WV Baker & Cie Old Rare Old 2006 - 2022 Batch no.1

Nose

Powerful and fresh, with ripe pear, apple and orange. White grapes and raisins are complemented by mint, liquorice and green plant stems. Resin, vanilla and freshly sharpened pencil add a robust and slightly rustic character.

Palate

Full and intense, with pear, apple and juicy white grapes. A touch of Muscat grape and Pineau provides fruity sweetness, while vanilla, green herbs and liquorice add further depth. The high strength gives the Cognac considerable power and a spicy, clearly defined structure.

Finish

Medium in length and warming, with peppered apple, cake and gentle liquorice. Mint, grapes and spicy oak linger pleasantly.

Domaine des Forges is not a separate cognac house alongside Vallein Tercinier, but the historic family estate and production centre behind the house. Louis Vallein acquired the estate in 1791. Around 1850, his son Georges Vallein expanded the vineyards and developed both distillation and the trade in wine and spirits. During the twentieth century, the business was continued by the Vallein and Tercinier families. This eventually gave rise to the name Vallein Tercinier, under which the cognacs are now primarily released.

Several activities come together at Domaine des Forges. The family grows grapes in its own vineyards while also purchasing wine and eaux-de-vie from other producers. Distillation, maturation, blending and bottling all take place at the estate. During the post-war period, the distillery expanded to eight copper pot stills, which were also used to distil on behalf of other cognac houses. Its dry and humid cellars contain cognacs from different crus, vintages and family stocks. Domaine des Forges should therefore be understood as the historic, agricultural and productive heart of Vallein Tercinier.