Tesseron, as a consumer-facing brand name, is a relative newcomer. A specialist in aged cognacs, it released its first collection slightly more than two decades ago. But Tesseron, as a house, goes back much further. Out of the family home in Châteauneuf-sur-Charente, Abel Tesseron founded the house in 1905 to indulge in his passion for fine cognac—and to build a collection of exceptional eaux-de-vie that would be the envy of the industry. He also began distilling his own spirits out of two vineyards—one from Cognac’s Grand Champage cru, the other from Petit Champagne. In the decades to come, Tesseron would hone its craft in distilling, blending, and ageing, and become a well-known and highly regarded purveyor, producer, and supplier. It was not until 2003, however, that Tesseron began creating blends with its own name on it.
Tesseron cognacs are emblematic of the craft—its vineyards are situated in two of Cognac’s most prestigious crus. It is one of the few producers that still uses three grape varietals: Ugni Blanc, Folle Blanche, and Colombard. The latter two are notoriously difficult to maintain, and many have given up on them—but not Tesseron, owing to its commitment to tradition and desire to offer something special. Its eaux-de-vie age in cellars that date back to the 12th century, and were once part of the local church’s crypt.
“When we arrived on the market, (we weren’t) starting from scratch, but almost. Because the brand did not exist,” Justine Tesseron says. The house is currently in its fourth generation of leadership. Justine is Abel’s great-grandchild; together with her brother, Noé, she continues to guide the family business. “It took time, but I think today Tesseron is a real brand.” She grew up in Bordeaux, so wine and wine-making were part of her upbringing from both family and environment. She studied the business and marketing side of the craft before taking on varied roles within the industry, then deciding to join the family business about 10 years ago. She also heads Château Pontet-Canet, a winery that has been owned by her family since 1975. She notes that the experience in marketing and selling wine was of great value when it became time to build a cognac brand. “It’s more or less the same consumers. Usually, we sell them to the same places, so there are a lot of common things on the business side,” she explains. Tesseron’s extensive stocks, collected over decades, were an ace-in-the-hole, and were the principal reasoning behind the decision to focus only on cognacs of XO and above.
Tesseron launched itself in 2003 with the Classic Collection, and today it remains part of its core line-up; from youngest to oldest, they are Lot n°90 XO Ovation, Lot n°76 XO Tradition, Lot n°53 XO Perfection, and Lot n°29 XO Exception. The rather idiosyncratic naming is a reference to the use of lot numbers to identify blends. There is no particular explanation for the specific numbers, but they do correlate roughly to the year the eaux-de-vie would have come from—relative to 2003, this is around 12-15 years for Ovation, and about 25, 50, and 75 years, respectively, for the rest. From youngest to oldest, they offer a unified, progressive experience of the characteristics of the house—starting light and fresh, and getting progressively darker, heavier, more complex, and more apt to evolve in the glass. “I would say elegant, smooth, very aromatic,” Justine says of her house’s style. Finesse, she adds, is also key.
Although she does not hold a technical role, Justine still remains close to the production process—tasting, nosing, observing—and is part of each decision. “You need to know how you have made it,” she says. “You need to like what you are producing. Otherwise, it’s very hard to talk about it.”
