THE CENTAUR WELCOMES THE YEAR OF THE HORSE
RÉMY MARTIN UNVEILS LUNAR NEW YEAR COLLABORATION
WITH TOP-RANKED ARTIST XUE SONG
The House of Rémy Martin announces an exceptional partnership with renowned Chinese artist Xue Song to celebrate the Lunar New Year. To mark the arrival of the Year of the Horse, Xue Song has created a new artwork in collaboration with Rémy Martin, featuring the Centaur – the House’s emblem – which has inspired a series of limited edition Lunar New Year gift sets for Rémy Martin XO, CLUB and VSOP.
Xue Song is a 2024 Hurun Top 100 Chinese artist with a unique Pop Art style that transforms disparate printed fragments into meaningful images. An existing lover of Rémy Martin XO, Xue has fused collage and Chinese ink to create his new artwork exclusively for the House. Inspired by the idea of the Centaur paving the way, his 1.8m x 1.2m masterpiece features the Centaur leading a pack of horses into the future. The horse represents strength, speed, and perseverance in the Chinese zodiac, while the Centaur connects the earth and skies, with its feet on the ground and head looking to the stars.
“An imaginative harmony of tradition and modernity, Xue Song’s bold artwork layers the storied heritage of our House with the elegance and rich symbolism of Asia. Using a rich fusion of color and collage, he magnificently portrays of the concept of taking the lead. At the head of the herd, the Rémy Martin Centaur paves the way, striving towards excellence, ushering in an exciting year of infinite possibilities and positivity.” Amaury Vinclet, Executive Director Rémy Martin
THE ARTWORK
Xue Song’s Lunar New Year masterwork is meticulously built from collaged pieces of Rémy Martin’s history. Close inspection reveals images from the brand’s Archives, alongside scenes from the Maison and terroir, to embed layers of meaning and symbolism.
The artwork depicts a herd of five horses led by the Rémy Martin Centaur, echoing the House tagline for 2026 Lunar New Year, ‘The Centaur is paving the way’. The hooved creatures race over an auspicious red backdrop, surrounded by bamboo shoots announcing the arrival of spring and vitality, through clouds, over rivers of water, with the earth representing Rémy Martin’s prized winegrowing terroir in Petite and Grande Champagne in Cognac. Guided by the Centaur’s sparkling golden javelin, the herd gallops upwards towards the sky, embodying the House motto, ‘Feet on the ground, head in the stars’.
THE 2026 COLLECTION
Xue Song’s vivid, highly symbolic artwork gallops onto special edition bottles and gift boxes for Lunar New Year, with highly collectible limited-edition presentations of Rémy Martin XO, Rémy Martin CLUB and Rémy Martin VSOP. A series of cocktails celebrating the Year of the Horse have also been announced, each designed to amplify the positive energy of the new Lunar year.
RÉMY MARTIN XO LIMITED EDITION BY XUE SONG
The energy and symbolism of Xue Song’s painting gives Rémy Martin XO a festive update. Spirited stallions race behind the golden Centaur on the front of the highly detailed gift box, embossed in glowing metallics against Xue Song’s vibrant red collage. The box slides open to reveal the gift inside, set within a mythical landscape of clouds, bamboo and rocks. The limited-edition XO decanter and neck collar are decorated with
Xue Song’s freshly rendered golden Centaur and colorful elements of his painting, creating an instant collectible to be enjoyed for years to come. Turn the box around to see the full artwork unveiled. At the pinnacle of the Rémy Martin collection, XO is the signature of the Cellar Master, who draws from hundreds of eaux-de-vie to create a cognac of exceptional aromatic complexity.
TASTING NOTES
Eye: The ultimate fiery mahogany with opal tones.
Nose: Exceptionally smooth with a powerful yet understated aroma. An explosion of fruity notes like plums and dried figs, candied orange and passion fruit, a hint of honey and floral fragrance like jasmine flowers that delight the olfactory senses.
Taste: An astonishing generosity, from fresh passion fruit enhanced by deeper notes of ripe autumn fruits (mature fig and candied orange) to spicy notes with a hint of nutmeg and freshly ground hazelnuts. The aromas of XO unfurl gradually throughout the tasting, finishing with gourmet notes of roasted cocoa beans, honey and gingerbread.
Body description: Rémy Martin XO is undeniably smooth, full bodied and long lasting.
LUNAR NEW YEAR COCKTAIL – 橘 (JÜ) OLD FASHIONED
Good fortune and success come together in the XO 橘 (Jü) Old Fashioned. Lunar New Year revellers traditionally believe the mandarin fruit brings good fortune so a fresh citrussy twist on the Old Fashioned is a fitting way to toast the Year of the Horse.
