensity remains true to the style of the House. Mature nose underpinned with echoes of oak, and delicate vanilla aromas, layered with hints of ripe fruits and honey. A rich palate of flavours. Subtle notes of wood and vanilla are enriched with flavours of gingerbread, candied apricots, dates, figs and nuts. This complex taste is subtly spicy and offers a long finish.
$35.99 available at BC Liquor Stores currently on sale for $33.99 until December 31
St-Rémy XO is a brandy of distinct character, with elaborate aromas and a rich taste. Elegant and smooth, the intense blend lingers gracefully on the palate. Medium-deep amber in colour it offers aromas of peach apple, pear and vanilla; dry, fruity flavours, and an oaky finish.
$34.95 at the LCBO currently on sale at $33.95 until January 1st
Honest, generous and bon vivant, each and every drop of St-Rémy evokes the French art of living.
THE MOST PRESTIGIOUS FRENCH BRANDY
St-Rémy is the world’s favourite and most prestigious French brandy, prized by connoisseurs and critics alike since 1886.
With 130 years of brand history, the recipe continues to be passed down from generation to generation: it is a closely guarded secret known only to our dedicated Master Blenders, well protected in its iconic black bottle.
OUR MASTER BLENDER
Mother of two boys, Cécile Roudaut lives in a small town of 3,000 inhabitants, in a former post office surrounded by vineyards. Born in nearby Saumur – as was Coco Chanel before her – she loves the mild climate, landscapes, white lime-stone, vines and light in Anjou in France’s lower Loire Valley.
As a young adult, Cécile’s interest in the grapevine was noticed by the local grape-growers and cellar-masters in Angers and Saumur who showed her how wine was made. She later joined a winery and developed her passion for the product by studying oenology.
Inspired and encouraged by this experience, Cécile joined Rémy Cointreau in July 1997, working in the Research & Development department. That was where her close relationship with St-Rémy began, culminating in June 2016 with her appointment as Master Blender, following the retirement of Martine Pain.
Aware that her job involves the transmission of knowledge to a wider audience, Cécile Roudaut has been giving courses at the University of Angers for the past 15 years, in the fields of sensory analysis and food biochemistry.
A Master Blender with an open mind
Cécile Roudaut defines her role as Master Blender as follows: “I work on selecting eaux-de-vies and nurturing them whilst they are aging in oak barrels; I then taste them and create the blends which will become St-Rémy brandy.” She focuses on pursuing this ancestral task by respecting the brand’s values: “St-Rémy has strong roots – tradition, history, and a real elegance. My role is to ensure that the brand retains its authenticity.”
Notes and information courtesy of St-Rémy, notes in italics courtesy of the LCBO and BC Liquor Stores. Images: MyVanCity. I received complimentary brandies to facilitate this feature.
