Delivery from €16,90 per winemaker in Europe (excluding the United Kingdom)
Vallein Tercinier
A Saintonge family since 1850, 6 generations of producers in Chermignac, award-winning Fine Champagne Cognacs and Pineau des Charentes...
Lire plus
Discover Vallein Tercinier in photos
Cognac Vallein Tercinier: the true story of a Saintonge family since 1850
Some names resonate differently in the cellars of the Saintonge. Vallein Tercinier is one of them. Not a major négociant house, not an international group, a family. A real one. The kind that has been distilling since 1850 at the Domaine des Forges in Chermignac, Charente-Maritime, and still welcomes visitors today in the very same cellars where everything began.
"I believe it is important to understand the subtleties of our terroir, the wealth of aromas and flavours shaped by the soil, the barrel, the cellars, so as to better understand and better savour Cognac.", Catherine Roudier-Tercinier, 6th generation
A 500-year family saga, rooted in the Saintonge
It all begins in 1480. Robin Tercinier settles in the Saintonge with his family, planting roots in this chalky limestone land that, centuries later, would become the cradle of the world's most famous brandy. Three centuries pass. In 1791, Louis Vallein acquires the Domaine des Forges in Chermignac, the same buildings, the same cellars, the same land where the family still works today.
It is Louis's grandson, Georges Vallein, who takes the decisive step in 1850: he establishes the trading company and begins selling Cognac in bottle. At the time, selling direct to the end consumer was almost revolutionary in the region. Georges doesn't yet know it, but he has just laid the founding stone of a house that will withstand everything, wars, crises, changing fashions, for more than 170 years.
The estate is divided among the heirs. One of Napoléon Vallein's sons, Paul Vallein, remains unmarried and around 1920 acquires the Camille Dupuis company, further strengthening the House. But it is his sister Édith who gives birth to Louis Tercinier, the man who, returning from the Great War, would literally change the scale of the business. Louis does not content himself with supplying the local region: he sets out to conquer Europe. Czechoslovakia, Finland, Germany, Great Britain — the Cognacs of Chermignac cross borders at a time when very few small Charentes producers dared look beyond the local bocage.
In 1947, his son Robert Tercinier joins him. The postwar boom is in full swing, markets are surging: eight distillery stills run at full capacity, supplying the House's own needs as well as those of many négociants. When the market turns in around 1980, Vallein Tercinier does not flinch, it pivots. The House's reputation and the quality of its eaux-de-vie open doors in Asia. Then come the 1990s, and the handover between Robert and the next generation: his children Louis and Catherine Tercinier, today Catherine Roudier-Tercinier, take the helm. Proud. Determined. Faithful.
What has never changed in 6 generations
From distillation to bottling, everything happens at the Domaine des Forges in Chermignac. No subcontracting, no external négociant. Just a family, their cellars, their blending secrets passed from one Cellar Master to the next, and the certainty that customer satisfaction comes before everything else.
Chermignac and the Saintonge: understanding Cognac terroir
To understand what sets Vallein Tercinier Cognacs apart, you first need to understand the soil beneath their feet. The Domaine des Forges is planted in Chermignac, a village in Charente-Maritime, some 20 kilometres from Saintes, in the heart of the historic Saintonge. The region is structured by six crus, Grande Champagne, Petite Champagne, Borderies, Fins Bois, Bons Bois, and Bois Ordinaires, each giving its eaux-de-vie a distinctive character that any serious connoisseur can identify blind.
The House works primarily with Ugni Blanc, the near-universal white grape of the region, which produces a light, acidic, fine spirit, precisely the profile needed to age gracefully in oak barrels without overwhelming the aromas. The flagship cuvées are crafted as Fine Champagne, a legally defined designation reserved for blends combining at least 50% Grande Champagne with Petite Champagne. This is the most prestigious category in the appellation: the one that ages longest, releases its aromas most slowly, and ultimately convinces even the most sceptical palate.
|
||
|
||
|
||
|
The Cognacs, Pineaux and Liqueurs: every bottle has something to say
Catherine says it herself: to truly savour a Cognac, you first need to understand what brought it into being. Here is what the bottles from Chermignac have to tell.
