Green Chartreuse - February 1949 - 1941-1951 - Voiron, 75 cl

Cork cap with wax in correct condition, cracked and dirty. Under cap level 6,5 cm. Front label in correct condition, wavy, with tears on the top and on the bottom. Back label in correct condition, a little bit dirty. Smooth and clean glass. Sandblasted seal. Normal shade. 

Bottle dated on the back label from February 1949. 

€4,000.00
Reference:
CV_662
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Description

History:

In 1605, at a Chartreuse monastery of Vauvert, in Paris, the monks received a gift from Marshal d'Estrées, an already ancient manuscript from an “Elixir”, whose origins are unknown. In this period, only a few monks and even fewer apothecaries understood the use of herbs and plants in the treatment of illness. The manuscript's recipe was so complex that only bits and pieces of it were understood and used by the monastery's apothecary, Brother Jerome Maubec. He finally unraveled the mystery and, in 1737, drew up the practical formula for the preparation of the Elixir. The distribution and sales of this new medicine were limited. One of the monks of La Grande Chartreuse would load his mule with the small bottles that he sold in Grenoble and Chambéry, and other nearby villages.

So tasty was this elixir that it was often used as a beverage rather than a medicine. Recognizing this, the monks, in 1764, adapted the elixir recipe to make a milder beverage, and which we know today as "Green Chartreuse" (55% alcohol). The success of this liqueur was immediate and its fame was no longer restricted to the area around La Grande Chartreuse.  In 1838, the Chartreuse distillers developed a sweeter form of Chartreuse: "Yellow Chartreuse" (43% alcohol).

In 1903, the French government nationalized the Chartreuse distillery. The monks were expelled. The monks took their secret recipe to their refuge in TarragonaSpain, where they built a new distillery, and began producing their liqueurs with the same label, but with an additional label which said "Liqueur fabriquée à Tarragone par les Pères Chartreux" ("liqueur manufactured in Tarragona by the Carthusian Fathers").

After World War II, the government lifted the expulsion order, making the Carthusian monks once again legal French residents. Since the closure of the distillery of Tarragona in 1989, the liqueur is produced exclusively in Voiron using the herbal mixture prepared by two monks at Grande Chartreuse.

Chartreuse today:

Today, this elixir is still made only by the Carthusian monks following that ancient recipe, and is called Herbal Elixir of the Grande-Chartreuse. The selection, crushing and mixing of 130 secret herbs and natural plants used in producing the liqueurs of completely natural color, is done in the monastery by two monks. This liqueur is aged for several years in huge oak casks and placed into the world's longest liqueur cellar for maturation. Even today the formula remains a mystery which modern investigation methods have not been able to penetrate!

Special features of the Chartreuse bottled between 1941 and 1951 :

The label used is the same model as in 1869 : a way to celebrate the return of the Carthusian monks to the Voiron distillery. This also allowed them to use the stocks of labels held since 1903. The bottles content changed from 100 to 75 cl.

This specific bottle bears a Dubonnet label : those bottles have been used during the war and just after, due to the shortages.

Product Details
CV_662

Data sheet

Period
1941-1951
Format
75 cl
Color
Green Chartreuse
Ingredients
Alcohol, sugar, honey, 130 plants and flowers
Production origin
France, Voiron
% vol.
55 %
Maturity
50+ years
Serving T°
5°-11°C
Tasting Note
To bring out the flavors, Chartreuse is best served with ice. Traditionally considered an after dinner drink, Chartreuse is more and more being enjoyed as a long drink
Made by
The Pères Chartreux
Level
6.5 cm
Label
Correct condition
Glass
Smooth and clean
Cap
Wax, damaged
Tax Stamp
No
Shade
Normal
Misc.
Collector Bottle
Back label
Average condition
Producer: Les Pères Chartreux
Les Pères Chartreux

The famous liqueur made by Carthusian monks

 

In 1605, at a Chartreuse monastery of Vauvert, in Paris, the monks received a gift from Marshal d'Estrées, an already ancient manuscript from an “Elixir”, which no one knows the origin of. In this period, only a few monks and even fewer apothecaries understood the use of herbs and plants in the treatment of illness. The manuscript's recipe was so complex that only bits and pieces of it were understood and used by the monastery's apothecary, Frère Jerome Maubec. He finally unraveled the mystery and, in 1737, drew up the practical formula for the preparation of the Elixir.

The distribution and sales of this new medicine were limited. One of the monks of La Grande Chartreuse would load his mule with the small bottles that he sold in Grenoble and Chambéry, and other nearby villages. So tasty was this elixir that it was often used as a beverage rather than a medicine. Recognizing this, the monks, in 1764, adapted the elixir recipe to make a milder beverage, and which we know today as "Green Chartreuse" (55% alcohol). The success of this liqueur was immediate and its fame was no longer restricted to the area around La Grande Chartreuse.  In 1838, the Chartreuse distillers developed a sweeter form of Chartreuse: "Yellow Chartreuse" (43% alcohol)

In 1903, the French government nationalized the Chartreuse distillery. The monks were expelled. The monks took their secret recipe to their refuge in Tarragona, Spain, where they built a new distillery, and began producing their spirits with the same label, but with an additional label which said "Liqueur fabriquée à Tarragone par les Pères Chartreux" ("liqueur manufactured in Tarragone by the Carthusian Fathers"). After World War II, the government lifted the expulsion order, making the Carthusian monks once again legal French residents. Since the closure of the distillery of Tarragona in 1989, the liqueur is produced exclusively in Voiron using the herbal mixture prepared by two monks at Grande Chartreuse.

Discover the Chartreuse liqueur made by the monks, on Pleasure Wine. The French specialist in rare and ancient Chartreuses.

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