Cognac & Armagnac
France
Cognac, France
• Cognac: France’s best-known brandy
• Peaceful countryside 100 miles north of Bordeaux
• Medieval town with elegant Renaissance facades
• Pastoral landscape with stone farmhouses along the fields
• Region also known for its butter, snails, natural sea salts, and brandy
• Brandy: ("burnt wine") is a spirit produced by distilling wine
Cognac Overview
•
Drinks must be made according to strictly-defined regulations to be named
Cognac
•
Consists of six vineyard growth areas, called ‘Crus’:
1. Grande Champagne *Best Growth
2. Petite Champagne
3. Borderies
4. Fins Bois
5. Bon Bois
6. Bois Ordinaire
•
Cognac second biggest wine region of France, right after Bordeaux
•
“Origine Controlée Cognac” (AOC) appellation totals 790 million square meters
of vineyards
6 Crus of the Cognac Region
Growth Area / Cru
Size
Characteristics
Grande Champagne
34 700 hectares / 13 250 ha
covered with vineyards
Some hills, and chalky soil
Petite Champagne
65 600 ha / 15 250 ha
covered with vineyards
Chalky but more compact
than the Grande
Champagne
Borderies
12 500 ha / 4 000 ha
covered with vineyards
It’s a plateau with clay and
flint stones
Fins Bois
350 000 ha / 31 200 ha
covered with vineyards
Mixed soil: red, clay and
limestone
Bons Bois
370 000 ha / 9 300 ha
covered with vineyards
Very mixed soils, clay,
limestone, sands
Bois Ordinaires
260 000 ha / 1066 ha
covered with vineyards
Mainly sand soils,
including islands Ile de Ré
and Ile d’Oléron
Cognac Process
•
Each Cru has different fragrance - flowers,
green fruits (apple, pear), grapes
•
Produced by blending a variety of "Eau de
Vie”
• Eau de Vie: French for “water of life.” A
clear, colorless fruit brandy that is
produced by means of fermentation and
double distillation
•
98% of the Cognac vineyards are planted with
Ugni Blanc
•
Ugni Blanc: produces wines with elevated
levels of acidity and low alcohol, fairly
neutral in taste
Cognac Process
•
The Cognac Still: known as alambic
Charentaise
• Distillation process:
1. Heat wine until it boils
2. Purely condense its vapors
3. Reconvert this steam into liquid form
again
4. Repeat 2nd distillation or Bonne Chauffe
• Quality controlled by length of time Cognac
is matured in oak barrels
• The longer the Cognac matures barrel, the
smoother it is
• Once bottled, no further development takes
place
Armagnac, France
•
Armagnac: grape brandy from the Gascony region of
southwestern France
•
One of the first areas to begin distilling spirits
•
Granted AOC status in 1936
•
Situated between the Atlantic and the Pyrénées
Mountains
•
Generous amount of sunshine through winter, rainfall
in the spring which nourishes vineyards with a warm
summer
•
Volume of production is far smaller than Cognac
production
Armagnac
•
Official production areas divided into 3 districts:
1. Bas-Armagnac
•
•
Grapes grow in acidic, argillaceous and stony ground
Iron rust colors parts of the soil
2. Armagnac-Ténarèze
•
•
Soil consists mainly of limestone, sand and clay
The Ténarèze distillate is considered to be the strongest-tasting Armagnac
3. Haut-Armagnac
•
•
Area is called "white Armagnac" because of the abundance of limestone
Vineyards are scattered like islands over the chalky clay hills
Armagnac Process
• 4 grapes commonly used:
1. Folle Blanche: light-to-medium-bodied wine low in alcohol (7%9%), high in acidity
2. Ugni Blanc: produces wines with elevated levels of acidity and low
alcohol, fairly neutral in taste
• Comprises ≈ 55% of the grapes used for Armagnac
• Contain pleasing floral aromatics that tend to accentuate the
spice notes from the oak
3. Colombard: aroma is slightly herbal and reminiscent of freshly
mown hay
4. Bacco: full-bodied, with plenty of fat and volume
• With age expresses jammy dried plum notes
• Different grapes = different aromas, flavors, and different weights and
textures on the palate
Armagnac Process
• Use a single continuous distillation rather than double
batch distillation
• Distillation process:
1. Heat wine until it boils
2. Purely condense its vapors
3. Reconvert this steam into liquid form again
• Retains earthy and fruity flavors in the finished spirit
• Gains much of its character and flavor during aging
• Quality is dependent on the period of time the brandy
spends in wood
• As it matures, it turns from being a clear to an amber color
• Absorbs tannins and other flavors from the oak
Grades of Cognac & Armagnac
• A.C.: 2 years old, aged in wood
• V.O., Very Old: Aged minimum of 4 years
• V.S., Very Special: Aged 3 years in wooden casks, often called Three Star
• V.S.O.P., Very Superior Old Pale: Minimum aging 8 years in wood for youngest
blend - industry average is between 10 and 15 years old, known as Five Star
• X.O., Extra Old: Also called Luxury, minimum age of 8 years.
• Napoleon/Extra/Vielle Reserve: At least 4 years old=
• Varietal: Made using only one type of varietal grape
• Vintage: Aged and bottled in the year of the vintage
• Hors d'Age: Too old to figure out the age; true gem
Summary: Basic Differences
•
Grapes
– Armagnac grapes split between Ugni Blanc, Folle Blanche, Colombard, and
Bacco
– Cognac grapes comprised of 98% Ugni Blanc
•
Geography
– Armagnac's best grapes grown on sandy soil in warm temperatures
– Cognac's best grapes grown on chalky soil with mild temperatures
•
Distillation
– Armagnac often single-distilled in a alambic
– Cognac required to be twice distilled in a pot still
•
Vintage
– Traditional Armagnac given a vintage date
– Cognac vintages extremely rare – usually a blend of various vintages
•
Single Varietal
– Single-varietal Armagnac is common, especially Folle Blanche
– One rarely sees a varietal printed on a Cognac label
Cognac & Armagnac
France