Reviving Tradition The Rise of Cardinal du Four in the Spirits Market

Yeah, thank you, Stephen. So yeah, my name is Christophe Namer. I am the founder and creator of the brand Armagnac called Cardinal du Four. So it’s a 21 years old brand.

Yeah, absolutely. So I’ve been pretty much 23 years in the industry. And so I go in restaurants, I work from some liquor brands, and it was always a dream of mine to create my own brand of liquor. And at the beginning, I wanted to do Cognac because I was really in love with Cognac. And I flew to Cognac and visited a couple distilleries. And I realised that, you know, getting a high quality product was very difficult.

And then I was introduced to one of the biggest negotiation houses in Armagnac called Le Club des Marc. And when I went there, I was really blown away by the quality of the Vaudevilles. So I went barrel testing and when I tested all the different products available, you know, it really made me confident that we could create a really delicious blend that could compete at the highest level.

So during that process, I was actually reading the history of Armagnac, because I was trying to find a cool name that could be attached to the brand. And the name Cardinal Du Four came back all the time. So I tried to actually trademark the name, and it was actually indeed available. So we were able to secure the name Cardinal Du Four. So let me tell you a little bit about this gentleman.
So actually, The story of Cardinal Du Four is pretty incredible actually because he’s the person that pretty much documented the first evidence of distillation dating back to 1310. So basically people don’t realise that Armagnac is 200 years older than Cognac. You know, Cognac is 500 years old. Armagnac is 700 years old. And you know, back then, 700 years ago, he was still middle-aged. So there were a lot of things to discover.

And this gentleman, Cardinal Du Four, was actually a priest. His name was Vital Du Four from the Armagnac region. And back then, you know, in the Middle Ages, they were using alcohol as a medicine. I mean, we still do to this day, you know, but we drink a little bit better now. But long story short, in 1310, this gentleman wrote a book saying that Armagnac has 40 different virtues. So, for example, if you’re a little timid, you drink a bit of Armagnac and suddenly you talkative.

If you have a sore throat, you can drink a bit of armagnac and it cures you. So there are like 40 different virtues like this. As I mentioned, back then they were using alcohol as a medicine. So long story short, the book that he wrote in 1310 happens to be the first evidence of distillation in France and even in the world. And the book that he wrote in 1310 is actually today at the Vatican Library in Rome. And it’s been there since the 16th century.

So in a way, I was very lucky because when I was in Armagnac and I was working on the blend, the local kind of asked me, you know, how I’m going to call it. And when I told them Cardinal Du Four, they all thought that, you know, the name would be protected. So for example, in 2010, the Bureau National Interprofessionnel de l ‘Armagnac, you know, the people that make the rules in Armagnac actually sent people to the Vatican in Rome to actually retrieve copies of the first evidence of distillation, they came back to Eos, which is the capital of Armagnac, and they created a custom-made fountain to honour Cardinal Du Four.

So that was really exciting that the name was available and we were able to create a very strong architecture brand around the story of Cardinal Dufour. So basically, it’s a very similar story to Dom Perignon and Champagne when you think about it, because Dom Perignon was a pioneer in the champagne category. You know, he was there when champagne happened by accident and he capitalised on it and pushed it.
So Cardinal Du Four is actually the person that was there at the beginning of, you know, the armagnac category, which, you know, armagnac is the oldest spirit in France. And he was the person documenting the first evidence of distillation. So that was a really cool, compelling story to take.

So then let me show you what the bottle looks like. So then after that, when we realised that we had the name Cardinal Du Four, we knew that we needed to create a delicious, beautiful, actually, I’m sorry, a beautiful design. So we developed this new design. Actually, I’m going to remove that so it’s easier to see without the, so we developed this shape and we also have a design patent on it. And you see the bottle kind of looks like a cardinal, you know, with the bishop hat.

So then you can see here on the neck, you see 21. So what is it actually? It’s a blend. The youngest Vaudevilles is 21 years old. The oldest is 43 years old, averaging 30 years old. So there are 15 different Vaudevilles blended together and averaging 30 years old. The big innovation behind the blend is that there is no additive. So there is no sugar and no caramel added. So the caramel brings the colour and the sugar brings the sweetness.

So when you test it, you will realise that there is a dry finish, a very opulent dry finish. So there is no sugary coating in the back of your throat. And the blend has been getting so far, I think, eight or nine different gold and double gold medals. So this has been amazing. I mean, we have one of the best cognac seller masters by our side, who is our co-founder and master blender.