Ingredients. 50ml Rémy Martin XO, 10ml mandarin liquor, 2 dashes Peychaud’s bitters, 1 cube brown sugar, ice cube, fresh mandarin wedge or dried/candied peel to garnish.
How to? In an XO glass, muddle all the ingredients together, add ice cube and top with mandarin garnish.
RÉMY MARTIN CLUB LIMITED EDITION BY XUE SONG
Rémy Martin CLUB welcomes the Year of the Horse with a blast of auspicious energy. The iconic multifaceted CLUB bottle is ornamented with Xue Song’s festive masterpiece, making this a gift to treasure. The gilded art extends out from an elegant label, across the glass surfaces and over the neck collar before continuing over the festive box. This features a contrasting color palette, with the embossed silver Centaur leading the herd across a beige, red and green landscape.
TASTING NOTES
Eye: A shimmering shade of copper, like the color of the cognac pot stills.
Nose: Generous notes of plum and fig jam rounded out with intense oaky notes of toffee toasted bread & toasted barrels.
Taste: The mellowness of butterscotch, baked spices like cinnamon with hints of dark chocolate.
Body description: Exceptionally round with a creamy aftertaste and concentrated nutty aromas imparted by a careful blend of eaux de vie aged in toasted French oak casks.
RÉMY MARTIN VSOP LIMITED EDITION BY XUE SONG
Good luck and best wishes are captured in the festive limited edition Rémy Martin VSOP. Ushering in the Year of the Horse, the frosted glass bottle is heightened with a unique label and gift box decorated and embossed with Xue Song’s elegant collage, ideal for giving, celebrating or collecting. As the first VSOP Cognac Fine Champagne ever created, Rémy Martin VSOP is an elegant expression of the Maison’s savoir-faire.
TASTING NOTES
Eye: A warm and mysterious ochre in the bottle, a vibrant gold in the glass
Nose: Dominant notes of vanilla from ageing in French oak barrels, followed by dried apricot and candied pear.
Taste: A perfect harmony between the strength of dried fruit flavors and subtle notes of licorice, offering a great complexity of elegant and delicate aromas
Body: Well-balanced, structured and multi-layered. Combines the roundness of dried fruits with a pleasant mouthfeel and silky texture.
LUNAR NEW YEAR COCKTAIL – RÉMY HONEY COCO
Raise a toast to fresh possibilities as this long cocktail brings honey, coconut and lime together with the silky elegance of VSOP. Contrasting elements deliver an intriguingly layered flavor experience, with a beautiful length and a gourmand finish.
Ingredients. 50ml Rémy Martin VSOP, 15ml lime juice or verjuice, 20ml honey syrup, 100ml coconut water, ice, lime zest to garnish
How to? Add the ingredients to a shaker, top with ice and shake. Pour into a highball glass filled with ice and garnish with a strip of lime zest.
Deeply rooted in the earth of the Grande and Petite Champagne terroirs, yet continuously reaching for the stars, the House of Rémy Martin keeps moving forward. The Lunar New Year collection is a reminder to preserve the Earth we all share, to keep looking upward and progressing together for the greater good. The Rémy Martin Limited Edition Collection by Xue Song is available from December 2025 in selected points of sales.
ABOUT THE ARTIST
Born in 1965 in Dangshan, China, Xue Song is a highly collectible contemporary artist who set out “to break Chinese tradition and surpass western modernism”. He found his unique voice after a fire burned down his studio, leading him to incorporate charred remains of his art, literature and belongings into his work. The artist is now known for highly symbolic colorful collages fusing remnants of classical Chinese artworks with Western pop culture references, playing with the tension between high and low, East and West, mass and singular, traditional craft and throwaway culture. “Every year, I cut from maybe a thousand books and piles of old newspapers and photographs searching for the right images.”
ABOUT RÉMY MARTIN
Since 1724, the house of Rémy Martin has produced premium spirits that consistently appeal to the world’s most discerning connoisseurs. A profound love of the land, a continuity of family ownership and a passionate commitment to excellence has sustained Rémy Martin for nearly three centuries. As a result of its masterful production and generations of tradition in Cognac, Rémy Martin today produces Cognacs Fine Champagne, including Rémy Martin® XO, Rémy Martin® Tercet, Rémy Martin 1738 Accord Royal® Rémy Martin Club® and Rémy Martin® V.S.O.P.
For additional information, visit www.RémyMartin.com.
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