Cognacton english

Frapin, cognac firm in Ségonzac

Chateau Fontpinot in Lignières-Sonneville

• 1870  established by Pierre Frapin
• 1920 André Renaud marries the daughter of Pierre Frapin, Marie Frapin. Renaud is Rémy Martin’s associé. After Paul-Rémy Martin dies in 1924, André Renaud becomes sole owner of Rémy Martin.
• 1946  The daughter of André Renaud and Marie Frapin, Géneviève, marries Max Cointreau. Géneviève inherits Frapin. But she is also heiress of Rémy Martin (49%).
• 1984 Béatrice Cointreau, daughter of Géneviève Renaud and Max Cointreau, becomes managing director of Frapin.
• 1987  Group Héririers Renaud-Cointrau is being established.
• 1990  Merger of Rémy Martin and Cointreau (the name changes to Rémy-Cointreau); Max Cointreau and  Géneviève are being bought out.
• 2007  Jean-Pierre Cointreau, brother of Béatrice, succeeds Béatrice to become the CEO of Renaud-Cointreau.
• 2010s Amaury and Julien Cointreau are now also involved in the company.

Nowadays Frapin is part of the group Héritiers Renaud-Cointreau, headed by Jean-Pierre Cointreau, son of Géneviève Renaud and Max Cointreau. Not to be confused with Rémy-Cointreau, managed by Dominique Hériard Dubreuil.

They possess three estates in the grande champagne area: Gabloteaux, Font Pinot and Chez Piet. Frapin possesses 600 hectares of land, 340 of which are vineyard, the biggest vineyard of the grande champagne, more than twenty times the size of an average vineyard (note: Boinaud possesses 410 hectare, but is a distillery (amongst others they have De Luze as a cognac brand).
Frapin also buys from other producers.

Almost all of the vineyard is ugni blanc. Harvesting is early, often a week before the other vignerons start.
New casks of Limousin oak are being used during the first year. The eau/de/vie is then put in older casks. They do not want too much tanin, so the toasting of the casks is light.
Every two year the cognac is reduced with 8%. For this a mixture of cognac and distilled water is used.
They have 20 cellars, 10 dry and 10 humid. The casks are moved between the cellars according to their development.

Cellar master is Patrice Piveteau.

Range (almost all Frapin cognacs are grande champagnes): VS (petite champagne), VSOP, VIP XO, Extra Réserve Patrimonial Pierre Frapin, Château Fontpinot, Domaine Frapin, Baccarat Rabelais, Age Inconnu, Cigar Blend.
Frapin also produces the cognacs for Berry Bros & Rudd in London, for Fauchon and Les Caves de Maxim’s in Parijs and for Grasshoff in Bremen.

Other brands in possession of Frapin or that have been used by Fapin in the past:

• Dame de Coeur
• Delfin
• Diamant Royal
• Flamme Royal
• Fontpinot
• Mahjong
• Pyramides
• Rabelais
• André Renaud
• Raisins d’Or
• Trésor Royal
• Union Club

http://www.cognac-frapin.com/
Address: Rue Pierre-Frapin, BP 116130 Segonzac (visits only by appointment, see website for an email-address)