The Harvest

Vines are planted about 3 meters appart. Harvest can begin as soon as the grape has reached perfect ripeness. This is usually about the begining of October and lasts until the end of the month. Some wine producers still harvest by hand but most have adopted machine harvesters.

The winemaking
The pressing of the grapes is done immediately after harvest. Nowadays, wine producers use hori ontal flat presses or pneumatic presses. The !uice is left to ferment straight away. The sugars are transformed into alcohol. The addition of sugar "chaptalisation# is not permitted. The wines are then stored with their residue These two steps "pressing and fermentation# are closely monitored for they will have an important influence on the final $uality of the spirit. The wines that are produced after roughly 3 wee%s of fermentation "from the end of October till the last days in November# have an alcohol content of around &'vol. They are !ust perfect for distillation.

The distillation
The (ognac region has a limestony soil and a maritime and temperate climate that is humid, hot and sunny enough to ripen the grapes. )espite all these assets, the wines that are produced would not deserve their reputation if it were not for the alchemy that ta%es place in the pot still and that produces the cognac. The alcohol is produced during fermentation from the sugars that are naturally present in the fruit. *t is found associated with many other components + it has to be separated from these comple, mi,es, process which is achieved by distillation. The process of separation which ta%es place during distillation is based on the difference in volatility between all components. The only volatile substances that ma%e it into the spirit become the main elements of the bou$uet. The pot-still The -ot still is entirely made of copper because copper has a catalysing effect and it does not affect the taste of the spirits. The bottom of the main cauldron . where the li$uid to be distilled is placed . is in permanent contact with the bare flame of the furnace. The wine is uniformily heated with its dregs over a large surface. The /lcohols and ethers evaporate. The onion shaped top canalises the vapours into the swan nec%, through the 0chauffe.vin0 cooling them slightly before they reach the cooling tan% %nown as 0the pipe0. The vapours travel through a long coil, condense and are collected in li$uid form in an oa% cas%. Double distillation )istillation is carried out in two steps 1 two heating cylcles called 0chauffes0. The first 0chauffe0 which lasts between & and 23 hours produces a cloudy li$uide called 0brouillis0 with an alcohol content of 45 to 33 'vol. The 0brouillis0 is then redistilled. This second heating is called 0la bonne chauffe0 and lasts about 24 hours. This time, only the best, that is 0the heart0 of the distillation, is %ept. The distiller separates the 0heart0 from the 0heads0 and the 0tails0 through a process called 0cutting0. The heads and the tails are mi,ed with the ne,t batch of wine or brouillis in order to be redistilled. Thus only the heart, a clear spirit averaging between 6& and 74' vol., is %ept for ageing to become (ognac. Cognac was born of a dream... /s for every famous product, (ognac has its legend. *t is said that the secret of double distillation was discovered in the 26th century by the 8night 9ac$ues de la (roi,.:aron. *t is than%s to a nightmare that (ognac saw the light of day 1 Satan, wanting to have his soul, tried to boil it but did not succeed. *t is when the devil threatened to reboil it that the %night awo%e suddenly and became convinced that by distilling his wine a second time, he would allow his wine to e,press itself in a new brouillis.

The ageing

The distilled wine must age before becoming (ognac. This ageing ta%es place in 473 to 5;3 litre oa% cas%s. The natural level of humidity in the cellars is one of the main influencing factors on the ageing of the spirits due to its effect on evaporation. The charentais coopers have traditionally used wood from the <imousin and the Tron=ais forests. The Tron=ais forest, in the /llier department of >rance, provides soft, finely grained wood which is particularly porous to alcohol. The <imousin forest produces medium grained wood, harder and even more porous. Today, the (ooperage industries of the (ognac region, with their ancestral %now.how, e,port all over the world The angels' share *n order to develop all its $ualities and also to reduce its alcohol content, (ognac must mature for many years in oa%s cas%s. )uring this ageing, (ognac loses between 3 and 5 ' of its volume every year. This evaporation represents 47 million bottles per year for the (ognac region ? /lthough it is a loss, it is a necessity for the maturing process and is poetically %nown as 0the angels@ share0. The evolution of Cognac in casks / (ognac@s age is determined solely by the numberof years that it has matured in wooden cas%s. The fundamental principle behind this fact is that in a glass bottle (ognac stops ageing. / (ognac that has come straight from the pot still has an alcohol content of about 73'. /s it ages, (ognac concentrates the aromas and the colours as it dar%ens to a warm shade of ambre. )uring the first few years "from 3 to ; years#, the bou$uet mellows and becomes less agressive. The spirit turns to a shade of yellow that dar%ens more and more. The odour of oa%wood develops. Ne,t, the taste becomes more pleasant and smoother. The oa%wood fragrance introduces scents of flowers and vanilla... Aeyond 23 years of age, (ognac reaches maturity and has a much dar%er colour. The bou$uet is at its best and the famous 0rancio0 appears.