His name is Francois Thibault. He’s the person who also created the recipe for Grégoire’s vodka. So I was lucky to meet Francois in 2007 because I used to work for Grégoire’s for six years back then. And we became great friends and we always kept in touch. And every time I came back to Cognac, we always kind of spent some time together sharing some great dinners, some great wines, some great Cognacs and different kinds of spirits.

And when he learned that I was working on a non-maniac project, he really helped me out and helped me blend everything. And we recently were able to announce his involvement in the company a couple of months ago.

Thank you. Thank you. And so actually the story I’m going to keep going with the story of the brand because it’s a lot, is everything on the bottle or everything on the box has a meaning. So then we call it the 21 rebellion. So why rebellion? So you can see this kind of a religious aspect beyond the brand with the cardinal. So the meaning of the number 21 in the Bible is actually rebellion and sin. So we call it rebellion because it’s a rebellion of Armagnac towards Cognac, you know, since Armagnac always has been a shadow of Cognac. And the reason why also Armagnac has been a shadow of Cognac for so long, it’s because like 250 years ago, all the big brands, the big houses in Cognac invested heavily into the Cognac region and not into Armagnac. And the main reason why is because there is the Sharon River right by the Cognac region. So back then, you know, logistics was very important and difficult.

So it was much easier to move the cognac through the river to the other countries and that’s why Armagnac never got some love or never got much investment compared to those big houses and So in a way, you know, it gave me the opportunity to do what I’m doing today. I’m not gonna complain, you know, So then I have a question for you. What do you think the emblem is?

No, so I mean, it’s a good guess. I get that a lot. But technically, I was trying to find a connection between France and Italy, you know, because he was a French priest and he became Cardinal. So he was going to the Vatican to assist the Pope. And also during that time, I know that the Vatican was relocated in the Palais of the Pope in Avignon. So I was trying to find a connection between France and Italy. And so I flew to the Vatican. And when I visited the Vatican from room to room, every time I look up,
I see those beautiful domes, you know, those beautiful ceilings. So it really triggered my interest, but what really convinced me, I don’t know, have you ever been to Rome in Italy?

Yeah, okay. If you go to Rome, Italy, please take the time to go visit the Pantheon. So the Pantheon is a temple that was built over 2000 years ago and it’s in downtown Rome. And when you step inside the Pantheon, you can see the world’s largest and reinforced concrete dome in the entire world. So honestly, when I stepped inside that Pantheon, I really had this haha moment because I saw that dome and I was like, okay, I got to try to recreate that beautiful kind of concave you know, dome and structure.

And then I started to read a little bit the history of the Pantheon. And the Pantheon was actually a wonder of this world. People wonder how it is still standing, you know, because there was the barbarian evasion, there was the wars, and everything around the temple was completely destroyed. And this temple is super old, 2000 years old, and it’s completely pristine. So the reason why they say that it was not touched is because it was built to honour all gods. So I was like, how perfect is that? Because we kind of have a Christian feel a little bit with the cardinal. So now the emblem is inspired by a temple that was built over 2 ,000 years ago and that was built to honour all gods. So we bring all the religions a little bit together. I thought it was a good story to take.

all good, but I get that a lot, spiderwebs or the inside of a cask. I have some people actually saying a dog, some people got it. But yeah, most likely I get spiderwebs a lot, so don’t feel bad about it.

So right now at the moment, we really try to create the best product possible in all directions. So from the design, from the name, from the liquid, the goal was really to create a luxury trademark behind the name Cardinal du Four and have brand recognition. So we really tackle all the fine dining restaurants, the five-star hotels, I would say the high net worth individuals.

I would say the lover of luxury. And yeah, and now recently, we are going to launch a new product at the end of the year, which will be a Blanche d ‘Armagnac, which is a clear liquid. And we’re going all out with Francois. We were able to combine three different distillations. So two distillations from Armagnac. So one of them is a wood burning fire alembic, so you can distil and develop certain characteristics. The other one is a traditional Armagnac alembic, which is heated with gas, so you can control a little bit better the distillation process. And the last one is actually the distillation from cognac, which is a double distillation where we can distil the leaves. So we were able to combine three different distillations, bringing three different kinds of flavours and also combine four different grapes. So also the big differences with cognac and armagnac because in cognac you can only use one grape, which is ugni blanc. And in Armagnac we have 10 grapes allowed. But technically only four are widely available. So we were able to combine and blend those four grapes. So we have some ugni blanc in it, some baco blanc, which is a hybrid that was created after the phylloxera and the two other grapes are Folle Blanche and Colombard.

