Located in the Charente region there is a winding country lane, down which you will find a small estate. Somewhere amongst this estate resides Jean Aubineau, but to find him you must first locate the old-school Peugeot that acts as a clue to lead you to the charming house where Jean lives. If you are lucky enough to find him, then you will have the pleasure of the company of a talented and wise man who is now in his 90s and who began distilling Cognac from the tender age of 27.

We visited Jean on a fresh, spring morning at the beginning of April to discuss Jean’s life, his future and most importantly, his Cognac.

Jean Aubineau lives at the residence in Malaville with his dog, with whom he is inseparable. Jean’s Grandson also lives in another house on the estate and has recently begun taking over the Cognac production. Rather fittingly he began working at the domaine at 27 years old, the same age Jean was for his first distillation. Jean is immensely proud of his Grandson, although he doesn’t like how fast he drives the tractor.

When Jean first began distilling, his family-owned 12 hectares of vineyards across the Grande Champagne and Fins Bois terroirs, since then Jean’s land has grown to over three times this amount, but his organic production methods always remained the same. He even still uses the old barrels that his father had made by a Cognac cooper on the family’s estate during the time of the Second World War, however today they are used to store his Pineau.