NBA star Rudy Gobert has teamed up with Cognac Frapin to become the brand’s ambassador for North America. Beginning this month, the Utah Jazz center will look to help elevate the Cognac brand’s presence in the United States and Canada, and support the brand’s upcoming releases – including Cognac Frapin VSOP.
The partnership is based on Frapin and Gobert “share[d] common values and a drive for excellence,” says the brand. The meeting between the star and the brand was born through friendship. “Gobert is a lover of old spirits,” explains the brand, and a connoisseur acquaintance of his offered him a bottle of Cognac Frapin Vintage 1992, his birth year, which stirred his interred in the Maison.
Established in 1270, 21 generations of the Frapin family have been wine growers and distillers. Today, the Cognac house owns 240ha of vineyards in the Grande Champagne region of Cognac in France. The brand celebrated its 750th anniversary in 2020. To mark the occasion, Frapin released 21 extremely rare bottles known as Frapin 750.
To create Frapin 750, Cellar Master Patrice Piveteau hand selected visited the Paradise Cellar at Chateau Fontpinot and sourced barrels dating from as far back as the 1800s. The Cognac will be housed in a limited-edition Baccarat carafe complete with two crystal tasting glasses engraved in Belle Époque-era grape vines with the Frapin 750 emblem. It all comes housed in a wood box with a drawer that contains a book, a sealed envelope, and a spot for a key.
Last summer, Frapin also unveiled an interactive museum to give consumers the chance to explore the history of the house. The museum offers two tours: the Discovery Tour and the VIP tour.
In November, we caught up with Patrice Piveteau who took us through the tradition, innovation and influence that led to the creation of Frapin Cellar Master Edition No° 1 Cognac.
For more information on the brand and its affiliation with Rudy Gobert, head over to Frapin’s official website.
