Hine 1975 Arrives in New York: A Vintage Cognac Unveiled Through French Craft, Cultural Memory, and Modern Luxury

New York has no shortage of luxury unveilings, but every so often an event manages to feel genuinely historic. That was the case on December 4, when Hine Cognac and Bernardaud introduced Hine 1975 to the U.S. market inside Bernardaud’s newest boutique in the Meatpacking District. The invitation promised a night rooted in craftsmanship, culture, and time. What unfolded was a rare opportunity to step inside a collaboration where two French maisons revived a vintage year with astonishing clarity.

The event embraced 1975 not as a reference point but as an atmosphere. Disco-funk from the era played softly under the hum of conversation. The porcelain house’s new boutique, still carrying the quiet sheen of a recent opening, became a canvas for the evening’s sensory storytelling.

Celebrity mixologist Lynnette Marrero set the tone immediately. Her Hine Rare punch—served unexpectedly in Bernardaud Terra Rosa teacups—brought a playful elegance to the experience and reminded guests that cognac, especially one tied to such pedigree, can still surprise you.

Attendees were also among the first to explore the boutique itself—a space that mirrors Bernardaud’s duality: meticulous heritage and contemporary design. Surrounded by porcelain pieces that read more like sculpture than tableware, the decanter reveal felt right at home.

The evening’s focal point—a tasting and presentation from Hine Cellar Master Paul Szersnovicz and Audrey Schulte, Director of the Bernardaud Arts de la Table Institute—offered an intimate look at what makes this vintage singular.

Szersnovicz framed 1975 as a turning point in cognac history:

Tasting it confirmed everything he described. The cognac opens with expressive notes—roasted pineapple, baked apple, warm spice—before settling into a long, balanced finish that reveals its 50 years of evolution. It’s vibrant, but unmistakably mature. You can feel the patience behind it.

For Bernardaud, the vessel mattered as much as the liquid. Schulte emphasized the lineage behind the collaboration:

The decanter—sculptural, modern, and crowned with a fluted stopper inspired by Hine’s archives—carries artwork by Manon Briquet de Valon, whose interpretation of 1975 draws on the era’s optimism and cultural momentum. Each future vintage in the new series will receive its own artistic treatment, creating a time capsule collection through design.

Hine 1975 comes from a single plot in Grande Champagne and spent five decades aging in lightly toasted 350-liter oak casks in Hine’s historic cellars. Only 500 hand-numbered decanters exist—an astonishingly small quantity for a release with this level of anticipation.

Collectors at the event were given first access to purchase through Astor Wine & Spirits. Two editions are available:

• Timeless Poetry (SRP $5,500) – an embossed presentation box by Atelier Créanog; 450 available.

• Timeless Ritual (SRP $10,100) – a gift set with bespoke crystal glasses, porcelain tray, custom coasters, and a carved wooden base by Robin Françoise; 50 available.

Some cognacs are defined strictly by rarity. Hine 1975 stands apart because it holds its own emotionally—it feels like a preserved chapter of cultural and agricultural history brought back into the present. Between Bernardaud’s porcelain mastery, Briquet de Valon’s artwork, and Hine’s half-century of maturation, the release reads more like a narrative than a product.

For a launch rooted in the passage of time, the evening felt refreshingly immediate: the warmth of the room, the clink of porcelain teacups, the shared acknowledgment among collectors and connoisseurs that they were tasting something that will not come again.