Cognac

Cognac, named after the town of Cognac in France, is a brandy produced in the region surrounding the town. It must be made from at least 90% Ugni Blanc, Folle Blanche, or Colombard grapes. The rest of the cognac can consist of ten selected grapes. However, most cognac is made from Ugni Blanc only. It must be distilled twice in copper pot stills and aged at least 2 years in French oak barrels in order to be called cognac.

A related drink produced in another region is Armagnac.

Producing region and legal definitions

Map of the Cognac regionThe region of Cognac, divided up into six growth areas, or crus (singular cru), covers the department of Charente-Maritime, a large part of the Charente and a few areas in Deux-Sèvres and the Dordogne. The six crus are, in order of decreasing appreciation of the cognacs coming from them: Grande Champagne, Petite Champagne, Borderies, Fins Bois, Bons Bois, and Bois Ordinaires.

A cognac made from just the first two of these crus (with at least 50% from Grande Champagne) is called "Fine Champagne" cognac, although cognac has nothing to do with the sparkling wine Champagne. ("Champagne" coming in both cases from old words alluding to agricultural fields.)

Even within the defined region, if a brandy is produced that fails to meet any of the strict criteria set down by the governing body of cognac production, the BNIC – Bureau National Interprofessionel du Cognac – it may not be called cognac, nor sold as such. Brandy produced elsewhere in France, or in other parts of the world, cannot properly be called "cognac".

It must be produced within the delimited region, from wine using certain grape varieties;
It must be obtained through double distillation, in typical copper Charentais stills;
It must age in French oak barrels, which give it part of its color and part of its taste.
Many of the cognac producers in the town of Cognac and the surrounding area allow visitors to taste their product; the bigger companies have guided tours to show visitors how the cognac is made.

Process of fabrication

A cognac pot stillCognac is made from eaux-de-vie (literally, "waters of life") produced by doubly distilling the white wines produced in any of the growth areas. The wine is a very dry, acidic, thin wine, not really suitable for drinking, but excellent for distillation. It may only be made from a strict list of grape varieties. Distillation takes place in traditionally shaped Charentais copper stills, also known as an alembic, the design and dimensions of which are also controlled. Two distillations must be carried out; the resulting eau-de-vie is a colourless spirit of about 70% alcohol.

Cognac may not be sold to the public, or indeed called 'Cognac', until it has been aged for at least two years, counting from the end of the period of distillation (1 April following the year the grapes were harvested).

During the aging, a large percentage of the alcohol (and water) in the eaux-de-vie evaporates through the porous oak barrels. This is termed locally the "part des anges", or angels' share, a phrase also used in Scotch Whisky production. A black fungus, Torula compniacensis Richon, thrives on the alcoholic vapours and normally grows on the walls of the aging cellars.

The final product is diluted to 40% alcohol content (80 proof) with pure and distilled water. Major manufacturers add a small proportion of caramel to colour their cognacs (at least the less expensive qualities); it is claimed that this does not affect the flavor.

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 exactly the same as a cognac produced by that same company 50 years ago, or in 50 years' time. In this respect it may be seen to be similar to a blended whisky or non-vintage Champagne, which also rely on blending to achieve a consistent brand flavour.

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 (and of single malt whiskies) has impelled some larger producers to market single-vineyard cognacs from vineyards that they own.

Grades

The unofficial grades used to market cognac include:

• VS (Very Special) or *** (three stars), where the youngest brandy is stored at least two years in cask.
• VSOP (Very Superior Old Pale), or Réserve, where the youngest brandy is stored at least four years in cask.
• XO (Extra Old), Napoléon, Hors d'Age, where the youngest brandy is stored at least six years in cask.
  Note: these 'grades' are not official cognac grades (they are appropriate for brandy) and are simply marketing labels used by certain high profile cognac brands. More traditional cognac houses do not use these grades.

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 floral notes. The most prestigious of the crus. "Champagne" means chalky soil, a characteristic shared with the area around Reims where Champagne (wine) is produced.
• 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 suitable for establishing the base of some cognacs. 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. With a poorer soil and very much influenced by the maritime climate, this area of 20-thousand hectares produces eaux de vie that are less demonstrative and age more quickly. These lesser crus are often excluded from blends by some manufacturers.

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.

The top cognac houses also produce premium-level cognacs. These include:

• Extra by Camus is their premium cognac beyond XO containing their oldest cognacs from the Borderies, Grande Champagne and Petite Champagne regions in a distinctive decanter style bottle.
  
• Louis XIII by Rémy Martin is composed of more than 1,200 of the finest eaux-de-vie aged between 40 years and a century in very old Limousin oak barrels.
• Richard Hennessy - produced by Hennessy, 'Richard' is a blend of over 100 eaux-de-vie aged up to 200 years. It is sold in a Baccarrat crystal blackman and is named after the founder of the company.
• L'Esprit de Courvoisier - Courvoisier's leading cognac, presented in a hand-cut Lalique decanter, blended from eaux-de-vie up to 200 years old, and individually numbered.
• Moyet Antiques - Moyet's Très Vieille Fine Champagne and Très Vieille Grand Champagne cognacs blended from some barrels over 150 years old, individually numbered and signed by the cellar master.

Brands

Brands of cognac include

• Braastad
• Brillet
• Camus
• Courvoisier
• Delamain
• Francet
• Frapin
• Gaston de Casteljac
• Grönstedts
• Guerbé
• Hennessy
• Hine
• Jaques Delorme
• Kelt
• Larsen
• Maxime Trijol
• Martell
• Meukow
• Moyet
• Origine
• Otard
• Paul Giraud
• Rémy Martin