Maison Vallein Tercinier, Chermignac: six generations of a family cognac house in Charente-Maritime

Maison Vallein Tercinier is an independent family estate located in Charente-Maritime, at the Domaine des Forges in Chermignac, south of Saintes. Founded in 1850 and today led by the sixth generation, the estate crafts artisanal cognacs and Pineau des Charentes from the Fins Bois and Bons Bois crus, available for direct purchase on Avenue des Vins.

Available directly from the estate on Avenue des Vins.

How would you describe Maison Vallein Tercinier?

Six generations on the Fins Bois and Bons Bois crus of Charente-Maritime

Some estates cross the centuries without losing themselves. Vallein Tercinier is one of them, six generations of the same family, the same estate in Charente-Maritime, and a quiet conviction that time is always the best ally.

Since 1850, the Domaine des Forges in Chermignac, south of Saintes, has been the working home of the Tercinier family. Across 45 hectares of vines spread between the Fins Bois and Bons Bois crus, each plot contributes to the identity of the cognacs and Pineau des Charentes crafted here.

What strikes you most when discovering the estate is the human depth behind each bottle. These are not merely heirs, they are craftspeople, born in the distillery, who grew up among the vine rows and the ageing barrels. One word sums up the estate, according to the family: family.

These are gestures we have seen since we were very young, sometimes with a kind of innocence at first. And then, over time, we learned to respect them because they come from our parents and grandparents.

How did your passion for cognac begin?

A transmission passed down through the generations, from the vineyard tractor to the distillery burning through the night

Some people have a precise memory, a date, a bottle that changed everything. For Paul Tercinier, the connection to cognac has no clear beginning, it has always been there, passed on the way a gesture is passed on.

The earliest images that come back: sitting on his father's lap in the vineyard tractor, moving slowly between the rows. The harvests where brothers and sisters would all gather around the press. The distillery with its lights on day and night, its smells, its sounds, that constant activity. And the ageing cellars, with their very particular atmosphere, the contact with the barrels, the visits, the conversations.

These are things we saw since we were very young. And then, with time, we learned to master the gestures, to repeat them, and above all, to respect them.

One memory comes back often: at 15 or 16, watching his eldest brother settle on the estate and plant new vines for the first time. A bare plot of land, the tractor moving slowly, and that feeling of watching a new generation step into the footsteps of the one before.

What philosophy guides your work in the vineyard and the cellar?

Respecting what the vine gives, revealing rather than transforming

The philosophy of Maison Vallein Tercinier comes down to a simple idea: accompanying what the vine offers, without trying to correct it.

Our philosophy rests on a simple idea: respect what the vine gives us, and seek to reveal it rather than transform it.

In the Fins Bois and Bons Bois vineyards, this means daily attention to the terroir and the management of each plot. In the cellar, it means long ageing, rigorous selection of eaux-de-vie, and assemblages built over time. Time is not an obstacle here, it is built in as an essential ingredient.

The same spirit applies to the Pineau des Charentes: finding the right balance between fresh grape juice and eau-de-vie, then giving the blend the time it needs to develop true harmony. What gets him out of bed each morning ? The certainty that no two days are alike, and the pride of passing on a know-how that stretches back through several generations.

Which products best represent your estate?

The Très Vieux Pineau "Reste des Anges" and the Cognac Cream: tradition and modernity in dialogue

Two products particularly embody the identity of Maison Vallein Tercinier, almost opposite in style, yet coherent in their logic.

The first is the Très Vieux Pineau des Charentes "Reste des Anges", aged for around 25 years. Its name evokes the "angel's share", the fraction of eau-de-vie that naturally evaporates from the barrels over time. This is the estate's heritage piece: a Pineau that embodies patience, long ageing, and a know-how passed down since 1850. Best enjoyed at the end of a meal, with a walnut tart or a dried-fruit dessert, allowing it to fully express itself.

The Très Vieux Pineau 'Reste des Anges' is for me a Pineau for the end of a meal, almost meditative.

The second reflects a more contemporary vision: the Cognac Cream with caramel and fleur de sel from Île de Ré. More immediate, more indulgent, rooted in the Charentais geography through its local sea salt. It lends itself to spontaneous moments, as an aperitif or after dinner, with vanilla ice cream or a chocolate fondant.

Together, these two products form a revealing diptych of an estate that, generation after generation, has known how to preserve its traditions while making room for innovation. A living tradition, not a frozen one.

Which grape variety lies at the heart of your work?

Ugni Blanc, the cognac grape, known and mastered since 1850

In the Charentes, Ugni Blanc reigns. It is the quintessential cognac grape, high in acidity, neutral, understated at first glance. But it is precisely this self-effacing character that makes it such an exceptional canvas: it lets the terroir, the ageing, and the time do the talking.

Vallein Tercinier works almost exclusively with it. Not by default, by choice. It is the variety they know best, the one that has carried the estate's story since 1850, and that continues, generation after generation, to form the backbone of everything they do.

Discover the wines of Maison Vallein Tercinier directly from the estate, at the estate price, in a short supply chain on Avenue des Vins.

Frequently asked questions about Maison Vallein Tercinier

Where is Maison Vallein Tercinier located?

The house sits at the Domaine des Forges in Chermignac, south of Saintes in Charente-Maritime. Its 45 hectares of vines have been farmed by the Tercinier family since 1850.

Which crus shape the Vallein Tercinier cognacs?

The vineyard is split between two Charentais crus, the Fins Bois and the Bons Bois. Every plot feeds into the character of the eaux-de-vie and Pineau made on site.

Which grape does the estate work with?

Ugni Blanc, the benchmark cognac grape. High in acidity and understated, it steps back so the terroir and the long ageing can define each spirit.

What is the Très Vieux Pineau "Reste des Anges"?

It is the estate's heritage cuvée, a Pineau des Charentes aged for roughly 25 years. The name points to the share of spirit that evaporates from the barrels. Enjoy it after a meal.

Does the estate make a more modern creation?

Yes, a Cognac Cream with caramel and fleur de sel from Île de Ré. Richer and more immediate, it pairs with an aperitif or a dessert such as vanilla ice cream.