In June 2022, Maison Hennessy will unveil a jewel of a tribute to the world's premier professional basketball league with a limited, numbered carafe of its most exceptional cognac.
To celebrate the NBA on its 75th anniversary, Maison Hennessy's Editions Rares collection presents Paradis in one of the most original and technically challenging carafes ever made: a basketball-shaped decanter in pure mouth-blown, hand-faceted Baccarat crystal, designed by the renowned Place Vendôme jeweler Lorenz Bäumer.
Conceived entirely in the spirit of the game, the Paradis x NBA decanter by Lorenz Bäumer reprises the look of an authentic basketball. The 1.75-liter spherical carafe features a faceted surface pattern that amplifies the coppery reflections of the cognac inside.
A legend since its creation in 1979, Paradis is an elegant, voluptuous blend for connoisseurs. It is the magnum opus of Maurice Fillioux, Hennessy's sixth-generation Master Blender, a lifelong music lover who composed the cognac by selecting from among the rarest, most supple eaux-de-vie reserved in ancient oak barrels in the Chai Paradis cellar. Like so many notes in a musical score, their absolute balance is an ode to harmony, the expression of excellence in cognac-making savoir-faire.
Turning his jeweler's eye to Hennessy's vineyards, Lorenz Bäumer recognized a shared passion for working with the treasures of nature and time. On the vines glistened clusters of gems destined to one day be encased in a precious carafe. He envisioned a dynamic, sculptural decanter that would fuse the excitement of basketball with the poetry of Paradis and the fire of a diamond.
He realized that vision thanks to the master craftsmen at Baccarat, the heritage crystal maker which, like Maison Hennessy, was founded in the 18th century, during the reign of King Louis XV.
The resulting decanter is a feat of team spirit and crystal-making savoir-faire, forged by an alchemy of intense heat and the precision of a master artisan's gesture. Like a gemstone, each plane is hand-faceted to invite plays of light and to make every Paradis x NBA carafe a unique jewel in its own right. As finishing touches, the basketball's treads are hand-gilded, and its opening fitted with a golden key.
Produced in just 75 examples, the Paradis x NBA carafe comes in an innovative cubic case crafted in orange leather. Also conceived by Lorenz Bäumer, this fully articulated design is embellished with gold markings retracing the lines of the basketball. When open, it doubles as a trophy case, bearing a signed and numbered gold-finished plaque. Custom designed ritual elements include a two balloon glasses also handmade by Baccarat, an arced fusil and a special golden key that opens both the carafe and its coffret, lending the ensemble a jewel-box quality.
For prices and further information, please contact Andrea Borrmann - andrea@dmmediapr.com
ABOUT LORENZ BÄUMER
For 30 years, Lorenz Bäumer gas emboded excellence through jewels of distinctive character and flair, earning a reputation as one of the most gifted jewelers on the Place Vendôme. As the only independant house on that historic square, Lorenz Bäumer cultivates a spirit of freedom and daring, shaking up conventional codes with talent, a taste for constant innovation, and avant-garde style.
ABOUT BACCARAT
Founded in 1764, Baccarat is a luxury brand internationally renowned for extraordinary products symbolizing the excellence of the French art de vivre. Its Manufacture has been located in Lorraine, France, since the company's inception and consttues an essential economic pillar of the region. For 257 years, each Baccarat creation has been manufactured by highly skilled craftsmen and bears the seal of unique savoir-faire passed down from generation to generation. As a true source of inspiration for the greatest international designers, Baccarat continues to innovate and develop prestigious collections that are loved around the world. Baccarat also collaborates with other luxury houses to create tailor made flacons and other exclusive products. From tableware to lighting and from decorative objects to fine jewelry, Baccarat is synonymous with glamour and perfection.
ABOUT HENNESSY PARADIS
Master Blender Maurice Fillioux created this warm, sophisticated blend in 1979, naming it afte the cellar in which Hennessy's finest vintages are kept. A sixth-generation member of the Fillioux family of master blenders, Maurice drew on his lifelong love of music and the legacy of his predecessors to create a subtle, harmonious blend for sharing with hi closest friends. Since its creation, Hennessy Paradis has been known as a connoisseur's cognac for its perfect, infinitely nuanced balance of approximately 100 eaux-de-vie that have been carefully aged for many years in mature oak barrels.
ABOUT HENNESSY EDITIONS RARES
Hennessy's Editions Rares cognacs are a family of assemblages that represent the finest, most exceptional eaux-de-vie in the House's extensive library, some of which date back to the early 19th century, stored in the Founder's Cellar in Cognac, France. For more than 250 years, these eaux-de-vie have been selected with the greatest care and set aside to mature, season after season, across eight generations, for the enjoyment of future cognac aficionados. When the time is right, th Hennessy Master Blender selects from these precious reserves to compose some of the world's most exceptional and remarkable blends, including the Richard Hennessy and Hennessy Paradis cognacs. The epitome of Hennessy savoir-faire, Editions Rares are produced only when the time is rifht, and in extremely limited quantitites.
