Christophe Valtaud was only 38 when elevated to the vaunted position of Martell cellar master, only the ninth in Maison Martell’s history. As a native to Cognac, Christophe  Valtaud gained an understanding of the region’s vineyards and terroirs from an early age, which he later consolidated at university.

As cellar master, Christophe Valtaud combines his expertise in terroir, distillation and blending cognac to safeguard Martell’s 300 years of savoir-faire, and take it forwards into the future.

Since his appointment to the role in 2016, Christophe Valtaud has never shied away from innovation, resulting in the creation of new expressions of cognac, the likes of which include Martell Cordon Bleu Extra, Martell Chanteloup XXO, and a highly prestigious collection, L’Or de Jean Martell – Zodiac Edition, a blend of more than 700 rare and precious eaux-de-vie released to coincide with Chinese New Year.