Louis XIII, the prestigious cognac house owned by the Rémy Cointreau group, is diversifying into the world of tableware. This venture takes the form of two inaugural limited edition collections entrusted to J.L Coquet, the French manufacturer of porcelain for Michelin-starred restaurants.
Until now, the cognac known as the “king of cognacs” and “cognac of kings” has graced the tables of the world’s most powerful figures and the grandest receptions, from Versailles to the Ritz. Now it is lending its name to the tableware used for these special tasting occasions.
The diversification of Louis XIII, the prestigious cognac house of the Rémy Cointreau group, into the art of tableware is reflected in its commitment to craftsmanship of excellence, both through the reputation it has acquired since 1874 for its premier cru Cognac—a skilful blend of around a hundred Grande Champagne eaux-de-vie—and through the majesty of its Baccarat crystal bottle.
For its two limited edition collections, the Cognac House called upon some forty artisans working at the J.L. Coquet porcelain factory, established in 1824.
Ode to the material and to time
This inaugural collection is inspired by the DNA of the Cognac House and takes its name from two of its unchanging semantic elements: the terroir and time.
From these two elements, Louis XIII has extracted a multisensory experience, with the first line focusing on the tactile aspect and the second on the visual and luminous aspect.
Ode à la Matière is a collection that reproduces the rough texture of the limestone from the Domaine de Grollet, the birthplace of Louis XIII cuvées. A texture captured and reproduced on porcelain using 3D scanning.
For its part, the Ode au Temps collection plays with light and shadow. Facets reminiscent of the cognac bottle have been carved into the porcelain, both inside and out, filtering the rays of light. A delicate hand-painted copper border echoes the Charente stills.
Each of the two collections offers a set of six pieces, namely a large plate, a soup plate, a dessert plate, a bowl, a tea set, and a coffee set.
Reflecting the rarity of the sometimes century-old eaux-de-vie that make up Louis XIII’s signature first cru, 750 individually numbered pieces are produced per collection.
“These first tableware collections mark a new chapter in the LOUIS XIII art of living,” said Anne-Laure Pressat, Executive Director of LOUIS XIII. “They offer an invitation to discover, or rediscover, LOUIS XIII through a unique and sublime experience. ”
Sublime whiteness
To create a complete culinary experience for Louis XIII from starter to dessert, the J.L Coquet porcelain manufacturer had to engage in a particularly meticulous production process.
Forty artisans worked for three to four weeks to create each of these exceptional tableware pieces.
Louis XIII called on the services of J.L Coquet because the manufacturer, founded in 1824, is renowned for its expertise in creating porcelain of extreme whiteness.
The cognac house sought out an artisan capable of revealing the intrinsic beauty and potential of raw materials. J.L. Coquet, already a fixture at the tables of Michelin-starred chefs, has been unrivaled for nearly two centuries in producing the whitest, most translucent, and most delicate porcelain imaginable.
This painstaking work, carried out entirely by hand, begins with complete enameling followed by delicate brushing to remove the enamel from the outer surface, creating the Ode à la matière collection and revealing the grainy imprint of the soil.
On the back of each piece, a delicate fleur-de-lis is laser-engraved, a technique specially developed for this collection by J.L Coquet.
By diversifying into tableware, Louis XIII is following the current trend, visible in luxury ready-to-wear fashion, which has recently seen Marine Serre, Dior and Louis Vuitton offer tableware pieces. Furthermore, the announcement comes at a time when exports of cognac—90% of which is destined for export—are directly threatened by increased customs duties in the United States.
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Featured photo: © Louis XIII
