SPIRITS: Cognac

Question 1

Cognac’s “Big Four” + top bottlings

Answer 1

1. Hennessy: est 1765. Paradis
2. Rémy Martin: est 1724. Louis XIII
3. Martell: est 1715. l’Or // not top but… XO Cordon Bleu
4. Courvoisier: est 1809 as trading co in Paris; relocated to Cognac in 1823. Owns no vines. Courvoisier XO

Question 2

1st distillation of Coganc?
1st distillation of Armagnac?

Answer 2

COGNAC: 16th century. The Dutch distilled local wine to travel on long voyages, called brandwijn. 1st written mention of a distillate was in 1517 shipping a barrel of barrique d’eau ardente. Double distillation was introduced in the 17th century.

ARMAGNAC: 1310 is the oldest mention of distilling white wine. Industry developed in 16th century under Dutch influence.

Question 3

Cognac climate

Answer 3

Maritime - Atlantic influence aids long oak aging

Question 4

Cognac’s River
- flood years?

Answer 4

Charente River: a tidal river; shallow in summer, floods in winter

1982, 2023 - 2024: 3 smaller floods + 1 major one

[Charente’s shallow summer levels called for flat-bottomed boats. Cargo from Atlantic would have to change boats here - enabling Cognac as an important place of commerce]

Question 5

Name for Cognac cellars? for distiller/blender?

Answer 5

Chai
Maître de Chai

Question 6

COGNAC DISTILLATION
- name / type of still
- how size impacts flavor
- # / names of distillations
- what is reflux

Answer 6

Alambic Charentais –> Copper Pot Still
Distilled 2x: Premier Chauffe (26 - 32%), Bonne Chauffe (max 73.5%)

Big still = more copper surface for the distillation to interact with. Copper purifies and cleanses.

Size of the Bec / Col de Cygne –> taller, narrower, smaller = more reflux. Vapors rise and return, evaporate and recondense, further purifying the spirit.

[Reflux in distillation is the process of returning a portion of the condensed overhead vapor (distillate) back down into the distillation column. This downflowing liquid contacts rising vapors, increasing condensation and evaporation cycles, which significantly improves the separation efficiency and purity of the product.]

Question 7

Cognac Regions (6)
- soil types?
- most planted?

Answer 7

1. Grande Champagne: chalk
2. Petite Champagne: chalk
3. Borderies: groies - Jurrasic chalk + clay mix
4. Fin Bois: clay/limestone + chalk
5. Bons Bois: diverse - sand, clay, chalk etc
6. Bois Ordinaires: thin sand

79,231ha total - Fin Bois is most planted with 34.2k. Petite Champagne #2 with 16.6k. Grande #3 with 14k

Question 8

Cognac’s required % for region labelling?

Answer 8

100%

Question 9

Term for Cognac from 50%+ Grande Champagne + Petite Champagne

Answer 9

Fine Champagne

Question 10

Fine Champagne - what is it?

Answer 10

Cognac from min. 50% Grande Champagne + Petite Champagne, entirely

Question 11

Preferred soil type for Cognac? Why?

Answer 11

Chalk - Grande Champagne, Petite Champagne

• good drainage while retaining moisture
• chalk soils tend to produce more acidic grapes

Question 12

Usage of term “Premier Cru du Cognac”

Answer 12

Unofficial/unregulated; used for Grande Champagne Cognac

Question 13

Phylloxera in Cognac & effects

Answer 13

1872 arrival

[Cognac had 285k ha of vineyard in 1878. Reduced to 41k by 1890. 1st generation of rootstock didn’t like the chalk so recovery was slow. Folle Blanche didn’t like rootstock - allowing Ugni Blanc to take over]

This led to non-Cognac labelled as Cognac - which led to legislation of 1909 protecting name

Question 14

“Early Landed” Cognac

Answer 14

Comes from the phrase “early landed, late bottled”. Cognac that is partially aged in the AC but shipped in barrel to another country to continue aging/be bottled (historically England)

*a common historic practice, although Hine (and sometimes Delamain) is the only player doing it now in significant capacity. Cognac must age at least 2 years in the AC then can depart to wherever

Question 15

Cognac grapes (6)

Answer 15

Ugni Blanc (98% of plantings)
Folle Blanche
Colombard
Montils
Semillon
MAX 10% Folignan (folle blanche x Ugni Blanc)