The assembly
>rom beginning to end, the ma%ing of cognac "or @elaboration@# is the sub!ect of a comple, alchemy. The $uality of each and every cognac depends as much on the 0assemblies0as on the care given to the vine, the grape harvest, the wine ma%ing, the distillation and the ageing in cas%s. The cognac that you drin% is in fact the fruit of 0assemblies0 of different vintages and different ages. *t is these assemblies that produce the harmony in the taste. The 0assemblies0 are the result of unwritten ancestral %now.how. They are the secret of the 0maBtres de chai0 or 0cellar masters0, persons of e,ception who watch over the cognac from its e,it from the still to the bottling. *t is the cellar masters who, after years of patient training by the elders, decide to decant cas%s or to change cellars in order to best develop the $uality of the spirit. They also decide when and how to assemble the spirits. *t is often said of the cellar masters that they alone represent the true value of (ognac houses. The assembly is done in several steps that are spread throughout the entire ageing process. The cellar masters do not use any instruments of measure, they rely entirely on their !udgement of taste and smell. Their senses are so accurate that they are always right.

Reading a label This does not prevent them from giving a lot of consumer information. Beyond all legal information - capacity, place of production or bottling -, the cognac label provides additional information on the product you are about to taste, including its age and its vintages.

The indications on age

(ognac, which has a worlwide reputation to protect, has established very strict rules to protect consumers but also to prevent its production and presentation from being counterfeited. This implies compliance to many rules beit for distillation, for stoc%ing, for ageing or for assembly, etc. / cognac that is ready to be commercialised must be at least two and a half years old starting from the 2st October of the year of harvest. >or the different classes of (ognac, it is the age of the youngest spirit that determins its class. *** !.". #!ery "pecial$ "%lection de &u'e. The youngest spirit of the assembly may not be less than four and a half years old. Aut often, the spirits are much older. !.".(.). *%serve... The youngest spirit in the assembly for Very Superior Old -ales, also called Ceserve (ognacs is between four and a half and si, and a half years old. +apol%on ,mp%rial Hors d'-ge !ieille *%serve ..(. /ll terms li%e Napoleon, DO or 0very old0 are assemblies of spirits that are at least si, and a half years old. However, most (ognacs are well above this minimum imposed by the regulation. *n fact some of the most prestigious names assemble spirits that are each at least do ens of years above the minimum re$uired.

The indications on vintages

The term /0ine/. The term 0>ine0 is authorised by the law of 2E3& and $ualifies a vintage spirit. >or e,ample, a 0Frande >ine (hampagne0 $ualifies a Frande (hampagne vintage cognac assembled with spirits that come solely from the Frande (hampagne region. On the other hand, the 0>ine (hampagne0 appelation $ualifies a cognac with at least ;3' of Frande (hampagne spirits and the rest from -etite (hampagne. The appelations by vintage. / 0Frande (hampagne0 or 0>ine Frande (hampagne0 cognac is assembled with 233' Frande (hampagne spirits. / 0-etite (hampagne0 or 0>ine -etite (hampagne0 cognac is assembled with 233' -etite (hampagne spirits. / 0>ine (hampagne0 cognac is the result of an assembly of Frande and -etite (hampagne spirits with a minimum of ;3' from Frande (hampagne. / 0Aorderies0 or 0>ine Aorderies0 cognac contains 233' of spirits from the Aorderies area. / 0>in Aois0 or 0>ine >ins Aois0 cognac contains 233' of spirits from the >ins Aois area. / 0Aons Aois0 ou 0>ine Aons Aois0 cognac contains 233' of spirits from the Aons Aois area

