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The Big Oak

"The Big Oak," a piece by Stéphane Érouane Dumas commissioned to raise awareness about forest regeneration, has been added to the Hennessy art collection.

The addition of this masterpiece to the Hennessy collection is part of the forest preservation programme launched in 2019. During his visit to Cognac, Stéphane Érouane Dumas was enamoured by the oak trees lining the Charente River and by the smell of the tannins and wood in the Maison's cellars. His painting portrays an extraordinary oak tree, a symbol of the wood that used in the construction of the Maison's barrels, which have been transforming eaux-de-vie into exceptional cognacs for more than 250 years. Interestingly, the execution of his artistic sensibilities mirrors the inspiration, care and patience involved in the creation of our cognacs.

Maison Hennessy & Stéphane Érouane Dumas

The art of cultivating excellence

The artist

Stéphane Érouane Dumas is a visual artist who draws his inspiration from nature: the breathtaking cliffs and luscious forests of Normandy. For over 30 years, he has been transforming trunks, bark and slabs of limestone into swathes of paint.

For "The Big Oak", he sort a sentiment and majesty through a work of memory and composition that encapsulates and symbolises all oaks through his representation of this oak of oaks.

A work of awareness

During a visit to his Paris workshop, Laurent Boillot, CEO of Hennessy, was captivated by the work of Stéphane Érouane Dumas.

He commissioned a piece acknowledging and celebrating Great Oaks, and in doing so reaffirmed our Maison's continuing FOREST DESTINATION programme, which aims to support the regeneration of 50,000 hectares of forest globally by 2030.

Hung at Hennessy's head office in Cognac, this work is a beautiful way of raising awareness among employees and partners.

Since 2020, with the support of Reforest'Action and local partners, Maison Hennessy is commited to the Forest Destination program. Hennessy aims to regenerate 50,000 hectares of forests worldwide by 2030 and to support the communities that depend on them.

Hennessy supports a research and development program focusing on oak trees adaptation to climate change in partnership with ONF (the French National Forestry Office). Maison Hennessy is improving its wood impacts and equipping itself with cultural tools to raise awareness among its employees and stakeholders about the importance of forest regeneration.

"The Big Oak" is part of this initiative.

Hennessy X.O

In 1870, Maurice Hennessy created Hennessy X.O for his circle of friends and introduced a new style of cognac. Hennessy X.O is the Original, the emblematic icon of the Hennessy Maison.

Deep and powerful, the eaux-de-vie of this Hennessy X.O cognac are aged in young barrels and marked out by their power and energy, but also by their capacity to achieve a great roundness through time.

Our Tasting Committee has explored every facet of the blend and identified several emotions that were assimilated to an Odyssey through 7 chapters:

Sweet Notes: The palate is warmly embraced by flavors of candied fruit.
Rising Heat: The intriguing sensation of an intense, rising heat slowly reveals the complex taste of eaux-de-vie patiently aged in oak barrels.
Spicy Edge: Perception of a strong spicy cognac note, tantalising the lips and palate with its distinct peppery flavor intertwined with a hint of chocolate.
Flowing Flame: A wave of warmth grows, crests and then breaks. A robust presence, full and voluptuous, is felt.
Chocolate Lull: There is the gradual discovery of something very familiar. It is the well-rounded flavor of a rich, dark chocolate.
Wood Crunches: A striking sensation is suddenly felt – the vigorous ebb and flow of oak notes interlaced with vanilla.
Infinite Echo: The evanescent oak notes leave a long, omnipresent finish in their wake. Seemingly endless, it echoes all of the subtleties of each taste and sensation that has preceded it.