Day 10 of the Cognac-Expert 2025 Advent Calendar introduces a newcomer with a sky-high backstory: WV Baker Lot 91 La Fût-sée. Founded by former pilot Benjamin Baker, this young independent bottler hunts down hidden gems across the region. Today’s dram, a 34-year-old Bons Bois single cask, promises to showcase Baker’s knack for sourcing cognacs that soar.
WV Baker
WV Baker & Cie began as the project of Benjamin Baker, a Franco-British cognac native who grew up immersed in the culture of the Charente region. Initially, Baker left the region to pursue a career far removed from spirits, working as a pilot flying over the American Southwest. However, the pull of his home terroir proved stronger than aviation, and he eventually returned to Cognac to dedicate himself to the family trade of the region.
Upon his return, Baker spent roughly a decade learning the industry from the inside, working with respected houses and négociants such as Distillerie Merlet et Fils, Grosperrin, and Bache-Gabrielsen. This apprenticeship gave him critical experience in sourcing and evaluating eaux-de-vie, allowing him to build a network of relationships with small growers and distillers across the crus. During this time, he developed a specific philosophy centered on “rare pale” cognacs—spirits that age gracefully without heavy oak influence, retaining freshness and light color even after decades in the cellar.
In 2022, Benjamin and his wife Marie founded WV Baker & Cie as an independent bottler. The house does not distill its own spirit but instead focuses entirely on sourcing exceptional, overlooked parcels from growers. Their approach highlights diversity: single casks, single estates, specific grape varieties, and unique terroir expressions that might otherwise disappear into large industrial blends.
The house operates with a clear aesthetic and philosophical identity. Marie Baker, an artist, creates the watercolor labels that adorn the bottles, reinforcing the artisanal, hand-crafted nature of the brand. The portfolio is divided into two primary ranges:
- Rare Pale: Focused on vibrant, expressive cognacs that showcase the purity of the distillate.
- Old Rare Old: Dedicated to very old, often mid-20th-century distillates that have survived in family cellars for generations.
Despite its recent founding, WV Baker & Cie has quickly garnered attention for its sourcing acumen. Releases like a 1949 Fins Bois demonstrate Baker’s ability to unearth historic liquids. This impact was recognized when a major UK spirits retailer named the house its “Rising Star” for 2025, validating Baker’s vision of championing transparency, terroir, and the hidden gems of the Cognac region.
WV Baker La Fût-sée Lot 91 Cognac (2025) Review
This WV Baker ‘La Fût-sée’ is a Lot 91 Bons Bois —hinting at a 1991 vintage, though it lacks the paperwork to officially verify the year—sourced from Montmill Hill in the village of Baignes-Sainte-Radegonde. WV Baker bottled this expression at 49% ABV after aging it in fine-grain barrels from Tonnellerie Anjems, housed in a semi-damp, half-underground cellar. Distilled principally from Ugni Blanc and matured on its lees, this cognac contains no added color and remains unblended, coming from a single source and cru. You can find this ‘Fût-sée’ for around €125 from retailers such as Cognac-Expert.
Colour:
Russet.
Nose:
Neat: Fresh oak and slightly farmy aromas of fruit compost arrive first. Then, the fresh oak becomes varnished, and notes of lemon peel, mandarines and dried apricots appear. The nose shows a nice intensity, well balanced between a light sharpness, and the woody and fruity aromas.
Palate:
Neat: Caramel, grapefruit and wood at first, then some chalk minerality, a pinch of salt and pepper bringing warmth, floral flavours (nasturtium and something like violet or lavender but without the sweetness), and dark chocolate. Grape skin with a little flesh still attached to it. Liquorice wood and Burgundy marc.
Finish:
Dark chocolate, Burgundy marc, liquorice roots and pepper persist, with a lingering warmth.
Comments:
Bons Bois are just above Bois Ordinaires in terms of Cognac cru prestige, but age, good wood and careful maturation can elevate these otherwise scorned crus to good cognacs. Grosperrin for instance are masters of that (their Lot 52-22 for instance is just sublime), and WV Baker show here that they know what they’re doing as well. Obviously a Bons Bois is not the brightest and fruitiest of cognacs, but this Lot 91 really is very good.