Hennessy VSOP Privilege Chinese New Year 2020 by Zhang Huan
Hennessy VSOP Privilege Chinese New Year 2020 by Zhang Huan is a 750mL cognac bottled at 40% ABV — the classic Hennessy VSOP Privilege blend of around 60 eaux-de-vie from four crus (Grande Champagne, Petite Champagne, Borderies and Fins Bois), aged in French oak with the youngest component at least four years old. What makes this bottle the 2020 edition is its dress: a gleaming red lacquered bottle and presentation box carrying artwork by Chinese contemporary artist Zhang Huan, released for the Year of the Rat. The cognac inside is the standard VSOP; the bottle is the collectible. It is available to order online at Del Mesa Liquor.
- ABV: 40%
- Size: 750mL
- Blend: Around 60 eaux-de-vie from Grande Champagne, Petite Champagne, Borderies and Fins Bois
- Ageing: French oak; youngest component at least 4 years (VSOP grade)
- Edition: Chinese New Year 2020, Year of the Rat — red lacquered bottle and art gift box by Zhang Huan
- Origin: Cognac, France
A Monumental Artwork, Poured into a Bottle
For Chinese New Year 2020 — the Year of the Rat, opening a new twelve-year zodiac cycle — Hennessy did something it had not done before: it commissioned a monumental contemporary artwork for the programme. Zhang Huan, the Shanghai-based artist who came to fame through 1990s performance work and now builds vast pieces from materials like incense ash, created "Eaux-de-vie," a work over five metres long in reds, oranges and yellows, layering grapes, lanterns and the house's library of eaux-de-vie. That artwork was transposed onto this edition's label, box and red lacquered bottle. The VSOP grade itself dates to 1817, when the future King George IV asked Hennessy for a "very superior old pale" cognac. Find the house's other bottlings on the Hennessy vendor page and in our cognac collection.
Tasting Notes
The standard VSOP profile: fruit and honey with soft vanilla, clove and cinnamon spice on the nose; candied fruit, vanilla and toasted oak through the palate; and a long, harmonious, woody finish.
How to Enjoy
Neat in a tulip or snifter to honour the edition — and keep the bottle and box together; the set is the collectible. More gift-worthy cognac is in our cognac collection.
Frequently Asked Questions
Is the cognac inside different from regular Hennessy VSOP?
No. The liquid is the standard VSOP Privilege blend. The limited edition is the presentation — Zhang Huan's artwork, the gift box and the red lacquered bottle.
Who is Zhang Huan?
A leading Chinese contemporary artist, born in Anyang in 1965 and based in Shanghai, known for 1990s performance art and later monumental sculpture and painting. Hennessy commissioned his work "Eaux-de-vie" for this 2020 edition.
What does VSOP mean?
Very Superior Old Pale — a grade requiring the youngest eau-de-vie in the blend to be at least four years old. Hennessy's VSOP was created after the future George IV requested exactly such a cognac in 1817.
A zodiac-year artwork bottle of a classic — order the Hennessy VSOP Zhang Huan 2020 edition online from Del Mesa Liquor in San Diego, CA.
