A tremendous masterpiece
has been created by four French luxury houses. A unique collaboration
harmonised and perfected under the name ‘L’Odyssée d’Un Roi’. What a wonderful
tribute to the outstanding history of cognac and the unending journeys through
the ages. To me it reflects the infinite pursuit of integrity. The composition
is made of carefully selected elements that each of the four maisons has
created. An inspiring wayfare that defintely redefines the luxury art
of handcrafting.
Louis XIII and the enduring Art of Travel
As one of the world’s most storied Grande Champagne
cognacs, LOUIS XIII has been present at every milestone in the history of
luxury travel - from the legendary bar-car of the Orient-Express to the
first-class lounge of the S.S. Normandie ocean liner to the sleek cabin of the
supersonic Concorde jet. To pay tribute to this heritage of adventure and
discovery, the house is proud to unveil L’ODYSSÉE D’UN ROI, a unique
collaboration inspired by the first shipments of LOUIS XIII in the late 1870s
and the iconic journeys that followed to the farthest corners of the globe.

For this monumental journey, LOUIS XIII has chosen as
its travelling companions three French luxury houses that share its passion for
rare craftsmanship and unbroken tradition: HERMÈS, SAINT-LOUIS and PUIFORCAT. Each house has contributed its own
centuries-old savoir-faire to the creation of a series of three objets d’art.
These one-of-a-kind masterpieces will be presented at exclusive events in culture
capitals on different continents as part of a yearlong travelling exhibition.
Sotheby’s will auction each masterpiece in New York (September 2016), Hong-Kong
(October 2016) and London (November 2016), with proceeds benefiting THE FILM
FOUNDATION, a non-profit organization founded by Martin Scorsese and other
leading filmmakers in 1990 to preserve and restore classic films, ensuring
their survival for future generations.
The Ultimate Journey
MORE THAN 50 INDIVIDUAL
ARTISANS DEVOTED OVER 1,000 HOURS PER PIECE TO PRODUCE THESE THREE BESPOKE
CREATIONS. EACH IS UNIQUE, ITS DESIGN AND CONTENTS INSPIRED BY
THE CONTINENT FOR WHICH IT
IS DESTINED.
THE TAILOR-MADE OFFERING INCLUDES:
• A bespoke trunk hand-stitched by Hermès using the finest leathers and evoking
a bygone era of luxury travel.
• A white gold pipette forged by the Art Deco silversmith Puiforcat for
the ritual of service.
• A sublime crystal decanter and four elegant serving glasses —
mouth-blown, cut and wheel-engraved by hand at the royal cristallerie
Saint-Louis. Each decanter is etched with a 19th-century map of the continent
where it is bound.
• A blend of LOUIS XIII Cognac enriched with a selection of the house’s
oldest treasures from Grande Champagne, that each cellar master pass on to each
other, from generation to generation. A very special spirit revealing flavours
that are at once singular and complementary. A Cognac
to savour and admire.
Completing the unique work of art is a
beautiful book that chronicles LOUIS XIII’s mythical journeys that begin on a
16th-century battlefield in rural France but will touch every corner of the
globe.
Hermes
This
bespoke trunk was hand-stitched by HERMÈS using the finest leathers. Modelled
on a classic steamer trunk — the kind that would have been taken on an ocean
liner or a long journey by train — it evokes a bygone era of luxury travel. In
fact, the handles are exact replicas of those used for HERMÈS from the 1920s
and 30s. Of course the design of the interior was created for a very precise
function, which is to luxuriously house a unique magnum decanter of LOUIS XIII.
This
unique object is a suitably grand conveyance for this unforgettable journey
across space and time.
Puiforcat
This
white gold pipette was forged by hand by the Art Deco silversmith PUIFORCAT for
the ritual of service. The method is centuries-old: the craftsman spins a plate
of silver on a mandril, which is a tapered piece of wood that turns
horizontally. He
uses a simple tool called a “spoon” to give shape to the object. Several passes
are often needed for a piece to take on the desired contours. These
steps are punctuated by “annealing,” a controlled heating process used to
soften the metal. Etching is another whole step: the piece is wedged on a
leather pillow full of sand. With thin notches made on the surface of the
metal, the craftsman can draw a coat of arms or some other decorative pattern
with exquisite precision, honed through decades of practice.
Saint-Louis
Three
sublime crystal decanters and 12 elegant matching serving glasses were blown,
cut and engraved entirely by hand at the royal cristallerie SAINT-LOUIS. The
ancient, painstaking technique of copper-wheel engraving has given these
crystal works their regal profile. Each magnum-size decanter was additionally
etched with a 19th-century map of the continent where it is bound. For this project, SAINT-LOUIS
capitalized on the savoir-faire of more than 10 craftsmen — including four
glassblowers, one engraver, and a specially trained artisan to apply the
palladium trim to each crystal object. The crystal was heated to over 1,400°c
degrees and then mouth-blown at around 1,200 °c. Each glass required 110
man-hours of work while the magnificent decanter itself took no less than 270
hours to accomplish.


