Based in the Grande Champagne region, between Angoulême and Cognac, this family-run brand was founded in 1977. Expanding upon a pre-existing winery that was passed down through generations of the family, it now grows organic grapes across almost 40 acres in the Grande and Petite Champagne regions, as well as hunting down and bottling up liquid treasures from other cellars in the region.
The Pasquet family was one of the first to embrace organic farming practices in Cognac production, being awarded the Agriculture Biologique status in 1998. Methods include sowing broad beans and a blend of grains between rows of vines, watering with plant teas such as stinging nettle, and preserving the terroir by using local natural fertilizers.
Up until 1989, the eaux-de-vie was produced in a 500-litre charcoal burning still that had been installed on the estate just after World War One. The old still was retired and replaced with a 2000 litre gas-burning still in '89, installed by the owner to enable him to distill for friends and neighbours in the region, and this same still is in operation today.
While the minimum legal age that a Cognac can be bottled is two years, nothing leaves the cask at Domaine Pasquet before at least four years. Different casks and types of oak are key in the maturation process and the brand works closely with a selection of coopers to craft its barrels. Wide-grained wood from the Limousin forests produces spirit rich in tannins and often containing mostly vanilla aromas, while fine-grained wood from the Tronçais forest is less rich in tannins, but with a more developed range of aromas spanning from coconut to roasted coffee. These characteristics can be selected and blended to create the desired composition, forming the base spirit, which is then allowed to marry and further age in cask.