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In the cool, humid cellars of Rémy Martin, where cognac ages for years, now bottles of perfume are maturing too. Baptiste Louazou, the house’s cellar master and the youngest ever to hold this position at Rémy Martin, leans over a small wooden container called a tonnelet. About the size of a watermelon, this mini barrel holds a future fragrance that can mature for months — sometimes even years, reports Robb Report.

This project, named Maison Psyché, is a perfume house applying Rémy Martin’s distillation and aging traditions to create unique scents. (By the way, in French, the "p" in Psyché is pronounced — “psee-shay.”)

“We Let Time Do Its Work”

Louazou and perfumer Sophie Labbé meet weekly to decide whether a fragrance needs more “resting” in the barrel or if it’s time to stop the aging process. Each tonnelet represents months of work and thousands of euros of ingredients — once a decision is made, it cannot be reversed.

“At some point, a special emotion comes, and you realize: that’s it, time to stop aging,” Louazou explains.

Interestingly, the Louazou and Labbé families were connected even before the project started: Sophie’s father grew grapes for cognac, while Baptiste’s grandfather grew flowers. This intertwined heritage of winemaking and perfumery became the project’s symbol.

Labbé is a true star in the industry, having crafted fragrances for Calvin Klein, Givenchy, Elie Saab, and Bvlgari. Early on, the team faced a language barrier — what Labbé called “gourmand,” Louazou referred to as “patisserie.” Over time, they found common ground: Louazou now uses floral terms to describe his eaux-de-vie (cognac distillates), while Labbé increasingly describes fragrance trails as “sensual.”

Aging Citrus and the “Inverted Pyramid”

During the pandemic, the duo experimented without rush, aging not whole fragrances but individual ingredients — citrus oils, jasmine, patchouli, vanilla — in tiny tonnelets made from former cognac barrels. Many tests failed; no one expected fresh, tart bergamot to endure woody vanilla notes. But the results were fantastic: citrus notes don’t evaporate instantly but retain complexity and warmth for hours — the traditional fragrance pyramid is turned upside down.

“Usually, citrus is a top note that fades quickly. Now it becomes a base, a lasting trail,” Labbé explains.

Creating Unique Bottles

Each Maison Psyché fragrance is released in extremely limited editions — about 200 bottles per main batch, plus rare limited editions. For example, the new Éclat d’Ombre (based on a chypre accord) will be produced in just 30 bottles.

The current collection includes six fragrances:

• Alexanor (bergamot): a citrus cologne where bergamot sounds “caramelized” with praline.

• Alcyone (jasmine): Indian jasmine with creamy, sunny nuances.

• Belle Dame (rose): Grasse rose unfolds from fresh bud to full bloom.

• Nymphalis (patchouli): the characteristic “raw” earthiness of patchouli softens into elegance.

• Hamadryas (vanilla): Madagascan vanilla paired with iris to avoid excessive sweetness.

• Éclat d’Ombre (chypre): an atmospheric scent combining bergamot, rose, and patchouli — like light and shadow in Rémy Martin’s cellars.

The bottles mimic the tonnelet shape, are made of crystal, and come in lacquered wooden boxes, each uniquely crafted.

From Old Barrel to New Fragrance

The tonnelets are made from retired Rémy Cointreau cognac barrels by Seguin Moreau — one of France’s oldest cooperages, partnering with Rémy since 1838. Each mini-barrel is handcrafted from special oak staves that are lightly toasted; if charred too much, the wood’s aroma would overpower the perfume notes.

“Most barrels used to make the tonnelets are over 40 years old,” says Louazou.

Available by Appointment Only

These fragrances are not sold off the shelf — only by appointment through Maison Psyché in Paris on Place Vendôme or at Rémy Martin’s historic house in Cognac. For collectors and connoisseurs, it’s part of the ritual to learn the story behind each tonnelet and the conditions of its aging.

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