Four bottles of Normandin Mercier cognac and one decanter, each with different labels indicating different ages and types of cognac, placed in a row against a white background.

Normandin-Mercier Cognac

Five Generations Crafting Cognac

Since 1872, five generations have contributed to the development of the prestigious Normandin-Mercier Cognacs. The family has build its fame by perfecting the art of blending and ageing cognacs in an exceptional geographical site on their estate, the Domaine de La Péraudière. Today the cellars operate under the stewardship of 5th generation siblings, Edouard and Audrey Normandin.

A man and woman walking on a gravel path with a brown dog, in front of a large stone and wrought iron gate, ornate building and greenery.

What makes Normandin-Mercier so unique?

The Crus: For decades, the family Normandin-Mercier has been buying young cognacs from the same handful of producers in the crus of Petite Champagne and Grande Champagne only.

The Grapes: Normandin-Mercier cognacs are made with about 90% Ugni Blanc, and 10% of Colombard and Folle Blanche, a very rare and unique blend compared to other cognacs.

Historic stone fortress of La Rochelle with two towers by a river, boats sailing nearby, buildings in the background, under a cloudy sky.

Artisanal Production Right by the Ocean

The Cellars: Normandin-Mercier cognacs are matured in the family chateau’s traditional cellars near the town of La Rochelle, the historic medieval port that made Cognac famous  many centuries ago. The proximity of the ocean, the natural regulation of hygrometry and oceanic temperature all favor the ageing of the cognacs, giving them fullness, elegance and a unique character. 

The Production: 25,000 bottles per year

It’s important to note that Normandin-Mercier cognacs contain no artificial coloring and are not subject to a cold filtration in order to preserve a total purity of the aromas and flavors.

Multiple bottles of Normandin Mercier Cognac illuminated from behind, with warm orange light highlighting their amber and dark red liquid contents.

Cognac Accessible to All

“I wanted to think about the visually impaired and make our bottles readable by everyone. It is also an opportunity to highlight that Louis Braille, the creator of this language, was French. We are the only Cognac house to use braille on our labels.”
— Edouard Normandin

The First Braille Cognac Labels

Sky blue painted fingers read the braille label on a bottle that reads Normandin Mercier Cognac Petite Champagne "7" Very Superior Old Pale (VSOP) laying on a marble background.

Current owner and fifth-generation Cellar Master Edouard Normandin recently added braille to his front labels. Louis Braille invented the tactile writing system in the 1820s and today there are Braille codes in 133 languages used worldwide! Seemingly small, but life-changing decisions to promote accessibility are why we love working with small family producers - people always come first!

A bottle of Normandin Mercier Petite Champagne VSOP cognac and a glass filled with a cognac cocktail garnished with a long lemon peel, on a black and white checkered table with horse silhouettes wallpaper in the background.

VSOP Petite Champagne

Tasting Highlights

7 years minimum.

Brilliant, clear, beautiful and luminous golden amber color and look.

Subtle floral nose, honeysuckle and violet.

Subtly spicy with a touch of licorice.

Lively cognac perfect for long drink and cocktails.

Reviews

97 points 
"This delicious and delicate Cognac opens with a distinctly nutty aroma. The palate unfolds pecan and almond, plus vanilla sweetness that lingers into the complex finish. Subtle white flower and pear mingle with ginger and clove on the graceful exhale." (Wine Enthusiast 2023)

93 points
"Golden and light in the glass, this Cognac offers rich, powerful aromas of caramel, dulce de leche and ripe banana. The buttery palate opens with vanilla cookie and tropical fruit, finishing with sprinkles of cayenne and cocoa. Petite Champagne region, minimum seven years old." (Wine Enthusiast, 2019)

Gold Medal (International Spirits Challenge, 2018)

92 points (Wine Enthusiast, 2013)

VSOP Organic Petite Champagne

A bottle of Normandin Mercier Petite Champagne VSOP Organic Cognac with a green foil capsule on top.
USDA Organic seal with green and white text on a circular white background, bordered in brown, and a green field graphic beneath the text.

