L’Odyssée d'un Roi

On Tuesday I ventured south of the Seine for a very special breakfast at Hermes flagship store in Paris’ Saint-Germain-de-Prés, a beautiful space that was designed by the architectural firm, RDAI in a former 1930s swimming pool. The event marked the unveiling of a crystal magnum decanter – one of three of its kind that was made to rest in a bespoke leather trunk crafted by Hermes. This unique decanter, accompanied by four glasses, has been created in collaboration with Hermes, Saint Louis Crystal, Puiforcat and Louis XIII, to be auctioned off by Sotheby’s in New York, Hong Kong and London. The proceeds will go to The Film Foundation, a non-profit organisation founded in 1990 by Martin Scorsese to protect cinema’s heritage - something that's close to my heart, being a big film buff! This project celebrates adventure, discovery and luxury travel at its best, so it’s only apt that the decanter be filled with an exclusive blend of the world’s finest and most travelled champagne cognac – Louis XIII, an intense, rich liquor with notes of leather, nutmeg and coffee that has been served aboard the likes of the Orient Express and Concord. 

I was invited to taste it – I don’t usually have the stomach for potent spirits (the type to put hairs on your chest), but it’s not every day that Louis XIII requests your company to try a very exclusive cognac, one so rich in history. So I obliged and as the Director of Louis XIII described, the deep gold liquid did indeed wash over my tastebuds in delicious waves. Find out more here. 

Created in collaboration with Hermes & Saint Louis.