Baccarat crystal and brass for Martell’s 70 Years Old Grande Champagne cognac

Maison Martell cellar master Christophe Valtaud selected one of the cognac house’s exceptional eaux-de-vie for a limited-edition release, Martell 70 Years Old Grande Champagne. The eau-de-vie is said to have a floral first nose, with notes of orange blossom and acacia honey, and hints of tobacco, tart citrus and white cedar on the palette.

Martell called on France’s Pbm design studio for the packaging design. “We reworked a Baccarat decanter design –from the overall shape to the carvings to the decorative stopper– to impart it with a new identity,” Pbm design studio Founder and Designer Paul-Bertrand Mathieu tells Formes de Luxe. A Martell advertising poster from 1922 by illustrator Jean d’Ylen served as the inspiration of the decanter’s decor. The poster featured three female figures among vine and oak leaves (possibly the Graces of classical mythology, says Martell) holding a bunch of grapes, a flame and an hourglass, symbolizing distillation, terroir and aging.