DECANTER OF DREAMS

Jorg Pfutzner on the dots that connect Remy Martin LOUIS XIII's legacy, heritage and history. And, why it is indeed one of the world's most exclusive cognacs that has enigma in its every drop.

- SHARMI ADHIKARY

Plenty of things change in 20 years. But, some, according to Jörg Pfützner, the private client director of LOUIS XIII in South Africa, continue to be as they always were. “I recognised it back then, and I do it even today. The sweet scents that permeate the air in India. Of food, of petrichor, the plethora of spices, of flowers in women’s hair… just like the delightfully complex notes in a LOUIS XIII. Every sip of the world’s most exclusive spirit unravels myriad fragrances. All of them coming together brilliantly for a merry tease to your olfactory chambers,” says the expert.

On a whirlwind trip to India to celebrate with connoisseurs the prestigious drink from France’s Cognac region, Pfützner shared at his first tasting session in Delhi why each handcrafted blown glass decanter of LOUIS-XIII contains generations of history, expertise and everything refined in life.

Watching the maestro deconstruct the notes bit by bit is an experience in itself. As the amber spirit makes its way from the decanter to a crystal glass through a pipette, Pfützner is visibly charmed by the soft fragrance emanating from it. “What do you smell?” he probes us to put out noses into action. We pick up the glasses, do the customary swirl so that the fumes are nudged to breathe out.