Tasting Highlights

This VSOP has 7 years of aging in cask, it is young, fruity and of moderate length in the mouth. Perfect for aperitif, pure or long drink. To be enjoyed chilled or at room temperature.

100% Petite Champagne

Certified organic

Grape varieties: Ugni Blanc, Folle Blanche and Colombard Blanc

Nose: Iris, sandalwood, pear, violet, and cocoa beans

Palate: Pleasant on the palate with notes of hay and violet; fruity and floral through to the finish.

Prestige Fine Champagne

A bottle of Normandin Mercier Fine Champagne Prestige Cognac.

Tasting Highlights

15 years minimum.

Blend of Grande Champagne (brings sharpness and length) and Petite Champagne (subtlety, delicacy and sweetness).

Flavors of fruits, almond and plum with a rich and fat, but clean finish.

Aged 2 years in 350L new barrels, then moved a 600L barrels.

Reviews

96 points / Best of 2017 / Top 100 Spirits on 2017
"Nuanced and complex, this shows a floral lilt up front, segueing into more substantial vanilla and honey aromas. The palate is relatively dry, with cocoa and leather  lightening to ginger spice and hints of tropical fruit." (Wine Enthusiast, 2017) 

Excellent 93 points and Finalist (2012 Ultimate Spirits Challenge, New York)

Gold Medal (International Review of Spirits, BTI, 2012) 

XO Grande Champagne

A bottle of Normandin Mercier Grande Champagne Cognac XO with a black wax cap and a white label, containing amber-colored liquid.

Tasting Highlights

30 years minimum.

Full and soft spirit although preserves a certain ardor thanks to its ageing in red barrels. 

Gold supported with amber reflections.  

Nose: dried fruits along with hazelnut and almonds, candied fruits, citrus fruits, cinnamon, vanilla, honey, and toffee.  
Flavor: rancio (Porto), smoked, chocolate, cereal (brioche), vegetable (dry spices, light tobacco), Woody. 
Mouth: ample and round. Complex, ample, elegant. To sample quietly. 

Reviews

95 points, Finalist
“This stately brandy shows a soaring nose of raspberry butter pastry, vanilla nougat, honeyed figs, and dried golden flowers. the palate is lush and decadent filling the mouth with preserved fruit flavors and a long elegant finish.” - (Ultimate Spirits Challenge, 2022)

4 stars. Highly recommended.
“Beautiful mahogany color; flawless clarity. First aromatic impressions are of old books/library, hard cheese, moss, and shiitake mushroom, which leads me to think “rancio”; secondary whiffs offer traces of lead pencil, flint, caramel custard/flan, egg white, baked apricot, and toffee. Entry is mineral-like and earthy dry at first, then the flavors open up by midpalate, going more towards breakfast cereal with dried fruit, pipe tobacco and nutmeg. Concludes medium long in the throat, biscuity, toffee-like, and gently ripe and sweet.” (Paul Pacult, The New Kindred Spirits, 2021)

91 points
"Like candy in a glass, this bold brandy overflows with butterscotch and caramel notes and finishes with ginger, cinnamon and candied-lemon peel accents. A delectable pairing with crème brûlée or other creamy desserts, or poured over ice cream." (Wine Enthusiast, 2013)

A bottle of Normandin Mercier Cognac 1976 Ocean-Aged submerged underwater with light rays penetrating the water, and the brand logo and name above the bottle.

1976 Ocean Aged Petite Champagne

A bottle of vintage ocean-aged Cognac encrusted with oceanic creatures and silt, and a tag indicating it is a 1976 Normandin-Mercier Petite Champagne, produced in France, with 41.36% alcohol.

Tasting Highlights

Cask strength, 43%

Lovers of the ocean, Audrey and Edouard Normandin gave 44 bottles of the 1976 vintage to the sea, immersing them for fourteen months in the Iroise Sea.

Well-balanced, fine, and supple in nose, as in mouth, with aromas of lily and bark of orange and a pronounced salinity.

A decanter of Normandin-Mercier Rare cognac with a rounded shape, a cork stopper, and a tag attached, containing amber-colored liquid.

