History of Courvoisier

Louis Gallois set up a wine and spirits company in 1796, Gallois Cellars, on the outskirts of Paris with his original business partner Emmanuel Courvoisier. Gallois had been developing contacts for many years, particularly with the upper échelons of Napoléon’s imperial army. These relationships proved successful many years later when Napoléon Bonaparte took the throne in 1804.

By 1828 the sons of Emmanuel Courvoisier and Louis Gallois, Félix and Jules respectively, took over the company.  In addition to their headquarters in Bercy, the partners settled a new company in the town of Jarnac. This new House, located in the heart of the Cognac region in France, was created to  focus solely on cognac.

When Felix died without a male heir in 1866, he left the management of the business to two of his nephews, the Curlier brothers. The two negotiated good trade relations with the UK, where cognac was highly prized, and so made inroads onto the world’s stage, eventually gracing the tables of the Royal Courts of Denmark, England and Sweden in the 20th century.

The opening of the Eiffel Tower during the World’s Fair in 1889 was an event of global significance, with much for Courvoisier to relish in during these events including the ultimate international prize of its day, the Medaille d’Or. However, perhaps even more significant for the brand was the selection of Courvoisier to take a leading role in the dinner that marked the opening of the Eiffel Tower. This was the social event to be at, to be seen at, and to take part in the toast by drinking Courvoisier, the official cognac chosen for this glittering occasion.

As French as all this was, the Simon family from England assumed leadership of Courvoisier in 1909. They had been in the wine and spirits business in the UK for generations and saw its potential as a true global brand. The first thing they did was to build on our century-long reputation as one of the finest quality cognacs in the world by establishing the recognizable and iconic Napoléon silhouette.

Louis Renard developed the collection of Fins Bois that later exemplified the signature Courvoisier style of sophistication and refinement. Highly reputed as “the nose,” Renard is celebrated as the visionary blender who introduced the first core collection for the house: Napoleon (1909), VSOP (1910) and VS (1930s). 1909 was also the year when the registered Cognac production areas, or the Appellation d’Origine Contrôlée (AOC) were delineated.

In 1936, the Bureau National Interprofessionnel du Cognac (BNIC) outlined the requirements for brandy to be considered “Cognac” which state: 1) The product must originate in the Cognac Appellation d’origine contrôlée (AOC). 2) The grapes used to make Cognac must come from one of the six designated growing areas or “crus” located in the Cognac region. 3) Cognac must also  be made from grapes blended from 90% eau de vie from Ugni Blanc, Folle Blanche and Colombard grapes with up to 10% Folignan, Jurancon blanc, Blanc Rame, Montils or Semillon grapes.

If a producer located in the Cognac AOC follows all BNIC standards, including meeting production, distillation and aging requirements, their brandy can officially be called “Cognac”.

At the height of the war, while Château Courvoisier was occupied by German officers, George Simon fled France for the UK. However, he continued to manage Courvoisier from England and, in order to ensure it didn’t fall into the wrong hands, ‘sold’ the business to Georges Hubert with the support of Christian Braastad with the promise they would give it back after the war. And, in 1945, the two made good on their promise and returned the Château to Simon.

The Joséphine bottle allowed Courvoisier to be recognised on bars, shelves and tables simply by the distinctive bottle shape. The bottle was named Joséphine because it drew inspiration for its look from the well-rounded shape of Napoléon Bonaparte’s first wife, reinforcing the historic association of Courvoisier and Napoléon.

In 1983 the house was honored with the ‘Prestige de la France’, the highest accolade for quality in France, and remain the only cognac house to hold such an award. This was presented by Jacques Chirac, who was mayor of Paris at the time but would later become President of France.