The Domain

The Domaine du Chêne, our history

A creator of spirits for more than 150 years, the Domaine du Chêne is a family-owned company founded in 1865 by Jean Baptiste DOUSSOUX.

Located in Saint Palais de Phiolin, the heart of Charente Maritime in the New Aquitaine region. You will discover the richness of a terroir and the history that our Domaine has carried through the generations. The story begins in 1865 when Jean-Baptiste Doussoux bought his first still, determined to distil his wines and raise his Cognac eaux de vie to master the quality and authenticity of Cognac. Distillation, somewhat abandoned during the war, was restarted by Jean Doussoux, heir of the estate, in 1946. The first Pineau des Charentes were produced from 1947.

In 1993, Jean Doussoux and Jean-Marie Baillif joined forces to create our owned brand  “Domaine du Chêne”. They also developed the vineyard and diversified the large grape varieties. Now, the vineyard’s size is over 90 hectares. On the strength of this diversity, we are working hard to imagine new and innovative products that are more revealing of the richness of our estate.

Over the generations, we have always sought to express the brilliance of our land through intense eaux-de-vie. Today, Jean-Marie Baillif works with his children to perpetuate the history and know-how of Domaine du Chêne.

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Our values, our know-how

Proud of our appellations, we own the entire production process. From the work in the vineyard to the ageing in our cellars, including vinification and distillation, we control the entire process to ensure you unique and quality products. From generation to generation, a transmission has naturally taken place, allowing us to continue the elaboration of our wines, “Pineau des Charentes” and “Cognac” in the respect of the Charente tradition while modernising our approach.

Jean-Marie Baillif and his team work in this spirit of permanent conciliation of tradition and modernity. At the heart of our Control designation of origin, we do our utmost to ensure that our “Cognacs” and “Pineau des Charentes” provide our customers with moments of tasting and discovery.

Inspired by the desire to preserve our history, our values and our know-how, we explore new horizons through the development of innovative and varied “Pineau des Charentes” and “Cognac”. Our mastery of each phase of creation allows us to balance tradition and modernity in the best possible way in order to offer you remarkable eaux-de-vie.

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Our cellars, our distillery, our teams

Our distillery and our cellars are the witnesses of our history, our know-how and our transmission. They have not changed since they were built several decades ago. The fact that all of our production facilities are close to each other allows us to control all of the conditions under which our spirits are matured and stored.

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A committed viticulture :

For more than 20 years, we have integrated in the elaboration of our products, from the vine to the bottle, the protection and preservation of our environment. We practice a sustainable viticulture and implement the evolution of our vineyard in order to obtain labels. We are certified “HVE”, High Environmental Value.

The cognac industry has also implemented a more demanding certification adapted to the Cognac workforce to make better production process.  We are fine-tuning our working methods with the aim of obtaining this second label very quickly, with the aim of always being more respectful throughout our company.

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Independent winegrower :

« A winegrower is a person who cultivates his vineyard and makes his own wine »

As an independent winegrower for over 25 years, we seriously assume our values and responsibilities. Our commitment, our professionalism and our know-how embody this appellation. Our profession as a winegrower is defined by the respect of the Independent Winegrower’s Charter. This charter respected by the Independent Winegrowers ensures the authenticity and quality of the work accomplished. It is important to us to support and lead initiatives specific to our sector.

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A visit to our estate will allow you to discover our House and our know-how. Starting in the vineyard and ending in our ageing cellars, you’ll discover how our exceptional “Pineau des Charentes” and “Cognac” are made.

Visits by reservation only.

Opening hours all year round:

Monday to Friday, 09:00 to 12:00 and 14:00 to 17:00
Saturday (by appointment only)

Please contact us by e-mail or telephone before you come to organize your visit.

Visit formul:

Tasting only: 8€ /person.
Visit and tasting of 3 Pineau and 3 Cognacs: 12€ / person
A la carte visit and tasting: 15€ / person