| Cognac's Boutique Producers | | | | By: Ron Kapon |  Page 1 of 2 next >> |
Though brandies are made all over the world including Italy, Spain, Portugal, Peru and California, it is France that usually comes to mind when we think of brandy and cognac when we think of French brandy. Cognac is brandy at its most subtle and sophisticated. Simply sniffing its special bouquet can be a transcending experience; the mind’s dusty cupboards are swept suddenly clean. The chalky limestone soil makes the special acid grapes perfect for brandy.
It’s a cliché: “All cognac is brandy, but not all brandy is cognac”. Brandy is a spirit made by distillation of fruit wines (primarily grape) with probably the most correct definition being the Dutch, brandewijn (burnt wine). Cognac is a brandy made only in Southwest France with the town of Cognac at its center. It has been given new life and versatility as an up-to-date trendy mixer to be used for cocktails and long drinks. The producers want to change the image in the minds of consumers and smash the myths surrounding Cognac. This has caused gasps of disbelief in the club rooms of London. Paris and New York but it has repositioned Cognac for “today’s hip crowd”.
Cognac is a spirit and a place. The town of Cognac, on the banks of the Charente River, about 200 miles southwest of Paris and North of Bordeaux borders the Atlantic Ocean. The Cognac region encompasses roughly 200,000 acres of vineyards planted primarily to ugni blanc, folle blanche and colombard. These white grapes produce tartly acidic wines which make excellent raw material for distillation. The region has a hierarchy of six crus, or vineyard designations, with Grande Champagne at the top, followed by Petite Champagne, Borderies, Fins Bois, Bons Bois and Bons Ordinaires. NOTE- Grand Champagne has no relation to the sparkling wine produced in the Champagne district. This Champagne means champs or fields.
Cognac wines are distilled twice in small copper pot stills. The raw, clear spirit, called eau de vie, is moved to oak casks for aging. Most cognacs are blends of different eaux de vie from several crus. By law, cognac must be aged for 2 ½ years in oak before bottling. The age statement on the label refers to the youngest eau de vie in the blend. VS (Very Superior) or Thee Stars average 5 to 7 years in age (minimum is less than 4 ½); VSOP (Very Special Old Pale), VO (Very Old) or Reserve average age is 12 years (minimum is 4 ½ to 6); XO (Extra Old), Napoleon (not that old), Extra or Hors d’Age average 20 to 40 in age (minimum is 6 ½). The later are meant for straight sipping. Also, look for the Grande Champagne designation on the bottle before deciding on your purchase. Many of the larger houses produce products from other lesser districts. If the label says Fine Champagne, at least 50% must come from the Grande Champagne area and the rest is Petite Champagne (still not to shabby).
Because there is no Remy Martin, Hennessy, Martell or Courvoisier mentioned in this story please don’t infer that they do not produce excellent cognacs (these four companies sell about 90% of all cognac world-wide).This is a story about boutique producers and cognac is often compared to fine wine because of slower distillation methods. Aging can be more precise because the flavors from oak are not overpowering; producers use oak and do not abuse it. The techniques applied to smaller producers often result in a more refined quality product. Many of the smaller houses produce only estate bottled cognacs which allow a producer to control everything from viticulture to vinification to distillation to aging.
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