Fine, aged cognac is appreciated
and collected by connoisseurs in much the same
way as fine French wines and old Irish and Scottish
whiskies.
Producing region and legal definitions
Map of the Cognac region
The region authorised to produce
cognac is divided up into six zones, including
five crus (singular cru), broadly covering the
department of Charente-Maritime, a large part
of the department of Charente and a few areas
in Deux-Sèvres and the Dordogne. The six
zones are, in order of decreasing appreciation
of the cognacs coming from them:
Grande Champagne, Petite Champagne, Borderies,
Fins Bois, Bon Bois and finally Bois Ordinaire.
A blend of Grande and Petite Champagne Cognacs,
with at least half coming from Grande Champagne,
is known as Fine Champagne.
Note: these cognac-producing regions
in southwestern France should not be confused
with the northeastern region of Champagne, a wine
region that produces sparkling wine by that name,
although they do share a common etymology - both
being deriviations of a French term for chalky
soil.
Production process
A cognac pot still.
Cognac is made from eaux-de-vie
(literally "waters of life") produced
by doubly distilling the white wines produced
in any of the growth areas. This drink was first
created to use up the grape waste of wine making
and was considered a drink for the poor. The wine is a very dry, acidic, thin wine,
not really suitable for drinking, but excellent
for distillation. It may be made only from a strict
list of grape varieties: primarily Ugni Blanc,
Folle Blanche and Colombard, although 10% of the
grapes used can be Folignan, Jurançon blanc,
Meslier St-François (also called Blanc
Ramé), Sélect, Montils or Sémillon.[1][2]
Distillation takes place in traditionally shaped
Charentais copper stills, also known as an alembic,
the design and dimensions of which are also legally
controlled. Two distillations must be carried
out; the resulting eau-de-vie is a colourless
spirit of about 70% alcohol.
Once distillation is complete,
it must be aged for at least two years before
it can be called 'Cognac' and sold to the public.
The final product is usually diluted
to 40% alcohol content (80 proof) with pure and
distilled water.
The age of the cognac is calculated
as that of the youngest eau-de-vie used in the
blend. The blend is usually of different ages
and (in the case of the larger and more commercial
producers) from different local areas. This blending,
or marriage, of different eaux-de-vie is important
to obtain a complexity of flavours absent from
an eau-de-vie from a single distillery or vineyard.
Each cognac house has a master taster (maître
de chai) who is responsible for creating this
delicate blend of spirits, so that the cognac
produced by a company today will taste almost
exactly the same as a cognac produced by that
same company 50 years ago, or in 50 years' time. In this respect it is similar to the process
of blending whisky or non-vintage Champagne to
achieve a consistent brand flavor. A very small
number of producers, such as Guillon Painturaud
and Moyet, do not blend their final product from
different ages of eaux-de-vie[3] in order to produce
a 'purer' flavor.
Hundreds of vineyards in the Cognac
AOC region sell their own cognac. These are likewise
blended from the eaux-de-vie of different years,
but they are single-vineyard cognacs, varying
slightly from year to year and according to the
taste of the producer, hence lacking some of the
predictability of the better-known commercial
products. Depending on their success in marketing,
small producers may sell a larger or smaller proportion
of their product to individual buyers, wine dealers,
bars and restaurants, the remainder being acquired
by larger cognac houses for blending. The success
of artisanal cognacs has encouraged some larger
industrial-scale producers to produce single-vineyard
cognacs.
Grades
Martell VS (Very Special) cognac.
The official quality grades of
cognac are, according to the BNIC (Bureau National
Interprofessionnel du Cognac):
- VS Very Special, or ??? (three
stars) where the youngest brandy is stored at
least two years in cask.
- VSOP Very Special(less commonly, but officially
according to the BNIC, 'Superior') Old Pale, where
the youngest brandy is stored at least four years
in a cask, but the average wood age is much older.
- XO Extra Old, where the youngest brandy is stored
at least six, but average upwards of 20 years.
In addition the following can
be mentioned:
- Napoleon Although the BNIC
states this grade is equal to XO in terms of minimum
age, it is generally marketed in-between VSOP
and XO in the product range offered by the producers.
- Extra A minimum of 6 years of age, this grade
is usually older than a Napoleon or an XO.
- Vieux Is another grade between the official
grades of VSOP and XO.
- Vieille Réserve Is like the Hors d´Age
a grade beyond XO.
- Hors d'âge The BNIC states that also this
grade is equal to XO, but in practice the term
is used by producers to market a high quality
product beyond the official age scale. Hence the
name "Hors d'age" (beyond age).
No house of cognac produces all
the above mentioned grades/qualities.
The crus where the grapes were
grown can also be used to define the cognac, and
give a guide to some of the flavour characteristics
of the cognac:
- Grande Champagne (13766 hectares
total) Grande Champagne eaux de vie are long in
the mouth and powerful, dominated by floral notes.
The most prestigious of the crus. "Champagne"
derives from the Roman "Campania" meaning
Plain, but is often explained with similarity
in soil with the Champagne area at Rheims. Cognacs
made from a mixture of Grande and Petite Champagne
eaux de vie (with at least 50% Grande Champagne)
may be marketed as Fine Champagne.
- Petite Champagne (16171 hectares total) Petite
Champagne eaux de vie have similar characteristics
to those from Grande Champagne but are in general
shorter on the palate.
- Borderies (4160 hectares total) The smallest
cru, eaux de vie from the Borderies are the most
distinctive, with nutty aromas and flavour, as
well as a distinct violet or iris characteristic.
Cognacs made with a high percentage of these eaux
de vie, for example, "Cordon Bleu" by
Martell, are dominated by these very sought-after
flavours.
- Fins Bois (34265 hectares total) Heavier and
faster ageing eaux de vie ideal for establishing
the base of some blended cognacs. Fins Bois is
rounded and fruity, with an agreeable oiliness.
- Bons Bois
- Bois Ordinaires (19979 hectares together with
Bons Bois). Further out from the four central
growth areas are the Bons Bois and the Bois Ordinaires
grown regions. With a poorer soil and very much
influenced by the maritime climate, this area
of 20,000 hectares produces eaux de vie that are
less demonstrative and age more quickly. These
less prestigious crus are excluded from blends
by some smaller boutique manufacturers and are
generally used for high-volume production.
The growth areas are tightly defined;
there exist pockets with soils atypical of the
area producing eaux de vie that may have characteristics
particular to their location. Hennessy usually
uses the unofficial brandy grades for its cognac
offerings, but has also produced three single
distillery cognacs each with very distinctive
flavours arising from the different soils and,
to a lesser extent, climate. Other cognac houses,
such as Moyet, exclusively use the crus to describe
their different cognacs.[
Companies and brands
Cognac is sold mainly by trading
houses. Some of them were founded centuries ago,
and still dominate the market today. In addition
to the major Cognac houses, some smaller artisanal
producers still survive.
Brands of cognac include:
