I first met Jean-Noel Pelletan (JNP) randomly in a small bookstore in Jarnac as I was looking for a notebook. Sitting at a table, he was signing his book "Le Cognac: Les aspects juridiques de son élaboration" (“The Cognac: The legal aspects of its elaboration”). It had just been released, it was 2008 and I had just discovered I had a genuine interest in Cognac.
I bought a copy, JNP signed it. It became the first non-touristy Cognac-related document I spent time on.
In my mind, because of the circumstances, the dude was an authority.
I had started to “network” on a tiny level, asking a family friend in the region if he wouldn’t mind introducing me to a few people he knew. I crossed paths with Olivier Laurichesse, then working for his family estate, the great but now sort of defunct Cognac Paul Beau. One eau-de-vie particularly impressed me then: their Borderies Extra Vieille in its crooked bottle, from a vineyard they were not farming anymore (my memory eludes me as to why, they might have sold it). The quality was obvious. The wine must have been of great quality, the distillation on point (Olivier was running it with his uncle) and the aging precise.
Over our conversations, Olivier kindly mentioned that I should meet someone, a friend of his, a man of many talents and with an encyclopedic knowledge linked to the impact of the wood on aging cognac: Jean-Noel, the guy from the library.
I drove to Mainxe and entered the small cooperage Jean-Noel, his dad and a single worker were working out of. Each appellation tends to have its top artisanal cooper, the dude who works on his own or close to it, takes more time, pays more attention, puts out fewer barrels than the bigger outfits and is naturally supplying a lot of the small distillers who put a lot of care in all aspects of their work.
(Armagnac has Gilles Bartholomo, Cognac has/had Yves and Jean-Noel Pelletan.)
The name itself is fitting for such a family, as per the translation from the “Dictionnaire des noms de familles de P.Lagneau et J.Arbuleau, 1980”:
Étymologie PELLETAN : Ecorce-tan (oc) Surnom d’écorceur de chênes which roughly translates to Etymology PELLETAN: Bark-tan (oc) Nickname for oak bark stripper.
Yves Pelletan, born 3/18/48 started working as a cooper at age 14. When he turned 25, he created his own small business, a one-man cooperage operation, a few kilometers from the capital of Grande Champagne (aka Segonzac).
On June 1st, 1992 he became one of France’s very very few Maître Artisan Tonnelier(*). The emphasis here is on “Master/Maitre”; while any cooper could call herself “Artisan Tonnelier” to my knowledge, only three coopers in France have obtained the title of "Master Craftsmen Cooper" in past 4 decades: the deceased Denis Devienne and Yves Pelletan as well as Yves’ son Jean-Noel Pelletan.
Yves was a very friendly man, soft-spoken and extremely hard working, at his shop 7 days a week. The contrast between his kind demeanor and his grip (shaking his hand was akin to placing one’s hand in between two cinder blocks) was startling.
His cooperage had gained the reputation in the cognac region of being the Rolls-Royce of hand-made casks, producing 4(*) barrels a day on the best days while larger companies produce up to 200.
Woods was be hand-picked in the forest, Yves selecting the trees he wanted to be cut.
Pelletan quickly became a name that was desired by the best bouilleurs de crus (artisanal distillers, the cognac equivalent of the Récoltant Manipulant - RM - in Champagne) who were looking for barrels of utmost quality. Uncompromising distillers who aimed at making the best possible Cognac were customers of Pelletan.
The waiting list was long. The cost of a barrel high. But Pelletan was making true art.
Jean-Noel (12/20/79) unofficially started working with his dad when he turned 15 and became a full-time employee at 22.
Coached by his father, he became a Master Craftsman Cooper on Nov 2nd, 2006.
Jean-Noel has been one of the most influential figures in my early career when it comes to Cognac and aging.
He also introduced me to his customers who were all looking for excellent barriques.
Imagine a chef who is truly passionate and has a vision: she will want to work with the best tomato producers, and the best cheese mongers etc... always in search for like-minded people who are putting their hearts into their products. A good number of bouilleurs de crus who put their pride in putting out the best cognacs they could were customers of the Pelletan. The first person JNP drove me to was no other than Jacky Navarre.
The world of the best artisanal distiller in cognac opened up along with extremely insightful conversations with these people who all share the same passion and a tremendous amount of experience.
JNP is an avid book reader. But not any book. He is particularly fond of the old texts from mid 19th century on, related to wine, vineyard, cooperage, eaux-de-vie in general and cognac in particular. His library was imposing. He had been looking for old books for over a decade, online and in specialized bookstores across France. Recipes for making cognac without cognac (rum+walnut+...). I got hooked.
When I was looking to find a place I could make my own cellar to put the casks and demi-johns I had sourced, Yves and Jean-Noel kindly offered a small barn they owned; there was never a question of money. Trust was mutual, they were true to their word and I was just thankful to have crossed paths with such people. I remember having started to use the space to lay some barrels. I came back a few weeks later to check on the stuff and found a new wooden door and new wooden shutters, each made of three layers of heavy planks, the door boasting no less than 8 locks. Yves had decided that if old and rare cognacs were to be stored there, they might as well be very safe and he used his weekends to make the room impenetrable to intruders. He never asked for anything in return, just felt it was the right thing.
I have been back to Cognac several times a year every year since 2010 and each time spent days with the Pelletan. Part of the French National Guard, Jean-Noel would pack up French military rations so we could optimize the day and not “waste time with lunch”. Some of the weirdest yet most awesome memories i have from that time were around survival food in cold cellars.
Yves started feeling ill sometime in 2018 and passed away late 2019. Inhaling wood dust for over 50 years cut his life short. He is dearly missed.
Nowadays Jean-Noel divides his time between the shop and his consulting business, assisting small makers in optimizing the overall quality of their cognacs.
(*) https://www.artisanat.fr/metiers/labels-qualifications/titre-maitre-artisan
The title of "Maître Artisan," which translates to "Master Craftsman," is the highest distinction in the field of craftsmanship in France. It is a testament to the holder's acquired skills and their commitment to promoting craftsmanship. To obtain this title, one must meet very precise regulatory requirements. Typically, "Maître Artisans" are business owners who have honed their craft and business over several years, often training apprentices. There are three ways to obtain this title: holding a Mastery Certificate in the practiced trade, holding a diploma of at least equivalent level with qualifications in management and psychopedagogy, or being registered in the Crafts Directory for at least 10 years with recognized expertise in promoting craftsmanship or participating in training actions.
(*) Jean-Noel now operates his business without using any sanding tools which are ubiquitous in regular cooperages; this policy makes adjusting wood staves even more complicated and has slowed the output from 4 to 2 barrels per day. This decision was made after Yves passed, his sickness having been largely causes by the exposure to wood-dust for decades.