the sauce spotlight on courvoisier

7/30/2019 The Sauce Spotlight on Courvoisier

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Courvoisier

To the uninitiated Cognac can be quite a daunting and intimidating spirit. It is the most luxurious distilledspirit available, both in price and complexity, and the intricate traditional production methods can be a touchconfusing. It is easy to get a sneaking suspicion that the boilleurs, or distillers of the Cognac region, quite likethe mystique of their product. Let's disappoint them and uncover the mysteries of this most noble of spirits.

HistoryThe word brandy comes from the Dutch 'brandewn'meaning burnt wine - after the strong taste of thedistilled grapes. Brandy is made by distilling wines made from a fermented mash of fruit - the resultingproduct is often referred to as an 'eau-de-vie'. To be called cognac, the brandy must be made in the Cognacregion of France - which gives us the often uttered and very useful phrase 'all Cognac is brandy, but not allbrandy is Cognac.'

The Cognac region is on the western side of France, about 120km north ofthe city of Bordeaux and 500 odd km south of Paris. Although evidence ofwine production in the region dates back to the seventh century, it wasone of the last regions to distill it's wines into brandy. Due to it'snortherly location the region's grapes had always produced inferior winesbut their high acidity was to prove perfect for distillation.

The distillers in the region discovered that by distilling their brandy twiceand storing it for extended periods of time in oak barrels the quality oftheir product was a great deal higher. Normally brandy was drunk clear

and colourless but the oak aging lent it a golden hue and the resultantproduct was smooth and soft. The first written mention of Cognac asregional brandy dates back to 1638.

RegionalityIn 1909 Cognac was recognised as an Appellation of Origin and the strict laws as to how it must be producedand marketed were passed in 1938. Based on the variations in climate and soil, the Cognac producing regionwas broken into six sub-regions, which form very loose concentric circles around the town of Cognac. As a ruleof thumb, the finest regions have chalkier, finer soil and are closest to the centre of the region. In hierachialorder the regions are: Grande Champagne, Petite Champagne, Borderies, Fin Bois (fine woods), Bon Bois(good woods), and Bois Ordinaires (ordinary woods). The four major cognac houses - Courvoisier, RemyMartin, Hennessey and Martell use only grapes produced in the first four sub-regions and there is an

increasingly smaller vineyard area in Bon Bois and Bon Ordinaires.



Grape Varieties & DistillationThere are three types of grapes grown in Cognac - Ugni Blanc (known as Trebbiano in Italy and St. Emilion inFrance), Folle Blanche and Colombard. Today Ugni Blanc accounts for around 95% of the grapes grown in theregion as it has good resistance to pests and disease. The grapes are usually harvested early in the year which

ensures that they will produce wines with a high acid content and low alcohol (7-8%) - ideal for distillation.

The distillation of the fermented wine into Cognac isachieved by using an alembic, an onion shaped still thatwas introduced by perfume producing Moors around the10th century. After fermentation the wine is warmed andtransferred to the copper pot still where a firstdistillation of between eight to twelve hours produces'broullis' , a distillate of around 25-30% alcohol. Thesecond distillation, a critical process which can take anapprentice many years to perfect, produces the 'bonne

chauffe', a strong, clear distillate that under Appellationlaw is not permitted to be over 72% alcohol. This processmust be completed by March 31st of each year, while thewine is still young, fresh and full of fruit flavour.

MaturationThe oaks of the Troncais forest provide the wood thatwill be used in Courvoisier's Cognac. The trees areusually over a century old and release their tannins very

slowly which makes for a softer Cognac. The newlydistilled, clear bonne chaufe, around 70% alcohol, isplaced in barrels and over a long of period time -Cognac must be aged for a minimum two years - drawsflavour, colour and aroma from the cask. Cognac'cellars' are actually warehouses that are located aboveground, which lets the air circulate freely. As the spiritages, it is transferred into smaller and older casks,which help it pick up more of the subtle oak flavours.Once it has reached peak maturation (anywherebetween 35 and 75 years) the spirit is transferred to 50litre glass vessels (known as demijohns) to stop the eau-

de-vie taking on harsh, bitter and woody flavours from the oak.

