Park
For many years Baur au Lac Wines has been Switzerland's exclusive importer of the sumptuous Cognacs created by Dominic Park. The story goes back to the 1990s when Dominic Park decided to leave his job as a wine trader in London to create his own cognac house with the style he wanted. This is summed up by a very clean vision of what cognac should be: insist on the best origins and a very precise distillation and ageing to give a high-class product in a modern, elegant bottle.
The colour of Park cognacs is natural and results from a patient ageing of the eaux-de-vie. No caramel colouring is permitted and no rectification with concentrated tannins. All cognacs undergo a longer ageing than that imposed by law. Even the VS, the simplest cognac, matures for three and half years instead of the required two. The VSOP is aged for eight years instead of four, twice the minimum. As for the XO, Park lets it acquire its fullness over twenty years where nine suffice under the rules. Finally, the eaux-de-vie that go into the Extra, the Vieille Fine Champagne, in the top Cigar Blend, and into the Vieille Grande Champagne aged for forty to sixty years.
Spirits from Park
from Park
Nowadays, the Cognac Park style is unrivalled thanks to the expertise of the Tessendier & Fils distillery which, under the watchful eyes of the fourth generation Jerôme and Lilian, can tap into special reserves. The treasures include barrels and canisters of eaux-de-vie, the oldest of which are 130 years old, waiting to be expertly blended. For the real connoisseurs, the rare vintage bottlings are particularly interesting.
The traditional cognac bottle with its understated label already foretells the pleasures of tasting. The 20cl bottles make a nice flask to offer as a gift or to take anywhere to learn the magic of cognac.
Producer
Bodegas Amézola de la Mora
The Amézola de la Mora family vineyard originated in the 19th century. Already then it enjoyed a good reputation in large parts of the country. With the appearance of the dreaded phylloxera plague, however, production unfortunately came to an end. In 1986, Iñigo Amézola de la Mora brought the family estate back to life.
Weingut Ratzenberger / Fam. Ratzenberger
The most beautiful way of traveling to Bacharach on the Rhine is by boat, passing the famous Loreley cliff. To the left and right of the Middle Rhine, medieval castles and picturesque villages follow in quick succession. Bacharach is one of the most beautiful towns in the Upper Middle Rhine Valley, designated a UNESCO World Heritage Site. Once there, the locality of Steeg can be reached on foot within half an hour or by car in just five minutes.
G. & J. Guillerault / Sebastian Fargette
Gilles Guillerault and Sébastien Fargette are based in Crézancy-en-Sancerre, a few kilometres west of Sancerre, in the Centre-Loire region. A lovely hilly landscape where vineyards alternate with charming villages. With around 2400 hectares of vineyards, Sancerre is a rather small wine-growing region. Only two grape varieties are cultivated, Sauvignon Blanc and Pinot Noir.