Louis
XIII
Of all of the legendary travels of
Louis XIII, its most important journey is the one taken through time.
That voyage begins in the rolling hills and chalky
soil of Grande Champagne, the strictly demarcated and most prestigious cru of
Cognac. Here the region’s delicate grapes — predominantly the Ugni Blanc
variety — are harvested and turned into a low alcohol wine, which is then twice
distilled in an onion-domed copper pot still, yielding an eau-de-vie of
uncommon freshness and power. Only the tiniest sliver of this base spirit will
be set aside to become, four generations later, a part of LOUIS XIII.

That ageing process takes
time, but also a tremendous amount of savoir-faire, an almost mimetic genius
possessed by each generation of LOUIS XIII’s cellar masters. The chais, or
cellars, in which they work are dark, incredibly quiet places, the barrels in
which the cognac rests covered in thick blankets of spider webs. As the alcohol
evaporates over time, the spirit deepens and darkens, releasing a sweet and
rich smell that fills the moist air.
With each passing year,
the cellar master dips a pipette into the barrel and tastes something
different. At 20 years, there is almonds, figs and fresh-baked brioche. At 40,
candied plums. At 70, honeysuckle and saffron. All the while, he is blending
different eaux-de-vie, searching for perfection through a process called
marriage.
By 100 years, hundreds of eaux-de-vie have been
married together, resulting in a complex, ineffable flavour. On the nose, it is
elegant and floral: dried rose and jasmine — the fragrances of Grande
Champagne. These are followed by denser notes like dates, dried fig and walnut.
On the palate, the first drop of LOUIS XIII unleashes a ballet of flavours; the
walnut and fig aromas soften with those of honey as headier notes — of wax,
tobacco and undergrowth — roll in like a wave. The tasting is distinguished by
a haunting, lasting finish. The century-long journey of LOUIS XIII has come to
its triumphant end.
An
Unyielding Commitment
L’ODYSSÉE
D’UN ROI is a shining testament both to the heritage that created LOUIS XIII
and the nature that continues to inspire it. Its grapes grow in the chalky
soils of Grande Champagne, the premier cru in the Cognac region. Preserving
this terroir and its bio-diversity has always been a priority for the brand.
LOUIS XIII has pledged to replant 115,000 oak trees in France in partnership
with ONF (French National Forest Office). Some of these will be used to make
its centennial tierçons, the special casks that, in one century’s time, will be
the vessels for LOUIS XIII journeys of the future.
The protection of cultural
treasures - whether the art of filmmaking or the art of cognac - requires time,
finesse and care. In this same spirit of preservation, the house has chosen to
support THE FILM FOUNDATION in its vital efforts to ensure the survival of our
shared cinematic heritage for future generations.

At
the end of this beautiful story, I'm actually very much looking
forward to taste the LOUIS XIII, which is one of the leading cognac
brands in the world and tell you what it feels like. I'm
sure you will hear more very soon!
Labels: Spirits