Tasting
1dward !,, at the time when he was still The )rince of 2ales was sub3ect to a protest when he was about to swallow the old cognac that had 3ust been served to him 4 - /5our highness 6 such a nectar 6 (ne must first let the amber blonds play around in the crystal. Then one breathes it gently in religiously. Then at last... - (ne drinks it 6 - +o your highness not yet... one talks about it 6/

The tasting techni$ue is progressive and follows a classic ritual. The perfect tool is the tulip shaped glass which contains the aromas and releases them delicately and progressively throughout the tasting. 0irst step 4 visual aspect The eye must !udge the spirit in three ways 1 transparency, colour and viscosity "the li$uid must not be cloudy nor have sediments#. Ay tilting the glass, one can observe the 0legs0 or 0tears0 effect which is a sign of good age.

"econd step 4 the scent >irstly, the connoisseur will detect the very volatile and very subtle scents that are often hidden to the novice 1 he carries the glass to within an inch of the nostrils and tames the burning vapours, he then smells a little closer before inhaling at length all the released smells with the nose in the glass. Secondly, the connoisseur discovers the less volatile aromatic components 1 he stirs and tosses the li$uid inside the glass to allow the spirit to release new scents. He repeats this action several times to ma%e the pleasure last and to discover a whole new bou$uet every time.

Third step 4 the taste The tasting must obey strict rules 1 The taster ta%es small sips at a time "2 to 4 ml#. He holds each sip in the front of the mouth and appreciates the 0taste0 "balance between softness, acidity and bitterness# and the 0touch0 "feeling of roundness, warmth, strength, astringency, body, oiliness, volume, etc...#. The second, longer sip will suffuse the whole mouth and will bring into full bloom the flavours and the less volatile notes that complete the bou$uet.

Cognac region
The 7rande-Champagne 13,766 hectares* of vineyards Situated in the heart of the cognac region, Frande.(hampagne is the most prestigious cognac vintage. *t has a very specific type of soil called the campus "where many fossils are to be found# The $uality, comple,ity and longevity of the spirits that see the day on the hillsides !ust to the south of Segon ac, 0the capital of the Frande.(hampagne vintage region0, are une$ualled anywhere in the world. There, the climatic conditions are the most favourable, protected to the west from the vicissitudes of an oceanic climate and to the east from the continental climate. Frande.(hampagne spirits distinguish themselves by the floral dominance of its fragrance which is reminiscent of the vine@s flower, dried vine shoot or even dried lime tree leaves. *ts bou$uet is remar%able. /fter ageing, the aromas grow and mature. >loral scents turn into fruity aromas. G 2 hectare H 4,57 acres The )etite-Champagne 16.171 hectares

This large semi.circle covers an area whose soil, called 0santonian0 "chal% of Saintes# is very rich in limestone. / few regions in the -etite.(hampagne produce a (ognac that may e$ual and even surpass the $uality of some Frande.(hampagne (ognacs "especially on the /rchiac hillsides#. *t also distinguishes itself by a dominating floral and somewhat fruity scent but the bou$uet is much shorter. The 8orderies 4.160 hectares This enclave of vineyards to the north of (ognac produces e,cellent nutty flavoured spirits on a decalcification soil. Some houses use it as a base for their best cognacs. / collection of suave scents brings to mind the floral fragrance of a bunch of violets or irises. Very finely scented, Aorderies spirits have the added ability to age and mature faster than that of (hampagne. The 0ins 8ois or 0ine 2oods 34.265 hectares >orming a large ring with various types of soil, this region produces cognacs of many different $ualities. The best of them see the light on hard limestony soils to the north.east and south. east. >ins Aois spirits are heavier and age rapidly but their fruitiness, roundness and smoothness on the palate are what give them their charm. G 2 hectare H 4,57 acres The 8ons 8ois and 8ois (rdinaires 19.979 hectares "Food Ioods and Ordinary Ioods# This belt which mar%s off the cognac region is made of clay soils that are poor in limestone. <ess length in the mouth and age much to rapidly.