The Classics: from V.S. to Hors d'Âge
The V.S., Gold Medal San Francisco 2022, is the entry point: fruity, direct, honest. The V.S.O.P. gains in roundness and complexity (Double Gold WSC 2022). Then comes the Vieille Réserve range, Napoléon Fine Champagne, XO Fine Champagne (Gold IWSC 2022, Double Gold ADI 2020), and at the pinnacle the Hors d'Âge (Gold WSC 2022), spirits that have had the time to build themselves in barrel, to absorb the wood, to exhale the rancio. You do not simply drink them. You contemplate them.
X.O. Roots and Small Batch 46°: Cognac unfiltered
For those who want their Cognac without compromise, the House offers two editions that make no apologies for what they are. The Small Batch 46°, Gold Medal WSC 2022, is a Fins Bois and Bons Bois blend bottled at natural strength: full-bodied, direct, expressive. The X.O. Roots, Grande and Petite Champagne, is a cask-strength expression preserving the original texture of the spirit before any dilution. Two ways of tasting the Chermignac terroir in its raw state.
Pineau des Charentes: the Saintonge's best-kept secret
Legend has it that a 16th-century Charentes winemaker accidentally poured fresh grape juice into a barrel still containing eau-de-vie. A few years later, he discovered a golden, sweet, complex liquid. Pineau des Charentes was born. At Vallein Tercinier, the Pineau is fortified with the estate's own Cognac, Blanc and Rouge to start, Vieux Pineau for those who appreciate longer ageing, and at the top of the range two rare gems: L'Oublié and the Très Vieux Pineau "Le Reste des Anges", its name evoking the share that evaporates from the barrels each year, carried heavenward. A little Charentes poetry on every label.
Collector decanters, Liqueurs and personalisation
The XO and Hors d'Âge cuvées are also available in collector decanters with evocative names, Greg, Pyramide, Quadro, Helios, for elegant gifting. The House also produces liqueurs and crèmes made on the estate, as well as personalisation options (labels, gift sets) for corporate gifts or private events: an address to keep in mind when looking for a rare, territory-rooted gift.
Direct from the estate · Shipped from Chermignac, Charente-Maritime · Since 1850
When the world's experts confirm what the family has always known
The Maison Vallein Tercinier has never sought the spotlight. It has made Cognac. And the international competitions eventually came to find it. In 2022, the full range is recognised at the San Francisco World Spirits Competition — one of the most respected competitions in the world: Gold Medal for the V.S., Double Gold Medal for the V.S.O.P., Gold for the Hors d'Âge and the XO. That same year, the IWSC Gold in London validates the Vieille Réserve range. The cask-strength limited editions earn the Double Gold ADI 2020.
But perhaps the recognition that means the most to the House comes from one man, Serge Valentin, founder of whiskyfun.com and one of the world's most respected spirits palates. After tasting, he rates Vallein Tercinier Cognacs from 88 to 95 points out of 100. For an independent family producer in Chermignac, that kind of recognition is worth more than any trophy.
What you will only find at Maison Vallein Tercinier
The entire chain, under one Charentes roof. Vine, charentaise pot-still distillation, oak barrel ageing, family blending, bottling on the estate: not a single step is outsourced, not a single secret shared with the outside world. When you uncork a Vallein Tercinier bottle, everything inside comes from Chermignac. Nothing else.
Blending secrets that cannot be copied. The House's recipes are not written in notebooks, they live in the family's memory, in the gestures learned as children in the cellar, in blind tastings between father and son, brother and sister. Six generations of oral and sensory transmission: something no one can buy or replicate.
A Pineau des Charentes fortified with the estate's own Cognac. Most Pineaux on the market are fortified with eaux-de-vie purchased from third parties. At Vallein Tercinier, the Pineau is blended with the estate's own spirits, producing a gustatory consistency and a personality that négociant assemblages simply cannot achieve.
Five centuries of memory in a bottle, at an honest price. There is no excess here. No flashy packaging to compensate for ordinary content. Maison Vallein Tercinier has always believed that a great Cognac should be accessible to those who truly deserve it: serious enthusiasts, sincere beginners, and people who want to understand what they are drinking.
