Chateau Laguiole Versailles Series - Tulipier Handle - 223 years old wood

The selection of historical woods used to create the magnificent Versailles collection was recovered from the gardens of the Château de Versailles. Nearly all of the rare and old specimen trees of the castle were uprooted during the terrible storm of December 26, 1999; most of those trees were imported from around the world to the Chateau de Versailles during the 18th century as part of the 1776 centennial gardens renovation ordered by Louis XVI.

All Versailles series corkscrews are adorned with a Fleur de Lys. Traditionally, this symbol has been used to represent French royalty, and in that sense, it is said to signify perfection, light, and life. Additionally, this series is presented with a blue leather sheath. Bleu de France (Blue of France) is a color traditionally used to represent France.

The Château Laguiole waiter-style corkscrew was created in 1993 by Master Sommelier Guy Vialis and was the first high-end waiter-style Laguiole corkscrew on the market. Since it debuted, the Chateau Laguiole brand has been the favorite among most of the world's best sommeliers and, to this day, is the most sold (and imitated) of all high-end waiter-style Laguiole corkscrews. All genuine Chateau Laguiole corkscrews like this one are 100 % Made in France.

223-year-old Tulipwood recovered from the gardens of Versailles after the storm of December 26, 1999.

The tree was located in Marie Antoinette's Petit Trianon palace gardens. Originally imported from Virginia, USA, the tree was transplanted between the years 1771 and 1773, just a few years after the completion of the Petit Trianon palace. The age of the tree is based on the approximated year the mature sapling was planted, 1771-1776, and the year it died (1999).