BlendingThe final step of the process is the blending of the Cognac. The master blender must be capable of reproducing,year in year out, the individual flavours and aromas that make up a Cognac house's signature style. Being ableto define, by taste and smell, which years the grapes of a particular Cognac are grown is a no mean feat, and itcan take many years of dedicated practice to become and expert blender.

ClassificationCognac is classified according to it's age and the higher the quality of the Cognac, the higher the proportion ofGrande and Petite Champagne Cognacs.

V.S/Three Star: The most youthful and inexpensive blend of Cognac will have been aged a minimum twoyears in oak.



V.S.O.P/Reserve: Now predominately known as V.S.O.P. or Very Special Old Pale, this Cognac will be havespent a minimum four years in oak. The term originates from the early 19th century when George IV requesteda 'very superior old pale' cognac from the house of Henessey.

Napolon - Forever linked to the Cognac that Napolon had laid down for him by Courvoisier, they legallymust spend a minimum six years in oak. Often, as is with most older eau-de-vie, they will have spent muchlonger.

X.O. - These Extra Old Cognacs are legally required to be aged for a minimum six years but are often much

older - most have an average age of 15 - 20 years.

The House of CourvoisierAround 1804, Emmanuel Courvoisier started his Cognac business in the town of Jarnac. A chance meetingwith a Parisian wine and spirit merchant, Louis Gallois, led to the two men striking up a business arrangement.In 1811 Courvoisier and Gallois hosted a visit to Gallois' cellars by Napolon and a relationship betweenCourvoisier and Napolon I, II and III was born.

By 1869 this relationship would lead to Courvoisier being named 'Purveyor by special appointment to the courtof Napoleon III' which adorned Courvoiser bottles right throughout the 20th century

Courvoisier is the only one of the four big Cognac houses that doesnot have any vineyard holdings of it's own. Alongside this theproduction of eau-de-vie at Courvoisier is quite small so itsrelationships with hundreds of contracted growers and distillers areparamount to the success and consistency of its Cognac. The benefitof these relationships, some many generations old, is that there is ahugely diverse range of eau-de-vie from which it can blend it's finalproduct.

Cognac is a very sensory product, its complexity and broad palette offlavours and aromas can often be very difficult to distinguish. Theintroduction of the 'Le Nez de Courvoisier' experience provides

visitors with the aromas most reminiscent of Courvoisier Cognacs. You also get blindfolded and playedspecially commissioned music which serves to heighten the experience.

Courvoisier V.S.Generally aged for between four and seven years, Courvoiser VS is made primarily withgrapes from Fin Bois with a little Petite Champagne added. It has a gently floral aroma,with some vanilla, toffee and spiced fruit on the palate. A short, warm finish is classicV.S. (40% abv)

Courvoisier V.S.O.P.Blended from around 50% Grande Champagne and 50% Petite Champagne this VerySuperior Old Pale is aged around 6-10 years. Lots of gentle spice and christmas fruit on thenose, cocoa, nuts vanilla and raisins round out a very easy drinking Cognac. (40% abv)



Courvoisier Exclusif

A Cognac developed for mixing, this eau-de-vie also tastes superb neat. It is made from a rangeof eau-de-vie from the four top regions and puts a great touch on classic Cognac cocktails likethe Sazerac and Sidecar. On the nose floral ginger notes dominate, with lots of vanilla and oakleading to really long and distinguished finish. (40% abv

Courvoisier XO Imperial

30 year old Borderies eau-de-vie is blended with 15 - 30 year old GrandeChampagne and Petite Champagne Cognacs and the result is a heady

combination of cinnamon, chocolate, nutmeg and tobacco, creme brulee andcitrus zest finishing long and spicy. Encourages repeated visits - you'll alwaystaste something new. Starting to move into the upper price bracket now, butvery much worth it. (40% abv)

the sauce spotlight on courvoisier

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