Rare Grande Champagne

Tasting Highlights

50 years old

Patience and years permitted this Cognac to become suppler and to concentrate its aromas in order to express all the length and the elegance of the Grande Champagne.

Aromas of orange peel, dried fruits, brioche and spices. Soft and long on the palate with delicate notes of grapes, apricots and oak.

Christmas Cognac Petite Champagne

A bottle of Normandin-Mercier Christmas Cognac with a green cap, containing amber-colored liquid, and a red and white label that reads "Christmas Cognac" and "Petite Champagne."

Tasting Highlights

This Petite Champagne originates from an old family reserve handed down from father to son beginning with the house's creation in 1872 by Edouard Normandin's great, great grandfather, Jules Normandin. 

This special and rare cuvee is bottled especially for Christmas from an specially-selected oak cask. 

Normandin Cocktails

A bottle of Normandin Mercier Petite Champagne VSOP cognac next to a champagne flute with a long lemon twist garnish, both placed on a black and white checkered surface with a horse silhouette border in the background.
Two bottles, one labeled Normandin Mercier Cognac and the other labeled Jules Theuriet Cacao Ambré, behind a glass of dark cocktail garnished with a couple of coffee beans, on a black table outdoors with a green field and trees in the background.
A bottle of Normandin-Mercier Pineau des Charentes Rouge next to a glass of pink cocktail garnished with a lime wedge, on a wooden surface outdoors with green grass and trees in the background.

Pineau des Charentes

Two bottles of wine, one red and one white, with labels reading 'Normandin Mercier' and 'Pineau des Charentes,' placed on a wooden surface with a large copper still in the background.

This five year old Pineau is a perfect example of how Pineau des Charentes should taste! Enjoy it as an aperitif chilled, on the rocks, mixed with a bit of tonic water or have some fun experimenting with it behind the bar. It also goes well with foie gras, blue cheese or with almost any dessert.

Press

  • La Rochelle Hotel de Ville. Laura Motta/Lonely Planet

    A first-time guide to Cognac, France

    J. Normandin-Mercier, located just outside La Rochelle, has been in the same cognac-making family for five generations. With a chicly rustic tasting room and the family dogs lounging in the courtyard, a visit here feels like a peek into a private family estate. They also produce pineau de Charentes, a jewel-toned fortified wine that’s served across the region as an aperitif.

    Lonely Planet
  • Preview page of French Brandy article with a bottle lineup below the title

    Essential French Brandies: A Primer

    A lot of questions abound about French brandies, especially Armagnac and Calvados. But myths and misconceptions arise even around France’s most famous Brandy export, Cognac.

    Chilled Magazine
  • Close-up on label of Normandin-Mercier VSOP Cognac

    8 VSOP Cognacs to Drink Right Now

    Normandin Mercier 7 VSOP

    This delicious and delicate Cognac opens with a distinctly nutty aroma. The palate unfolds pecan and almond, plus vanilla sweetness that lingers into the complex finish. Subtle white flower and pear mingle with ginger and clove on the graceful exhale.

    97 Points — Kara Newman

    Wine Enthusiast
  • Collection of cork-toped samples of cognac with large barrel in the background, honeyed lighting

    Ready to Take Your Cognac Game to the Next Level?

    Another noticeable trend has been the uptick in single-vintage bottlings—a rarity in Cognac. But Normandin-Mercier (1976), Maison Surrenne (1975), Jean Grosperrin (1991) all dipped into the Paradis—the cave where rare brandies usually are stored—and released some of the best Cognacs you’ll see in your glass this year.

    Wine Enthusiast
  • Champagne flute and white wine on silver serving tray

    Ask A Somm: Which Aperitif Wines Are Best Before a Holiday Meal?

    Kick off dinner with one of these aperitif wines.

    Eater
  • Article screenshot featuring an upside-down copper pineapple glass

    Discovering Pineau

    French aperitif Pineau des Charentes is gaining ground as a cocktail component

    Market Watch
  • Man in a brandy cellar smelling a glass of cognac as seen through a window

    Spirit of the Age

    A connoisseur’s guide to the complex world of cognacs

    Style