Cognac
Cognac is France's best known brandy, originating in the Charente region of Southwestern France, about 100 miles northeast of Bordeaux. Cognac is di ided into six regions! the central region is called the "rande Cham#agne and has a chalk$based soil, as does much of the next %one, the &etite Cham#agne. 's one mo es outwards, the chalk changes to limestone and then sand, through the Fins Bois, Borderies, Bons Bois and Bois Communes. (hese soils yield s#irits with different textures and aging ca#ability$$im#ortant factors when attem#ting to du#licate a blend a million bottles a year for decades. )*+ of the Cognac ineyards are #lanted with ,gni Blanc, although miniscule #arcels of Folle Blanche and Colombard exist. (he wine from these gra#es reaches a ery low alcohol le el -.$) degrees/ while retaining high acidity. 0ines of this sort are ideal for distillation, and are distilled se eral months after the har est. (he ty#ical #ot still used for double$distillation is often referred to as the alambic Charentaise because of its wides#read use in Cognac. (he still is com#rised of se eral onion$sha#ed co##er domes and holding tanks. (he wine enters a central dome and gradually flows into a heating tank, under which a gas flame burns steadily. 's the wine reaches the boiling #oint, a a#or begins to rise -1ust as it does with boiling water/. (his steam collects against the inside of the dome, then searches for a #lace to esca#e. 2ts only exiting #oint is a hole that leads to the

cur ed #i#e known as the swan's neck. "ra ity then takes the a#or downward through a #i#e coiled around a holding tank filled with cold water. From there it recon erts into li3uid and exits the still with an alcohol le el of around 4*5 or 67 #roof. ' distiller carefully sur eys the entire #rocess. (he first s#irits to come out of the still, known as the ttes or heads, normally contain such high le els of im#urities that they are discarded. (he ma1ority of the distillation, called the brouillis, is ke#t. (he wine that takes the longest time to distill and remains at the end, called the queues or tails, is normally too weak and stri##ed of fla or to #roduce anything worth kee#ing. Conse3uently, like the heads, the tails are often discarded. (he useable material -brouillis/ from the first distillation is collected and housed in holding tanks8 afterwards, it is reinstated in the still and #rocessed again. (his time there is less waste material, and ))+ is ke#t. (he s#irit exits at a higher strength the second time, normally somewhere between 7.5 and .45. From there it goes straight into oak barrels.

The Aging Process

Cognac uses 960 liter barrels made of either :imousin or (roncais oaks. 's the eau de vie exits the still at around 1;; #roof, alcoholic reduction begins at a ery early age. (his reduction is either done with distilled water or petites eaux -a 70 #roof blend of distilled water and cognac/. (hese additions are made once or twice a year. <ost cognac finally reaches the market between *0 and *7 #roof.

The Blending Concept

0hereas it is common to ha e single$ ineyard, single$ intage armagnacs, most cognacs are a blend of arious ineyard #lots and intages. (he reasons for this are mostly to fulfill the enormous worldwide demand for cognac. <ost large houses ha e hundreds of sources whose s#irits they blend to achie e a constant taste. (he final coup or blend is made by the master blender who, as in armagnac, has four grou#s of #ermitted additi es at his dis#osal. Water is the most natural additi e, normally used to cut excessi e alcohol or heat -essential for double$distilled #roducts/ but also to sell and lower duties and taxes. Bois is a second #ermitted additi e, created by boiling wood chi#s in water, then remo ing the chi#s and slowly reducing the remaining li3uid. 0hat one is left with is a dark brown li3uid that is re#lete with wood fla or and tannin. (he reasons for using bois= are sim#le8 it basically gi es the im#ression of oak aging to a final s#irit. 'n aged$bois= is also a ailable to the enologist. 2t is less bitter than straight bois=, and offers secondary wood aromas like anilla and grilled nuts, gi ing an impression of age to a s#irit. Sugar syrup is the third ad1ustment tool which is used to add sweetness to armagnac, normally added if the armagnac is too tannic, or to remo e any rough edges it might contain. 2t is iscous, and can either be dark or light. :egally, 4+ of a cognac's content can be sugar syru#. ' final shortcut is caramel. Caramel is a li3uid made from burned sugar. 2t is dark in color and slightly bitter in taste. 2t is not used to sweeten armagnac, but

to ad1ust its color and establish consistency or gi e the s#irit the im#ression of being older and therefore smoother.

