I was reading about Maison Boinaud — a Cognac house in the Charente, family-run since 1920, now under judicial protection. That’s French for 'we’re not bankrupt yet, but the bailiff’s already measured the doorframe.'
They make VS, VSOP, XO — mostly for export, mostly to places where people still say 'cognac' like it’s a title. Not a lot of fanfare, no Instagram vineyards, just barrels and patience and invoices that stopped adding up.
Judicial protection doesn’t mean the end. It means breathing room — lawyers, accountants, a judge watching over the cellar like it’s a crime scene. I’ve seen worse endings. I’ve been in worse cellars.
