
A four-hands dining experience followed the unveiling of the new Hennessy Paradis Imperial decanter The revelation Accompanied by Hennessy’s recently appointed eighth-generation master blender, Renaud Fillioux de Gironde, and with Levy in attendance, Peillon and his team unveiled the two new creations at a specially constructed pavilion. The first, Levy’s stunning interpretation of Hennessy Paradis Imperial’s decanter — its first since the blend was created 10 years ago by the legendary Yann Fillioux, the seventh in an unbroken line of the cognac house’s master blenders for more than two centuries — could best be likened to a visual masterpiece, a contemporary jewel — all flawless facets set off by curvilinear beauty.

From left: Levy, Peillon and Filloux de Gironde proudly showcase Hennessy Paradis Imperial’s new crystal decanter, a poetic paradox of curvature and tension Levy, a long-time collaborator and friend of the maison, seemed pleased with the final result. “I’ve been working with Hennessy for over 10 years and we’ve created many different, fantastic projects — all of them a special journey. Not only did I learn how to drink cognac... I didn’t know before as I’m just a surfer,” the world-famous designer let slip self-deprecatingly. “But the first time I tried Hennessy Paradis Imperial, I was struck by the beauty, the experience, the knowledge hidden within, the elegance and how contemporary it was. These words, these impressions were the starting block for me… The challenge was how to bring the carafe, the decanter, to the same level as the Paradis Imperial.” The inspiration behind this exceptional spirit was, in fact, based upon the original order placed in 1818 by the Russian Imperial Court to the first Hennessy master blender, Jean Fillioux. Seven generations later, Yann Fillioux paid the ultimate tribute to his ancestor by creating Hennessy Paradis Imperial. Given the pedi-gree of its provenance, only an average of 10 eaux de vie out of 10,000 are deemed elegant enough to make the grade for Hennessy Paradis Imperial. Each eau de vie is then raised to reach its “point of elegance” before the master blender deems it suitable to be part of Hennessy Paradis Imperial.

The bespoke Hennessy trunk by Louis Vuitton “But this [collaboration] is not by chance. We, the two maisons, also share the same values: of honouring craftsmanship, of refinement, attention to detail, excellence and creativity as well as of [honouring] two families — the Vuittons and the Hennessys, both travelling the world to expand, both visionaries.” Present + future

Zen Japanese dancer Miyoko Shida Rigolo This was followed by a four-hands dining experience, created by Amanyangyun executive chef Fred Shi and Jerome Tauvron of Blanche, chef-owner of one of the historic French Concession’s most exciting contemporary restaurants, in a specially constructed lakeside pavilion on the resort grounds. Both chefs worked in tandem with their teams to prepare a feast worthy of the occasion, which included luxurious ingredients such as sea urchins, black truffles and matsutake mushrooms, but served in a contemporary style. As the night wore on and after more sips of the liquid gold, Peillon shared the memory of a particularly profound moment: “Symbolically, since we are here for Hennessy Paradis Imperial, I had given carte blanche to the former Hennessy master blender, Yann Fillioux, to create a cognac of absolute elegance according to his own vision. When he asked me to taste Hennessy Paradis Imperial for the first time in the Grand Tasting Room, it was only the two of us. The first tasting gave me the unforgettable feeling of a dream come true.” I had to agree. Ensconced in exquisite surroundings, regaled by convivial company and with more than a glass of Hennessy Paradis Imperial in hand, any dream, no matter how sweet, would be hard-pressed to beat our reality that night. Diana Khoo is editor of the Options desk at The Edge Malaysia This article appeared in Issue 871 (Mar 4) of The Edge Singapore. Subscribe to The Edge now