As the oldest of the major cognac houses, with three uninterrupted centuries of production since 1715, Martell has a genuine claim to having helped define what cognac is, and its house style, built on clear wine distillation and fine-grained French oak aging, remains one of the more distinctively smooth interpretations in the category rather than a generic template. Cordon Bleu, created in 1912, has earned its status as one of the most recognized prestige cognacs globally through consistent quality across more than a century, and the continued use of Borderies cru eaux-de-vie in house blends gives Martell's expressions a genuine sense of place, sourced from cognac's smallest and most distinctive growing area, that connoisseurs specifically seek out. Pernod Ricard's ownership has given Martell the global distribution muscle to remain highly visible in key growth markets like China and the United States without any evident compromise to the underlying distillation and blending standards. The XO and L'Or de Jean Martell prestige ranges extend the house upward credibly into serious collector territory, with limited editions reaching genuinely rarefied price points. As a historically foundational, consistently well-crafted house, Martell remains a benchmark in luxury cognac, respected by both casual drinkers and serious collectors.