# Guess who got a Louis XIII?



## Wayfarer (Mar 19, 2006)

I'll take a picture or two this weekend. Now to decide when to open it!

I have never tasted a Louie Tres....has anyone tasted and what do you remember of it?

Warmest regards


----------



## GT3 (Mar 29, 2006)

Wayfarer said:


> I'll take a picture or two this weekend. Now to decide when to open it!
> 
> I have never tasted a Louie Tres....has anyone tasted and what do you remember of it?
> 
> Warmest regards


I've had it and frankly it did not do it for me considering the price. I much rather spring the extra $200 or $300 and buy a bottle of Hennessy Richard. Now that was mind blowing. Other cognacs similar to RMXIII are Hine and Camus. I especially liked the Camus XO Borderies. Open it anytime, you never know when a bus bumper has your name on it.


----------



## shoefetish (Jan 15, 2006)

Wayfarer said:


> I'll take a picture or two this weekend. Now to decide when to open it!
> 
> I have never tasted a Louie Tres....has anyone tasted and what do you remember of it?
> 
> Warmest regards


If you got it as a present then lucky you. Beautiful drink. Leaving it in a glass for a few minutes will perfume the immediate surroundings.

The beauty of very old cognac like this is, just a dab on the lips or tip of the tongue is enough to experience the flavours (dark cigar tobacco, almond, flowery). So a bottle can last indefinitely. Other flavours have been mentioned (fruits for one) but can't seem to sense them. The empty Baccarat bottle goes for about $200

Have never owned a bottle but have had a glass from time to time. Here there are people who actually drink it with soda!

As GT3 pointed out the Richard Hennessy is outstanding. Have 1 sitting in my collection waiting for my parents' 50th wedding anniversary this year.

Remys of similar vein are the Centuare Cristale and L'age D'or. Much cheaper but no less flavoursome.

Enjoy the experience without any accompaniments, eg. a cigar for total bliss.


----------



## Wayfarer (Mar 19, 2006)

It was a gift Shoe. Someone I have been mentoring for some time has spread his wings as planned and as thanks handed it to me yesterday. It was a well received gift even though I am most assuredly not a cognac veteran. I'll have the occasional XO when out, but that is about it; I am more a port man when it comes to luxury liquor. However, the gift was certainly a gracious act from a young man on his way to success and I plan to enjoy it on the right occassion.

How long will opened cognac keep? 

Warmest regards


----------



## shoefetish (Jan 15, 2006)

Wayfarer said:


> How long will opened cognac keep?
> 
> Warmest regards


Opened cognac, if not in contact with air, will keep indefinitely. That said a decanter is the worst place to place your expensive cognac. A glass or cork stopper is not 100% airtight - over time the level will fall due to evaporation. When that happens oxygenation takes place and the taste turns. It does not spoil (with an alcohol vol. of 40% nothing can live in it) but the taste becomes different. The best option is to get a tight screw cap glass bottle and decant.

Don't mean to insult the giver but if you are more of a port man sell the bottle and indulge yourself in liquors of preference. The taste differences between cognacs of close price points are subtle so an educated palate is essential. I say this because I have cognacs from <$100 to a few thousand $s (over 80 bottles) and if you are not into cognacs than the very expensive ones are a waste of your money.

Before you open the bottle go to a good pub/bar and indulge in a snifter or two to see if it's for you. If you happen to have an older bottling with a bulbous stopper (not the 3 pronged fleur de lis) collectors will salivate.

Please don't take my post the wrong way. Many times I have opened expensive bottles only to realise I should have sold them to some collector for a premium (they were just not for me). I know its not always about money, just providing an alternative.


----------



## Wayfarer (Mar 19, 2006)

*Oh really?*



shoefetish said:


> Before you open the bottle go to a good pub/bar and indulge in a snifter or two to see if it's for you. If you happen to have an older bottling with a bulbous stopper (not the 3 pronged fleur de lis) collectors will salivate.


Do tell.....this is an older bottling with the bulbous stopper. Okay, guess I need to go post a picture. Back soon.


----------



## Wayfarer (Mar 19, 2006)

*Pics*

Any info you can tell me is welcome Shoe and thanks in advance.


----------



## Srynerson (Aug 26, 2005)

shoefetish said:


> Opened cognac, if not in contact with air, will keep indefinitely. That said a decanter is the worst place to place your expensive cognac. A glass or cork stopper is not 100% airtight - over time the level will fall due to evaporation. When that happens oxygenation takes place and the taste turns. It does not spoil (with an alcohol vol. of 40% nothing can live in it) but the taste becomes different. The best option is to get a tight screw cap glass bottle and decant.


What about one of those CO2 chargers that are used to preserve opened bottles of wine?


----------



## shoefetish (Jan 15, 2006)

Wayfarer said:


> Any info you can tell me is welcome Shoe and thanks in advance.


You are indeed fortunate my friend! That is definitely an older bottling worth quite a bit.

The newer fleur de lis stoppered bottles go for $900 upwards on the collector market. But prices will be lower than buying from a retail store as this sort of packing is still being produced.

Yours on the other hand, if I am correct, is at least from the 60s, 70s. Even earlier if the serial number is low. $1500 would be a starting point.

Contact *Chantal Breuil* at https://www.remy.com or [email protected]. Chantal has helped me tremendously in the past identifying some older bottlings in my collection. Provide as many pics as possible as well as the serial number.