[Folle Blanche was preferred pre-phylloxera. Didn’t take well to rootstock, letting Ugni Blanc in. Low alcohol, high acidity is key for a good distillate]

Question 16

2 types of Cognac distillers

Answer 16

1. Bouillieur du Profession: professional distillers
2. Bouilleur de Cru: grower-producers / recoltant-manipulant style

Question 17

Cognac distillation process
- type
- # of distillations & names
- max ABV of final distillation

Answer 17

Two distillations in Alembic charentais (pot still)
1. Première Chauffe: turns base wine into brouillis, which is 26 - 32%. 12 hr process.
2. Bonne Chauffe: to final strength. 14hrs.. 25hl of brouillis yields 7hl brandy. 1st portion (têtes) is impure and set aside; 2nd portion runs from ~78% to 60% is the coeur. Secondes and Queues come next - might be saved to re-distill

key words:
Premiere Chauffe, Bonne Chauffe
Brouillis - 26-32%
Tetes, Coeur, Secondes, Queues

Max ABV = 73.7%

Question 18

Cognac distillition process - describe process from base wine to final distillation

Answer 18

1. Base wine loads into cucurbite heated over open flame
2. fumes rise into chapiteau, onion-typed thing on top of cucurbite. Heated fumes rise through into condenser. Size matters - usually 1/10th of still volume. Too large = neutral brandy
3. vapors move through bec / col de cygne. (OPTIONAL - Martell doesn’t use it) to move through Chauffe-vin - warm vapors preheat wine for the cucurbite. After, moves into serpentin which cools via water to condense vapors into brouillis before draining into barrel.
4. Once enough brouillis is collected, the entire process is repeated for the bonne chauffe - to produce young, unaged Cognac

Question 19

Benefits of using a copper still

Answer 19

1. excellent conductor of heat
2. unlikely to be damaged by fire or acidic material
3. reacts with many undesirable copper compounds - eliminating them from the final product
4. “fixes” fatty acids in wines - creates a hazy solid that can be filtered out after 1st distillation

Question 20

Required method to heat Cognac stills?

Answer 20

Open flame
rimé = burnt flavor from uneven heating

[natural gas is method du jour and has allowed still sizes to increase to 25hl. Wood was historically used, then coal. Natural gas arrived in late 20th century]

Question 21

Cognac oak
- size
- type/source

Answer 21

French - 270 to 450L; most are 350L
- Tronçais (mostly sessile): Extremely fine grain, tannins no easily extracted.
- Limousin (mostly pedunculate): preferred oak. wider grain = more air, more tannin extraction Not great for cheaper Cognac, but great for long-aging brandies

Question 22

Cognac aging relationship with humidity

Answer 22

Cognac’s chais are located on Charente River to take advantage of humidity.
- more humidity = more alcohol evaporation in the angel share without loss of aromatics
- less humidity = more water evaporation in the angel share

~2% volume is lost each year per barrel

Question 23

NAMES FOR….
- cognac cellar
- heart of the cellar

Answer 23

Chai

Paradis - this is where the best barrels and bonbonnes are stored

Question 24

COGNAC - AGING
- age indications
- what do the acronyms stand for
- barrel size / type

Answer 24

VS / * * * / Millesime: 2yrs
SUPERIEUR: 3yrs
VSOP / RSV / RARE: 4yrs
VIEILLE RSV / RARE RSV: 5yrs
NAPOLEON: 6yrs
XO / HORS D’AGE: 10yrs
XXO: 14yrs

Absolute min. age: 2 years in barrel from April 1 of year after harvest

VS = Very Special
VSOP = Very Special Old Pale
XO = Extra Old

Question 25

Cognac final ABV

Answer 25

40% or higher - adjusted with demineralized water or **petite eaux**, a watered down brandy to avoid shocking the brandy [73.7% is max average ABV of bonne chauffe]

Question 26

What is the preferred serving glass for Cognac? What is the ideal temperature?

Answer 26

Tulip glass 64º F

Question 27

Pineau des Charentes AOP - ABV - styles - fortified with?

Answer 27

Vin de Liqueur // Mistelle - ABV: 16 - 22% - fortified with Cognac of at least 60% ABV - Blanc, Rosé and Red