Textural and Taste Differences Between Cognac and Armagnac

'rmagnacs and cognacs under 10 years old com#rise o er )0+ of the world market. >et armagnacs and cognacs less than 10 years old are not the exam#les by which one should 1udge either of these s#irits. (heir adulteration is wides#read, and their usual reduction tremendously cuts their concentration. 0ith the skill of those in the blending laboratory, it is often difficult to determine what fla ors are #ure and which simulate fla ors that would normally arise after a much longer aging #eriod -as is the case in the wine world with wood chi#s, cha#tili%ation, addition of su##lementary arietals, etc./ <any #roducers and ngociants, reali%ing that they are not serious #roducts, will not e en taste ?S@& or A@$le el releases to 1ournalists or connoisseurs. (he com#onents of both armagnac and cognac #ass through stages during their li es! fresh fruit -#lum, a#ricot, #ear, 3uince/ and floral notes e ol e to #reser ed fruit -imagine the aforementioned as 1am/ then dried fruit. Bard toffee changes to soft toffee, then cream or e en butter. Slow oxidation in cask causes almond and walnut notes -rancio/ to surface. (he barrel, which once ga e #e##er, clo e and cinnamon notes, finally o erwhelms the remaining fruit with tannin. "enerally s#eaking, at the fifteen year mark, a single$distilled armagnac has a fatter texture than a double$distilled cognac -com#arable to the difference between odka in the free%er and odka at room tem#erature/. Because of its gra#es and because the outgoing a#ors are forced into contact with the incoming wine during its sole distillation, armagnac also tends to show more #rimary fruit than cognac. 's traditional armagnac is not reduced, its heightened alcohol hel#s #ush its concentrated aromas from the glass. (he most ty#ical fruit includes ine flowers, orange, #lum, 3uince and a#ricot. (he reaction with armagnac and the sugars of the oak often yields notes of anilla, caramel, toffee, buttered toffee, ma#le syru# and and exotic note of coconut milk. 0ith aging, armagnacs often de elo# intriguing earth and smoke aromas. 'rmagnacs generally hit their #eak between 40 and 90 years of age. Cognac's fruit tends to be lighter -#ear, orange/ and more floral. Because ,gni blanc is the chief cognac gra#e and because cognac is diluted to *0 #roof, its aromas are not always as forthcoming as those of armagnac. Cognac is a better long distance runner, howe er8 #erha#s due to their higher alcohol, they often #eak around the 90 to ;0 year mark and de elo# extremely subtle rancio notes. 0hile after 96 years of age, most armagnacs and cognacs that stay in barrel begin to decline! Cot only does the alcohol begin to dro# below the legal ;05, but the wood notes begin to dominate the fruit. 0hile armagnac #erha#s #eaks by its 90th birthday, a well$raised cognac -#erha#s because of its higher initieal alcohol degree/ can continue to e ol e until its 60th birthday. The Definitive Guide to France's Premier rand! 'rmagnac is France's #remier brandy, not only because it was the first but also because it is

the #reference of true connoisseurs. 'nd while 'rmagnac is often com#ared to its closest relati e Cognac, the two brandies are distinctly different. 2n this detailed study, Charles Ceal takes us to "ascony, in the hidden backwoods of Southwestern France. 'll the factors that go into making a great 'rmagnac are ex#lained, as are the differences between it and Cognac. 2nsights into blending and the use of #ermitted additi es are fully discussed. 'lso included are #rofiles of the region's most influential n=gociants, ob1ecti e tasting notes on their #roducts, e en information on how to match 'rmagnac with your fa orite cigar. <ore im#ortant, howe er, is the focus on the region's real heart and soul, the #roducers of traditional 'rmagnac. 0ithin their unrectified 'rmagnacs from a single year, subtle notes of #rune, a#ricot, anilla, s#ice and nuts con erge to become hea enly. ' dee#, #enetrating natural sweetness of fruit remains on the #alate for minutes, and when smelling the em#ty snifter the next day, one can be reminded of the memorable scent of un vrai armagnac. Cal ados is a cider$based brandy from the Cormandy region of France. 0hile most #eo#le associate it with a##les, #ears can also be used in the cider. :ike with 'rmangac and Cognac, there are many rules and regulations, regions and sub$regions and differences between #roducers. 2n the following #ages, you will learn about two #roducers who excel in their #articular a##ellations.