The capital is located 42 kilometers northeast of Cognac. Curious fact: no vines grow there! However, we are in the cognac production area (in the Fins Bois region), where the existence of the merchant Gautier is duly attested in 1755, under the reign of Louis XV. The case would be much older…
This old poster is signed Leonetto Cappiello (1875-1942). This master illustrator was the most renowned poster artist of his time.
Anne Lacaud
The road bet
“The story begins in 1644, with the marriage of Charles Gautier, a timber merchant in Berry, and Jacquette Brochet, daughter of Charentais winegrowers. Aigre was located on a royal road, at a commercial hub towards Orléans,” says Patrice Douai, the site director. When other traders favored river transport, Gautier opted for the road, carts and carts.
In the 18th and 19th century, the vine reigned supreme in this corner of Charente; the Gautiers too. Certainly, the family did not compete with the Otards, Martell and Hennessy in Cognac, who were more powerful and wealthier. She nevertheless held her position, giving her share of mayors and deputies to the region, often Bonapartists, always Catholic.
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The Gautier range is marked by unparalleled roundness and softness.Gautier
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The company is based in a former mill on the Aume, a tributary of the Charente.Gautier
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The cellars at Maison Gautier are very humid.Gautier
At the end of the 19th century, the phylloxera crisis reshuffled the cards. The vineyard was reconstituted further south. Around Aigre, cereals became essential. Shaken but not bruised, the Gautier house held its ground, sourcing from further afield and becoming the most northerly of the trading houses. She still is. Further north, there are no other merchants, not a single brand!
“Our cellars are built on the Aume. Their humidity gives the eaux-de-vie raised here an unparalleled softness”
Gautier enjoys another unique characteristic. “Our cellars are built on the Aume, a tributary of the Charente. Their humidity gives the eaux-de-vie raised here an unparalleled softness. Roundness and smoothness, this is the Gautier style,” explains Guillaume Archereau, the cellar master.
A nectar distillé in 1762
The house has very old stocks. She keeps a bottle nicknamed the “Little Sister”, whose nectar was distilled in 1762. The precious bottle had two “brothers” of the same vintage. The “little one” was sold for $59,500 in 2014 at an auction in New York. The “big one” was sold for more than 131,000 euros in 2020, at Sotheby’s in London.
Sotheby’s in London presented this 1762 Gautier bottle as “the oldest vintage cognac ever sold at auction”. It was sold for 118,580 pounds (more than 131,000 euros). It was an Asian collector who won the prize.” itemprop=”contentURL”/>
In 2020, Sotheby’s in London presented this 1762 Gautier bottle as “the oldest vintage cognac ever sold at auction”. It was sold for 118,580 pounds (more than 131,000 euros). It was an Asian collector who won the prize.
Sotheby’s
Today, Gautier has around twenty employees. It is an SME facing the cognac crisis. Its membership of Marie Brizard Wine & Spirits and its privileged links with the La Martiniquaise-Bardinet group cushion the violence of the economic storm.
J. Gautier fils trademark registration at the Cognac commercial court registry.
Departmental archives of Charente
A birthday bottle
Gautier is celebrating its 270th anniversary by offering 270 numbered bottles to its most loyal customers, among professionals in cafes, hotels and restaurants (CHR). The anniversary vintage combines over-aged eaux-de-vie from Petite Champagne. The blend is called cask strength. The price is not communicated.
