Issue link: https://digital.copcomm.com/i/759555
44 / the tasting panel / december 2016 2016 Courvoisier Master Blender Patrice Pinet. W ith 28 years of experience crafting Courvoisier, Master Blender Patrice Pinet is one of the single most influential noses in the Cognac industry. As the company's President and General Manager, Pinet sat down with The Tasting Panel to discuss some of the finer points of producing Courvoisier's ultimate expression—L'Essence de Courvoisier—and of Cognac production at the heralded estate. Deborah Parker Wong: You've been making Courvoisier for 28 years and as Master Blender since 2009. With this perspective, what inspires you most? Patrice Pinet: The craftsmanship that is the hallmark of the Courvoisier style, one that's not too woody with a fruity, floral character, remains to this day. We make an artisanal spirit in the truest sense of the word and the quality of our Cognacs is at an all-time high. DPW: You've created L'Essence as the ultimate expression of Courvoisier. What inspired the creation of this expression and the packaging? Pinet: We created L'Essence seven years ago, at the time I became the Master Blender, and launched it at COGNAC A CONVERSATION WITH COURVOISIER MASTER BLENDER PATRICE PINET by Deborah Parker Wong / photos by Hardy Wilson What the Nose Knows