Deeply attached to their Cognac land, the five generations of CAMUS family have succeeded in faithfully preserving the brand’s original values. This process of handing down from father to son now ensures the continuity and development of a unique expertise, with the cornerstones remaining the soil, the vine and the grape.
As well as a love and respect for the fruit of the land, the CAMUS culture is based on innovation and the quest for exceptional aromatic qualities – for above and beyond their role as businessmen the CAMUS’s see themselves as winegrowers, explorers and passionate lovers of taste.
The fact that the CAMUS family home le Plessis lies at the heart of the highly sought-after Borderies cru is proof of this special attachment to the Cognac region. The CAMUS family is today the largest landowner in the Cognac Borderies appellation.
This specific character is down to the vision of Jean-Paul CAMUS, who identified the taste potential of the region’s different terroirs at a very early stage. Guided more by his own intuition than by passing trends, he chose to develop the generally overlooked Cognac cru of Borderies and allow its flavors to shine across the world.
This video is for training purposes hosted by Robert Bloch a Certified Sommelier with The Court of Master Sommeliers.
Over 5,000 miles away from his ancestral home, Cyril Camus comes bearing a special gift.
A celebration of the unique living tradition cultivated by his family, the House of Camus,
for 150 years. This is what we created to celebrate the 150th anniversary.
It's opening up. That's the magic part of Cognac, actually. The first time you smell a Cognac,
it does bring something out. But five minutes later, ten minutes later,
the aromas have changed. The Cognac has opened up. It's just like a great wine.
More than Cognac makers, we're wine growers. This is how we got started, and this is still
who we really are. Cuvée, in that sense, it is more than the Cognac. It is five generations of
passion, five generations of respect for the vineyards. How can we get even closer to the
best possible thing that wine can produce? How can we be even closer to nature's greatest expression?
For five generations, from father to son,
the House of Camus has carried an unbroken line of living tradition
and remains the largest independently owned producer of Cognac in the world.
In the fertile fields of surrounding Cognac, the House of Camus continues its family tradition
of producing the best quality eau de vie. Some of its finest creations
come from its own vineyards in the unique terroir of the bordery.
Over five generations, the House of Camus has grown,
harvested and blended exceptional quality Cognacs with uncompromising standards.
This is what will personalize your Cognac.
Cuvée is an idea of Cyril. These are exceptional Cognacs.
We don't try to copy or imitate the types of Cognacs of our competitors.
For us, there is one type of Camus. This type of Camus must be perpetuated.
Established in 1863 by Jean-Baptiste Camus, the company began as a consortium of independent
producers under the former label La Grande Marque.
Jean-Baptiste went on to acquire the shares of his partners,
setting the foundation for the completely owned family business bearing the brand Camus.
The second generation saw the dynamic combination of Edmond and Gaston Camus.
Each representing perennial values of Camus living tradition.
Edmond was a key advocate of the region's unique identity,
honored for his support of Cognac's laws of appellation,
which remain the defining charters for Cognac production today.
Gaston was a seasoned traveler and passionate promoter of Camus products in new markets,
including the highly coveted courts of Imperial Russia.
Surviving political revolutions, world wars, and economic slumps, the House of Camus
emerged triumphant under the command of Gaston's son Michel,
whose legendary entrepreneurship took the family business to greater heights.
Michel built up formidable partnerships across the globe,
taking the international duty-free market by storm with a whole range of new products.
He pioneered innovative designs, introducing fine Cognacs as collectible works of art.
From one generation to the next,
innovation has always been a key to the survival and success of the family business.
But every generation of the House begins its journey from the roots of its living tradition.
It has always been a tradition in the Camus family to welcome people in our private homes,
make them feel that we are a real family.
When Jean-Paul Camus began to lead the fourth generation of the business,
the accomplished master blender was able to share the living tradition of his family
across many more markets around the world.
It's a very interesting business also. I mean, you have contacts with people all over the world,
you know, and it's a big advantage when you can speak the language of people you deal with.
This is a Chinese ambassador of UNESCO. This was the year when Thierry started to learn
Chinese actually, so we said you definitely must represent the family.
Language was always an important part of the education in every generation. And the languages
each generation learned was probably a reflection of the company's focus at the time or the company's
vision for the future. I think it's even more true at my generation and the vision that my father
had about what the world might be by the time I would start representing the house.
To mark Camus' 150-year milestone, the fifth generation sought the finest creative solutions
that would express the perfect combination of tradition and innovation.
Inspiration for the cuvee came from the heart of Camus' living tradition.
150 years, it is five generations for us. It's also a story repeated each time of
going out to the world through the product we represent, through the work we've been
doing. And the most important part of it is actually all those relationships you create
as you go around, as you meet people, as you discuss and talk about cognac, of course,
but so many other things that you talk about around a glass of cognac. All of this you bring
back with you, you enrich the family with it. I hope also that our family is sometimes helping,
enriching other people's lives.
