Biarritz was one of Albert Fouquet's essential destinations. After his stay in Honeur at Christian’s residence, where days were spent between Les Planches beach and the La Touques racetrack in Deauville, the two would travel to Biarritz. There, they were joined by Simon, arriving from Burgundy, and Thomas, coming from northern Spain. Both were men of the land whom Fouquet entrusted with managing Burgundy’s most coveted vineyards.

The purpose of the meeting was to receive a detailed report from Simon on the year’s progress at the estate and to coordinate preparations for the September harvest.

Once the professional matters were addressed during the afternoon in a meeting room at the Hôtel du Palais, where they stayed, the four transitioned to enjoying the deep friendship they had built over the years.


The next morning, promptly at nine, they gathered at the Clubhouse of Le Phare golf course, ready to show their competitive side in pursuit of the annual championship title: Christian and Thomas against Simon and Albert.

Around this competition, they created a series of rituals known as “The 19th Hole.” It began with a dinner paid for by the losing team, followed by the ceremonial trophy presentation. According to tradition, the losers then had to dive fully clothed into the sea and, dripping wet, astonish the Hôtel du Palais guests and staff by requesting their room keys.

During one of the early “19th Hole” gatherings, Thomas presented Fouquet with a bouquet of geraniums carefully cultivated at his countryside home. Knowing Fouquet’s expertise in creating exclusive perfumes, he suggested Albert take the precious bouquet to Paris to craft a unique, magical, and unrepeatable fragrance.

In the following edition, Albert surprised his three friends by presenting each of them with his masterpiece: Le Trou 19 du PHARE.