The Jardin Public sits at the centre of Cognac, a few minutes' walk from both the château and the main distilleries. It is a well-maintained formal French garden with mature trees, fountains, and benches — an agreeable place to sit between distillery visits. The garden is popular with locals on lunch breaks and families in the late afternoon.
A blackened stone wall runs along part of the garden's edge: the same Baudoinia compniacensis fungus that darkens every cognac warehouse in town, feeding on ethanol vapour from the ageing barrels. Even here, a few blocks from the nearest chai, it grows on surfaces facing the prevailing wind.