LOUIS XIII’s sustainability goals are integrated to those set by the House of Rémy Martin and, on a larger scale, by those set by the Rémy Cointreau group. In 2019, the group was listed by EthiFinance Gaia Index as the number one mid-size company in France for all its CSR elements.
The House of Rémy Martin’s sustainable initiatives are wide-ranging. It has a long-term partnership with the cooperative of winegrowers called the Alliance Fine Champagne (AFC). Committed to the AFC on a financial and social level, the House has implemented an large-scale programme with the AFC to make sure that the winegrowers are working on sustainable development within the framework of Haute Valeur Environnementale (High Environmental Value), or HVE.
LOUIS XIII recently embarked on a project to revive the art of making oak tierçons, the unique barrels in which some of the LOUIS XIII eaux-de-vie are aged. This project is supported by the Office National des Forêts, or ONF to ensure a sustainable future for oak trees and forests.
As the saying goes, at LOUIS XIII, we think a century ahead. We constantly project ourselves forward because we plan the selection of the most delicate eaux-de-vie well in advance. It means we need to have foresight, to constantly be planning and adapting. This long-term vision can only be achieved by setting goals in the short-term. The House of Rémy Martin has set sustainable goals for 2022, 2024, 2028. Each of these small steps contributes to perpetuating the LOUIS XIII legacy of excellence.
Our Ties to the land
LOUIS XIII’s ties to the land run deep. They reach back almost 150 years before it was created, to 1724, when the company, the House of Rémy Martin, was founded by a winegrower, thus rooted in the soil from the beginning: the link to the land is like a leitmotif. As a result of these origins, LOUIS XIII and Rémy Martin share the same vision. The House of Rémy Martin has always thought along the lines of terroir, people and time and its Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR) strategy is organised around this perfectly balanced trifecta. LOUIS XIII’s sustainability goals, like those of the House of Rémy Martin, are therefore to protect the terroir, create a sense of community and celebrate the value of time.
The terroir of Grande Champagne
A ‘terroir’ is the intersection of climate, soil, plants and human action. In the case of LOUIS XIII, the term ‘terroir’ relates to a very specific geographical subzone, the cru of Grande Champagne. The terroir of Grande Champagne is essential to LOUIS XIII, its chalky soil influences the flavour of LOUIS XIII cognac. The grapevines, as well as all the other plant varieties that are a part of the terroir’s ecosystem, will still be rooted in this same chalky soil for centuries to come. Climate change, however, is disrupting the equilibrium of the terroir and threatening its future. We must therefore seek to understand the impact of climate change on the Grande Champagne and adapt our viticultural practices accordingly, while continuing to provide support to the people that tend to the soil and plants.
