Maison Hennessy has unveiled a jewel of a tribute to the world's premier professional basketball league with a limited, numbered carafe of its most exceptional cognac..
To celebrate the NBA on its 75th anniversary, Maison Hennessy's Editions Rares collection presents Paradis in one of the most original and technically challenging carafes ever made: a basketball-shaped decanter in pure mouth-blown, hand-faceted Baccarat crystal, designed by the renowned Place Vendôme jeweler Lorenz Bäumer.
Conceived entirely in the spirit of the game, the Paradis x NBA decanter by Lorenz Bäumer reprises the look of an authentic basketball. The 1.75-liter spherical carafe features a faceted surface pattern that amplifies the coppery reflections of the cognac inside.
A legend since its creation in 1979, Paradis is an elegant, voluptuous blend for connoisseurs. It is the magnum opus of Maurice Fillioux, Hennessy's sixth-generation Master Blender, a lifelong music lover who composed the cognac by selecting from among the rarest, most supple eaux-de-vie reserved in ancient oak barrels in the Chai Paradis cellar. Like so many notes in a musical score, their absolute balance is an ode to harmony, the expression of excellence in cognac-making savoir-faire.
Turning his jeweler's eye to Hennessy's vineyards, Lorenz Bäumer recognized a shared passion for working with the treasures of nature and time. On the vines glistened clusters of gems destined to one day be encased in a precious carafe. He envisioned a dynamic, sculptural decanter that would fuse the excitement of basketball with the poetry of Paradis and the fire of a diamond.
He realized that vision thanks to the master craftsmen at Baccarat, the heritage crystal maker which, like Maison Hennessy, was founded in the 18th century, during the reign of King Louis XV.
The resulting decanter is a feat of team spirit and crystal-making savoir-faire, forged by an alchemy of intense heat and the precision of a master artisan's gesture. Like a gemstone, each plane is hand-faceted to invite plays of light and to make every Paradis x NBA carafe a unique jewel in its own right. As finishing touches, the basketball's treads are hand-gilded, and its opening fitted with a golden key.
Produced in just 75 examples, the Paradis x NBA carafe comes in an innovative cubic case crafted in orange leather. Also conceived by Lorenz Bäumer, this fully articulated design is embellished with gold markings retracing the lines of the basketball. When open, it doubles as a trophy case, bearing a signed and numbered gold-finished plaque. Custom designed ritual elements include a two balloon glasses also handmade by Baccarat, an arced fusil and a special golden key that opens both the carafe and its coffret, lending the ensemble a jewel-box quality.
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