Camus releases single-varietal Cognac decades in the making

Camus is hoping to capture the viticultural essence of a little-known corner of The Dordogne with a new limited-edition release.

Return to Saint-Aulaye is a single-cru, single-varietal Cognac which is the result of a decades-long partnership between Camus and the village of Saint-Aulaye, in the 'Perigord' region of The Dordogne, to revive local distillation traditions.

Saint-Aulaye has appeared in the delimited Cognac production area since 1909, before the appelation d'origine contrôlée (AOC) was made official in 1936. After scouring local records on Cognac production in the region, the village council identified a 1.5-hectare parcel of land with the ideal terroir to grow grapes and start reviving the craft.

The council planted Colombard grapes on the land - a lesser-used variety due to its low yield, but one with desirable aromatic qualities - and enlisted the help of Camus to create a Cognac from the resultant harvest. The team at Camus researched and used a number of traditional production techniques to make the spirit, including using barrels made with wood from the local Double forest.

The final blend of the 2016 vintage from these vineyards has been bottled as Return to Saint-Aulaye, which will be available globally in a limited-edition run of 3,000 bottles.

Return to Saint-Aulaye will be available for pre-sale on the Camus website from 2-26 April, shipping worldwide, then will go on sale with select specialist retailers.

24 March 2021 - Bethany Whymark