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Cognac & Armagnac France

Cognac & Armagnac France. Cognac, France. Cognac: France’s best-known brandy P eaceful countryside 100 miles north of Bordeaux M edieval town with elegant Renaissance facades P astoral landscape with stone farmhouses along the fields

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Cognac & Armagnac France

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  1. Cognac & Armagnac France

  2. 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

  3. Cognac Overview • Drinks must be made according to strictly-defined regulations to be named Cognac • Consists of six vineyardgrowth 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 • “OrigineControlée Cognac” (AOC) appellation totals 790 million square meters of vineyards

  4. 6 Crus of the Cognac Region

  5. 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 UgniBlanc • UgniBlanc: produces wines with elevated levels of acidity and low alcohol, fairly neutral in taste

  6. Cognac Process • The Cognac Still: known as alambicCharentaise • Distillation process: • Heat wine until it boils • Purely condense its vapors • Reconvert this steam into liquid form again • 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

  7. 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 PyrénéesMountains • 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

  8. Armagnac • Official production areas divided into 3districts: • Bas-Armagnac • Grapes grow in acidic, argillaceous and stony ground • Iron rust colors parts of the soil • Armagnac-Ténarèze • Soil consists mainly of limestone, sand and clay • The Ténarèze distillate is considered to be the strongest-tasting Armagnac • Haut-Armagnac • Area is called "white Armagnac" because of the abundance of limestone • Vineyards are scattered like islands over the chalky clay hills

  9. Armagnac Process • 4 grapes commonly used: • Folle Blanche: light-to-medium-bodied wine low in alcohol (7%-9%), high in acidity • UgniBlanc: 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 • Colombard: aroma is slightly herbal and reminiscent of freshly mown hay • Bacco: full-bodied, with plenty of fat and volume • With age expresses jammydried plum notes • Different grapes = different aromas, flavors, and different weights and textures on the palate

  10. Armagnac Process • Use a single continuous distillation rather than double batch distillation • Distillation process: • Heat wine until it boils • Purely condense its vapors • 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

  11. 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

  12. Summary: Basic Differences • Grapes • Armagnac grapes split between Ugni Blanc, Folle Blanche, Colombard, and Bacco • Cognac grapes comprised of 98% UgniBlanc • 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

  13. Cognac & Armagnac France

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