Now onto selling the bottle. Understand that I can only write about my personal experiences to help prevent some of the pitfalls I had experienced. *Don't* undersell. The value is in the collector interest. A drinker will buy a new bottle from a store anyway.
Keep the bottle in a cool dark place. Too humid and the cloth box covering and satin lining will spot affecting value. BTW don't wrap the whole thing in plastic. Keep the bottle upright. Selling to a collectors' liquor store would mean taking at least a 30% cut off the value. Shipping also has its problems. If a bottle is shipped without proper declaration and should it break you'll pay for any damages caused to other packages as well as penalty for improper declaration. Best to do local transactions. Ebay for starters. Unless you have Puff Daddy's number

Good luck with your bottle.


----------



## shoefetish (Jan 15, 2006)

Srynerson said:


> What about one of those CO2 chargers that are used to preserve opened bottles of wine?


Srynerson, beg your pardon, but I think you mean nitrogen chargers. The CO2 chargers are used in soda siphons for aeration.
Nitrogen is used it wine making/preservation to prevent oxidation and spoilage from yeast and bacteria. Spirits with their high alcohol volume don't require that.

Even if I was to use nitrogen (being inert it will not affect taste) the seal has already been compromised so I would need to re-seal. Easier to just decant to the very top of a screw top bottle. The best for this, I find, are the XO for Men bottles.

The corks in old bottles shrink over time. One way to prevent this is to, from time to time, swish the contents so they come in contact with the cork to prevent drying. The down side is cork taint. An old cork with its mushy character is a very unpleasant sight indeed:-(. A very common problem with old bottles - probably cork sanitation wasn't up to the mark then.

Did speak to some cognac houses on resealing but all of them suggest sending the bottles back to them to do so.


----------



## hopkins_student (Jun 25, 2004)

shoefetish said:


> The down side is cork taint.


This is exactly why I'm not going to be a gynecologist.

Ok, that was tasteless...it's been a long week.


----------



## Wayfarer (Mar 19, 2006)

*Lemme tell you...*



hopkins_student said:


> This is exactly why I'm not going to be a gynecologist.
> 
> Ok, that was tasteless...it's been a long week.


About this one time.....at band camp.

Okay, do not want to post about this time I was in undergrad at a Detroit free clinic and I palpated and......


----------



## Wayfarer (Mar 19, 2006)

I am going to sell the bottle due to your advice Shoe. I will try local vendors first then Ebay it. My goal is to sell it enough to purchase a 60-100 bottle wine storage unit. I spoke to the young gentleman that gave it to me and I have his blessings.

Thanks for the information and warmest regards


----------



## Srynerson (Aug 26, 2005)

shoefetish said:


> Srynerson, beg your pardon, but I think you mean nitrogen chargers. The CO2 chargers are used in soda siphons for aeration. Nitrogen is used it wine making/preservation to prevent oxidation and spoilage from yeast and bacteria. Spirits with their high alcohol volume don't require that.


Sorry, actually I should have said argon -- it's denser than the normal atmosphere and thus will not leak out of an unsealed bottle. And I realize that there is no risk of spoilage of harder liquors, but you had previously stated that contact with air would lead to "oxygenation," which would degrade the taste. I thought charging the bottle with an inert gas would help avoid the problem.


----------



## shoefetish (Jan 15, 2006)

Wayfarer said:


> I am going to sell the bottle due to your advice Shoe. I will try local vendors first then Ebay it. My goal is to sell it enough to purchase a 60-100 bottle wine storage unit. I spoke to the young gentleman that gave it to me and I have his blessings.
> 
> Thanks for the information and warmest regards


You are more than welcome.

When you have got your money do indulge in a glass of the xiii at some resturant to see what the fuss is all about


----------



## shoefetish (Jan 15, 2006)

Srynerson said:


> Sorry, actually I should have said argon -- it's denser than the normal atmosphere and thus will not leak out of an unsealed bottle. And I realize that there is no risk of spoilage of harder liquors, but you had previously stated that contact with air would lead to "oxygenation," which would degrade the taste. I thought charging the bottle with an inert gas would help avoid the problem.


Srynerson, I should have been more clear. The decanting process was for some bottles I had no intention of consuming in the forseeable future. Charging with inert gases would mean doing so periodically. Decanting would mean doing it just once. Once a bottle is filled to the brim it can screwed tight and forgotten about. Also I didn't want the cognacs to have anything to do with the old corks ever again;-)

A local wine retailer did try and interest me in some of the charging systems but I found them expensive (a couple of hundred S$ per bottle) and bothersome.


----------



## Wayfarer (Mar 19, 2006)

I will be selling this soon, if anyone is interested, please PM me. I will be very reasonable on the price.

Warmest regards


----------



## Jill (Sep 11, 2003)

What a fascinating post. There's just so darned much to learn about in this world! Who knew?!

Can I be your next protege, Way? You must be doing something right!


----------



## Wayfarer (Mar 19, 2006)

Jill said:


> Can I be your next protege, Way? You must be doing something right!


Thank you for that comment Jill, that has to be the nicest thing anyone has said to me on AAAC. I take mentoring very seriously as a bit of mentoring at one time in my life took me from a semi-hoodlum and set me onto the path that made me what I am today. When a person from a modest background crosses my path now and exhibits what I look for in development, I am always happy to offer advice, help, guidance, and the ever important, foot in the door. Unless we're born into the right family, everyone needs that foot in the door IMO.

I think it was Walt Whittman that said something to the effect of, "If a man spreads a broader chest than mine through my coaching, it only proves the breadth of my own". Words to live by.

Warmest regards


----------



## Jill (Sep 11, 2003)

You're welcome. I'm sincerely impressed!

I like that quote. 

And it's encouraging to see that you're having some success. Seems that the last 3 people I've offered a hand-up have only proven to enforce my (somewhat cynical, I'll admit) assertion that people are where they are in life because of choices they've made. These folks just continued to make bad choices. Hope I'm proven wrong some day.

Anyway, back on topic... Let us know what becomes of the Louis XIII.


----------