I think it’s, I don’t know if I will say better, we are very different and also have a product that is super clean with no additives. And I think that’s the hardest part to do is to be able to create a product with so many different O2V blended together and have a very clean and opulent taste. And the reason that we don’t put sugar is also because we like to bring the Armagnac to the table.

And the fact that it has a dry finish, it really pairs very well with food. So you can really bring down the product at every stage of the meal. It can be enjoyed at the beginning and aperitif. It can be paired also with, for example, a product that goes so well with it is caviar. Because caviar, it’s salty, toddy, and creamy. And the fact that it has a dry finish with the product, the dryness of the product cuts through the creaminess of the caviar.

and there’s a lot of dry food characteristics that are naturally into the blend. This kind of complements the saltiness and the iodiness of the caviar. So they really bounce back to each other so well. So they make each other better. And I think that the purpose of a food pairing is to make sure that there’s some sort of magic happening between the pairing. And caviar is one of those. So I strongly recommend, or maybe we should get together in the coming weeks so we can do the testing together.

Another thing I want to go back to to finish the story about the Cardinal du Four, the 21 rebellion. So you can see around the dome, you can see three words written in Latin. So you see harmonia, illuminatio and admiratio. So those are the core values of the brand that we wrote in Latin. And the reason why we wrote it in Latin is that in 1310, when Cardinal du Four wrote that book, which happens to be the first evidence of distillation, he actually wrote it in Latin. So to bring authenticity to the emblem, we thought that it would make sense to write it in Latin. So harmonia does harmony, the harmony of the blend. So we went to find those key musical notes, which are the eau de vie, to put them together to create an harmonious blend, which gave us also a pillar to do collaboration with music, pop, hip hop, and rock and roll.

Then illuminatio means enlightenment.So we are putting the light on the Armenian region, which always has been a shadow of cognac, which also gives us a pillar to talk about the 700 years of history, the French sour fare and all those beautiful products coming out of that region. And the last one, admiratio means wonder. So when you look at the bottle, you see the packaging, you cannot wonder what it is. It’s mysterious. So that’s the story of the brand.

Yeah, so we recently also signed a multi -year partnership with the Los Angeles Rams, the football team of Los Angeles. And so this is a great platform for us to bring awareness beyond the product. We have a very sweet little partnership where we can activate the suites and create some elevate the experience during game days.

We are also going to be the title sponsor of all the milestones throughout the year. So during the season, when one of the players does a good performance, you know, it’s going to be a social media series post to showcase the performance and it will be presented by Cardinal Du Four. And yeah, so we have really a lot of cool things happening.
We’ve also been supporting a city harvest in New York. So it’s actually a food bank that provides food for New Yorkers in need. So it was amazing because every year we’re able to partner with a top chef. So the first year we were part of the package with Eric Ripper from Le Bernardin. And this year we just did it with the top chef judges. So Tom Calicchio, Gael Simon and Christine Kirsch. So this has been great to, you know, supporting the charity and also networking and meeting the top chefs, so they have a chance to be introduced to Cardinal du Four. So which was great because we’ve been working pretty much with all of them since they tried the product. So I think the product speaks for itself in those regards.

Yeah, so the biggest challenge, I must say, was COVID, you know, because I started to work on this project in 2018.

Yeah, it’s true. But I think it’s an important one, especially for Cardinal Du Four. I think for me, I mean, it’s, it happened really, the timing couldn’t be worse. But in a way, when you look back after that, everything happens for a reason. But yeah, I mean, it took me two years to build this brand. Then I received my first container in California in 2020, March of 2020. And April of 2020, this is when COVID started. So,
for a year and a half, the whole of California was completely closed. Everybody was in quarantine, all the restaurants were closed. So you couldn’t get a meeting, you couldn’t do anything really. So not the best, I would say, situation to start a new brand, especially with a category that needed a lot of brand recognition and love and awareness.

But when I look back, the fact that we couldn’t really work, we spent a lot of time on e-commerce and I would say social media and make sure we have a really strong presence online. And now that life is back together and we’re able to start doing testing and meeting people, now we have a strong presence online, which is a good thing. So it makes the brand be maybe more established or longer in the market.

