Cognac Taste

Cognac

SUMMER 2010

grill ’s tasting

2

COGNAC taste

What’s behind the glamour and allure of cognac?

A

triumph of geography, cognac has long had the reputation of being the finest of all spirits, an attitude that the French have worked assiduously to maintain. In part the glamour of cognac, especially in British eyes, was its long-standing illicit nature – in many ways it was the cocaine of the British aristocracy during frequent years of war with the French in the 17th century, when ‘Fine Brandy’ from France was illegal and unavailable, except for that provided by smugglers.

With the Cognac region’s close proximity to the Channel coast of England, it was the perfect high value product for smugglers who could easily make the short crossing to France and back over the period of a single night.

For the carriageset, cognac had the wonderfully wicked reputation of not only being illicit, but allowed the comfortable middle class a sense of danger and inclusion in the noble sport of beating the government out of excise taxes.

Cognac was not only dangerous, it was very fine – as fine as any spirit of the time. This was in part due to the particular

character of the Charentais vineyards where it was grown, and in part because the wealthy businessmen of the twin towns of Cognac and Jarnac had the wherewithal to double distil their raw wine into very fine, delicate flavoured brandies.

The poor nature of Charente vineyards yielded rather insipid white wine compared with the glorious vintages made by their southern neighbours in Bordeaux. While no drinker in their right mind would have a glass of Charente, rather than a glass of Bordeaux, the very thinness of Charente wine made it the perfect base for distilling, as the lighter the base wine, the finer the spirit. This is as true of whisky as it is of brandy.

Once established as a source of terrific brandies, cognac has subsequently been subjected to intensive research into the geography of brandy creation, which has resulted in a classification of the essential characters of brandies from particular areas, which are defined by the amount of chalk in the soil. The chalkiest is called Grande Champagne, which produces the

longest living, slowest maturing but most floral, fragrant and delicate of all cognacs.

Next is Petite Champagne, which is a slightly less fine version of Grande Champagne. Then there’s a blend of the two – including no less than 50 percent Grande Champagne – labelled Fine Champagne. The next classification is the Borderies, the brandies which age more quickly, and are in character half way between the fine, fragrant cognacs of Champagne, and the hearty, fruity brandies of the Bois (forest) which is divided up into Fins Bois, Bons Bois and Bois Communs, the last being the least typical of Cognac’s brandy growing areas.

When considering cognac, it is always finesse and detail that defines quality, which is inevitably a result of long ageing. This is reflected in the significantly higher prices paid for eau-de-vie from growers-distillers in the Champagne areas than from Bois growers. The simple truth is that cognac is brandy grown in chalk.

Many of the growers do their own distilling, selling finished young eau-de-vie to major companies. These do some of their own distilling, but primarily the job of the great cognac houses is to age and blend brandies to develop house styles. These are the cognacs that give brands their character, as can be seen in the following tasting notes.

COGNAC TASTES Delamain XO Pale & Dry Grande Champagne Double pot distilled Cognac – France 10 Stunning nose is delicate and complex, with very fine floral notes, touches of butterscotch and a mineral heart. Superb intensity and detail throughout the very fine, long, stylish palate with a silky texture and wonderful trailing subtleties. The epitome of cognac style.

Martell Cordon Bleu Double pot distilled Cognac – France 10 Dark with lashings of fruit and oak that are densely complex, generous, warm. Voluptuous palate is fine, toffee-ish, big and lush with juicy notes, hints of cocoa powder and impeccable finesse. A Sophia Loren beauty – a cognac on heat.

HENNESSY XO Double pot distilled Cognac – France 9 Big, sweet banana infused nose with lots of oak influence and well detailed vigour. Very complex and mellow, with a matching palate that has weight, density and momentum without losing any finesse. Fine spirit is very long, persistently oaky.

Rémy Martin XO Fine Champagne Double pot distilled Cognac – France 9 Fine, fragrant nose with some fruit hints and lovely traces of orange blossom. Palate is sweet with oak and nicely fluid through to a lingering

finish that is fine and light, with a strange whiff of cocoa powder.

Frapin XO Grande Champagne Double pot distilled Cognac – France 8 Big, powdery nose has hints of Victorian roses and some funky, fruitlike characters. It doesn’t smell like Grande Champagne, but has more gentle characters on the palate, where it is very round, subtle and soft with an extremely long finish that is unusual in its bright acidity.

Otard XO Gold Double pot distilled Cognac – France 8 Fat and fine on the nose with a distinct Jersey caramel character, with little wavelets of fruit. Palate has a wash of warm earth through it, and plenty of banana-like flavours, with a mellow, slightly chunky finish. A nice drink.

Hennessy VSOP Double pot distilled Cognac – France 8 Dark coloured, full, ripe nose has floral and fruit characters, high toned and vigorous. Palate is equally vigorous, flavoursome yet fine, with floral edges and an exuberant finish.

Rémy Martin VSOP Fine Champagne Double pot distilled Cognac – France 8 Mild, fine nose with a strong fruit influence and some florals. Slightly thick in character, giving it a weight to match its finesse. Palate is fine and almost gentle. A graceful, relatively simple cognac that is adorable drinking.

FRENCH LETTERS Those crazy acronyms on bottles of cognac have specific meanings.

Well, sometimes they do. These are as follows: VS Very Special, which in the inimitable French tradition of overstating everything, means The Worst. Must be at least 30 months old according to French law, and 36 months old for New Zealand regulations.

VSOP If you are frightfully British, this means Very Superior Old Pale, although fashion has deemed that pale is no longer a sign of quality, and more caramel is now added to appeal to Asian and American conceits. Minimum age of youngest brandies in the blend must be 54 months.

VO Very Old (in truth, not very, actually under five). Required to be 54 months old.

RÉSERVE Not seen often, must be a minimum of 54 months old.

XO Extra Old, and it usually is. By law these cognacs must be at least six and a half years old, the oldest age definition under French AOC regulations, but in reality most XO cognacs are significantly older than this.

NAPOLÉON is dead. The name means nothing on an ordinary brandy bottle, but it must be six and a half years old if it is cognac.

VIELLLE, VIEUX or other French words meaning old, must signify cognacs that are at least six and a half years old.