Frequently asked questions about Famille Vallein Tercinier
Where is the Vallein Tercinier Domaine des Forges located ?
The Domaine des Forges is located in Chermignac, Charente-Maritime (17460), approximately 20 kilometres from Saintes, in the heart of the historic Saintonge. The surrounding terroir is structured by the six crus of the Cognac appellation, including Grande Champagne and Petite Champagne, the two most prestigious, which form the basis of the House's Fine Champagne Vieille Réserve range. The Vallein family has been on this same estate since 1791, when Louis Vallein acquired it.
Why buy Vallein Tercinier Cognacs direct, without a middleman ?
Because everything is done in Chermignac. The bottle you order has been distilled, aged, blended and bottled in the same cellars by the same family. No anonymous distribution warehouse, no accumulated margins. You receive the Cognac at the producer's price, with the full traceability that only an integrated estate can offer, and the satisfaction of supporting a truly independent family house.
How long has the Vallein Tercinier family been producing Cognac ?
The House was founded in 1850, when Georges Vallein established the trading company and began selling Cognac in bottle. But the family's roots in the Saintonge go back to 1480, when Robin Tercinier settled in the region, and the estate itself has been in family hands since 1791. Today, the sixth generation, represented by Catherine Roudier-Tercinier and her brother Louis, continues this tradition as an authentic independent producer.
What does Fine Champagne mean in Cognac ?
Fine Champagne is a legally defined designation reserved for Cognacs blending exclusively Grande Champagne and Petite Champagne, with a minimum of 50% Grande Champagne. These are the two most prestigious crus in the Cognac appellation, whose chalky clay soils produce fine, floral spirits with an exceptional capacity for long ageing. The Vallein Tercinier Vieille Réserve range (Napoléon, XO, Hors d'Âge) meets this requirement: these are the estate's flagship cuvées, the same ones Louis Tercinier was already selling across Europe in the 1920s.
What is Pineau des Charentes and how should it be served ?
Pineau des Charentes is a fortified wine produced exclusively in the Charente and Charente-Maritime departments: fresh grape juice is blended with Cognac eau-de-vie before fermentation, halting the process and preserving the grape's natural sugar. The result is then aged in oak barrels for at least one year, producing a golden or ruby spirit with aromas of candied fruit, honey and rancio in older vintages. Serve chilled (8–10°C) as an aperitif alongside Charentais melon, foie gras or fruit-based desserts. Vallein Tercinier's "Le Reste des Anges", an exceptionally aged very old Pineau, is best savoured slowly, alone, at the end of a meal, like a great dessert wine.
What food pairings work with Vallein Tercinier Cognacs ?
The V.S. and V.S.O.P. work beautifully in cocktails or long drinks (tonic, ginger beer), and pair well with light aperitif bites. The Napoléon Fine Champagne matches intense dark chocolate or aged hard cheese. The XO and Hors d'Âge, served neat in a tulip glass at room temperature, reveal aromas of candied fruit, vanilla, spice and rancio alongside pan-fried foie gras, a fine cigar, or simply alone at the end of an evening when time is no longer a constraint.
Can you visit and stay at the Domaine des Forges in Chermignac ?
Yes, and it is an experience unlike any other. The Domaine des Forges welcomes visitors for tastings at the Petit Paradis, the estate's reception space, where Catherine receives guests with the warmth you would expect in a family home. For a longer stay, the estate offers two charming gîtes: La Maison d'Olek and Le Chai d'Olek, sleeping in the former cellars of a historic Saintonge Cognac house is something very few places in France can offer. The House also accepts personalised orders (labels, gift sets) for corporate events and private celebrations.
Direct from the estate · Shipped from Chermignac, Charente-Maritime · Since 1850
Famille Vallein Tercinier - Domaine des Forges - 17460 Chermignac, Charente-Maritime - Saintonge, France
Catherine Roudier-Tercinier · 6 generations since 1850 - Fine Champagne Cognac & Pineau des Charentes - Cognac direct from producer · Charentes Spirits