Lot presentation

Chartreuse Of. Jaune V.E.P. Mise 2022

The wine

Yellow Chartreuse was invented in 1840 by Father Colomban and Father Bruno Jacquet, who added the finishing touches. It is milder than Green Chartreuse and bottled at just 43% (or even 40% in certain periods) but uses the same plants. Its colour led to it being officially named Green Chartreuse by Father Garnier, who was the agent responsible for liqueurs at the time. The V.E.P. version (Vieillissement Exceptionnellement Prolongé; Exceptionally Long Ageing) was launched in 1963. Produced using the same recipe as Yellow Chartreuse, it undergoes additional ageing in barrel, as the name implies. VEP is produced in limited quantities and a green version also exists. This is the 2022 bottling.

About the Producer Chartreuse

Mystery surrounds the origins of Chartreuse. In 1605, one of Estrées’‘ marshals presented the Carthusian Monks at Vauvert, Paris with a manuscript containing the formula for a plant elixir. In 1764, this formula using 130 plants was perfected and formalized by Father Jérôme Maubec, who created the Elixir Végétal de la Grande-Chartreuse, the monastery where Chartreuse would be produced until 1864. After a difficult end to the century marked by a French Revolution that posed many problems for religious orders, green and yellow Chartreuse were created in 1840 and quickly became popular. In 1903, the monks were expelled from France and sought refuge in Tarragona, Spain, where they continued to produce Chartreuse, despite the brand being sold to a group of liquor producers. They recovered the brand in 1929 and returned production to France, although the Tarragona distillery would continue operating until 1989. Today, Chartreuse Diffusion manages production, now at the Aigueneoire Distillery, which follows in the footsteps of Fourvoirie and Voiron. Various types of Chartreuse are distributed, from green Chartreuse, to yellow Chartreuse, the Elixir Végétal and VEPs. Older versions and limited editions are hugely popular among enthusiasts and collectors, who have nicknamed it the “Queen of Liqueurs”.

Detailed characteristics