Family-owned Pierre Frapin is a rarity among cognac producers – one of few great names in world-class cognac to own its own vineyards. Frapin’s 741-acre domain, which includes 494 acres of prime Grande Champagne vineyard, took the Frapin family five centuries to amass. It constitutes the largest single vineyard in this top-rated appellation where average holdings seldom exceed 30 acres.

The Frapin family’s ties to the Cognac district of the Charentes region of southwest France span over 20 generations, extending all the way back to about 1270. Today Frapin is owned by Geneviève Frapin and her husband, Max Cointreau.

Frapin Cognacs reflect an unwavering commitment to quality winemaking:

• Young vines fertilized the old-fashioned way: with manure and mulch from pulverized vine clippings


• An early October harvest conducted a week ahead of most producers, to maintain higher levels of acidity


• A natural fermentation: no cultivated yeasts are added


• Sulfites are not used at Frapin


• To retain a freshness of fruit, no filtration is allowed


• A double distillation is undertaken, on the lees, in one of four giant copper stills


• Frapin's cognacs undergo a longer-than-average maturation in Limousine oak casks