Yeah, so we’ve done a lot of marketing and a lot of PR. So we’ve been doing a lot of gifting suites surrounding the award shows, like the Oscars, the Emmys, the Super Bowl, the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame. So we were always having a little booth where the celebrity came and tried the product. We always paired it with Caviar. And the responses have been really, really incredible to have the feedback from those celebrities and influencers trying the product. So it was a good testament also and a good way to see that the product, when well targeted, really, you know, people really love it. So this was definitely a good one. Obviously also the support that we’ve done with the charities such as City Harvest. There’s another thing that we did that’s really cool. We had partnerships with Delage. I don’t know, have you ever heard of Delage?

So Delage, it’s a luxury French automobile company. So it was one of the top ones from the 1920s to the 60s. There were two top ones in France. That was Bugatti and Delage. And Delage was, for example, Charles de Gaulle when he was driving around, he was driving around with a Delage. So it was really a prestigious luxury car brand.

And the brand kind of died in the 60s because they stopped manufacturing cars for the general public. And this gentleman from France, who is a huge Formula One fan, sold his company and decided to create 30 supercars that look like a Formula One, but that would be street legal. And so I was introduced to this gentleman. We chat about each other’s projects. And he really liked the story of Cardinal Du Four and Armagnac, and obviously he’s a French gentleman, so he really understands the category. And we decided to collaborate and do a limited edition. And so that’s the one we did.

So, CDF, it’s in the logo, yeah. And which is pretty incredible because they were absent from all the racing events for the last 50 years. And last year, actually this year, they did the event, Quatre Hors du Mans. No, that was last year. And after 50 years of absence, they actually got the pole position. So that was really impressive and I think they finished sixth in the race, which they were right behind the two Ferraris and I think they had a flat tire towards the end of the race. So they were really amongst the favourites. So it’s good to see that after so much absence, they still come back strong.

very cool. So you like racing, yeah?
Yes, absolutely. And also what we did, we did some really cool collaboration with artists. So to create one of a kind painted bottle. So we actually utilised those one of a kind painted bottles for the live auctions during the City Harvest fundraiser. And so the one we just did, with Tom Calicchio. Actually, I still have the bottle. So I’m excited. I can show it to you guys because the auction just happened in April. And the whole package, so that was an in-home dinner experience cooked by Tom Calicchio, Gail Sammon, and Christine Kish, who are the top chef judges. And this was the bottle auctioned off with the package. And let me show you. Looks like this.

Thank you. So the artist, his name is Shane Gufoc. So he’s a very, very established artist. He just came back from the Biennial in Venice, where he has over 30 paintings showcased in a gallery. And you know, the Biennial in Venice is pretty much the Oscars for arts. And so he’s selling paintings, you know, right now, around like 300 ,000 to half a million.

So that was really a great collaboration with one of the most influential artists of the 20th century. Let me show you the bottom. So this one is called Steel Point. And you can see the City Harvest logo right here in the middle.

this.

So yes, I just recently also were able to set up to sell the product directly from the Cardinal Du Four website. Otherwise we have, you know, we open New York, New Jersey, California, Las Vegas, and a little bit of Miami. But in California, we have around like 25 different retailers, you know, from Wally’s to Mission Liquor to Remedy to, we just actually got picked up also by Total Wine. We have 16 stores in California and one store in Nevada. And I’m willing to hear back from the East Coast buyers. So hopefully we’re also going to be picked up for Total Wine on the East Coast.

Things are starting to really take off and the thing is also the market has been very challenging. As you know, with COVID then COVID left and then last year was I think a very challenging year for all the brands. And now finally things are coming back. So yeah, we feel like between all the different partnerships, all the different activities that we did in the market, now we’re really getting a lot of interest from people and the goal was to create a luxury trademark behind a very well -made and luxury product. And now we are working on launching a mixology product, which is like a clear liquid. So it would be competing with all the clear liquid liquor. And hopefully, I mean, this is a new category again, because it’s called Blanche d ‘Armagnac. So it’s kind of like a Pisco, you know, like because it’s made with grapes, but it’s from the Armagnac region.

And it’s a category that obviously needs some love, but it’s really, really, really good. So that’s why I’m very confident that, you know, people, especially top mixologists and bartenders are going to adopt the product because it’s on its own, has a lot of flavours and characteristics that a lot of other spirits don’t have. So it’s definitely good spirit to create complex cocktails. So I’m excited to work on that and start introducing this product to West Coast markets.

No, my pleasure. Thank you for having me.