The eleventh pouch revealed a J. Dupont XO Art Déco Cognac, as we’re nearing the end of the first half of our Cognac-Expert 2025 Advent Calendar already. Once again, we try a Cognac from a long-standing Cognac house, and we add a new name to this humble blog. Let’s talk about their history, before reviewing the J. Dupont XO Art Déco cognac.
J. Dupont Cognac
J. Dupont Cognac began in the late 19th century, when Julien Dupont founded the house in 1872 and started marketing his own cognacs a few years later, around 1878. The brand quickly rode the wave of the Belle Époque, gaining renown for elegant, high‑quality blends that won gold and silver medals at international exhibitions and enjoyed strong export success in the 1930s and 1940s.
After this golden age, J. Dupont went through a quieter period until 1992, when Michel Boinaud – heir to a cognac‑making family established in the region since 1640 – acquired the brand with the aim of reviving it. The Boinaud family owns one of the largest contiguous vineyard holdings in Grande Champagne, with more than 420 hectares around Bouteville, Segonzac, Angeac‑Champagne and Juillac‑le‑Coq, and they chose to anchor J. Dupont firmly in this Premier Cru terroir.
From the 1990s onward, the Boinauds reoriented J. Dupont toward a more boutique, heritage‑driven identity, drawing on deep reserves of well‑aged Grande Champagne eaux‑de‑vie distilled in small alembics and matured in their extensive cellars. In 2014, the brand underwent a full relaunch under Rémi and Charles Boinaud, the 24th generation, who positioned J. Dupont as a kind of ‘art de vivre’ label, blending Belle Époque nostalgia with contemporary design in ranges like Art Déco and Art de Vie.
Today, J. Dupont functions as the prestige face of the Boinaud estate, showcasing long‑aged, often Grande Champagne‑exclusive cognacs, highlighting their large vineyard base. The house leans on a mix of historic stock – some barrels over a century old – and modern presentation, aiming to connect its 19th‑century roots with a renewed 21st‑century audience.
Dupont XO Art Déco Cognac Review
The J. Dupont XO Art Déco Cognac is distilled from Ugni Blanc grapes grown in the Grande Champagne cru, with their lees. The eaux-de-vie aged for 25 to 30 years in casks made by Tonnellerie Navarre, in Dupont’s traditional charentais cellars. Before bottling, the cognac was reduced to 40% ABV, with no other additive. Expect to pay about €150 a bottle, at Cognac-Expert, for instance.
Colour:
A beautiful spicy colour.
Nose:
Neat: The nose opens with orange marmalade, candied and dried fruits such as apricots and raisins, plus notes of jasmine, honeysuckle, vanilla and a well-proportioned rancio that folds in hints of nuts, ginger and light oak spice.
Palate:
Neat: The palate shows a round, silky texture, carrying over the dried and candied fruit tones alongside honeyed richness, dark chocolate, espresso and toasted nuts. Quite some brown sugar caramel. They’re joined by a mix of warm spices: curry, saffron, pepper and cinnamon, whilst floral and leather nuances give some additional depth.
Finish:
The finish runs long and balanced, echoing dark chocolate, coffee and caramel with orange zest, dried fruits, vanilla, honeysuckle and gentle tannins, leaving a lingering impression of peppery spice, subtle bitterness and mature rancio.
Comments:
This cognac is quite good, but there’s a je-ne-sais-quoi missing or preventing me from raising the rating to 7. Maybe a bit too much caramel on the palate, and a mouthfeel still a little thin. The Cognac-Expert Advent booklet says there was no additive to this cognac, but I cannot help thinking this tastes like there was a little bit of sugar added.
Rating: 6.5/10
Advent Calendar provided by Cognac-Expert.