Cognac, Armagnac, and Calvados Flashcards
98% of Cognac is made from what grape?
ugni blanc
Rouge Duret and Rambault are types of what?
apples used in Calvados production
What is the premier region of Calvados production?
Calvados Pays d’Auge AOC
What is the 2nd distillation in cognac called?
Bonne Chauffe
What is the climate in Cognac?
maritime
What river influences the Cognac region?
Charentes river
What are cellars called in the Cognac region?
Chais
What is the soil type in both Grande Champagne and Petite Champagne?
chalk
What are the 6 regions of Cognac in descending quality?
- Grande Champagne
- Petite Champagne
- Borderies
- Fins Bois
- Bons Bois
- Bois Ordinaire
What does the label term ‘Fine Champagne’ mean in Cognac
Blend of min 50% Grande Champagne and the remainder made up of Petite Champagne
Why did ugni blanc become the dominant grape in Cognac?
the other popular grape, folle blanche became compact and prone to rot when grafted onto american rootstock, which was necessary after phylloxera struck
What are the “Big 4” Cognac brands?
- Hennessy
- Martell
- Remy Martin
- Courvoisier
Who produces XO Cordon Bleu?
Martell
What firm is the largest landholder in Borderies?
Camus
What cognac brand uses their still in the off-season to produce Citadelle gin?
Pierre Ferand
What style of cognac does Delamain focus on?
XO Cognac matured in oak cask from Grande Champagne
Who owns Courvoisier?
Beam Suntory
Ugni blanc is known in Italy as what grape?
trebbiano toscano
What is the optimum vine age in Cognac?
20-30 years
- older vines produce fewer grapes, leading to an increase in potential alcohol (not suited to cognac)
What is the most common training method in cognac?
double guyot (good for mechanization)
Why is SO2 not used in cognac fermentation?
- so2 encourages yeast to produce acetaldehydes, which are not pleasant in a distillate
Define premiere chauffe
- the first distillation in cognac
- turns the base wine into brouillis
Define bonne chauffe
- the second distillation in cognac
- turns the brouillis into young, unaged cognac
Chaudiere d’eau-de-vie is an alternate name for what?
alembic Charentais still
What is the difference between a bouilleur de cru and a bouilleur de profession?
BdC - grower distiller
BdP - purchases wine to distill
Why are Cognac still made from copper?
- excellent heat conductor
- not easily damaged by fire or acidic substances
- fixes fatty acids, resulting in a hazy solid that can be filtered out
- reacts with undesirable sulfur compounds so they don’t end up in final product
What is the abv range for brouillis?
26-32%
What are the cuts of distillation in Cognac?
tetes - first portion coming out of distillation, full of impurities, set aside
coeur - heart of the distillation, most desirable
secondes - second cut in distillation, contains valuable alcohol, usually re-distilled
queues - tails, final liquid to come from distillation, little alcohol and not desirable flavors, usually discarded
Describe Troncais oak
- sessile (stalk-less) acorns
- very fine grained (1mm)
- tannins not as easily extracted
- wood, coconut, clove aroams
Describe Limousin oak
- pedunculate (stalked) acorns
- wider grain (4mm)
- allows more air flow and more tannin extraction
- less suitable for cheaper cognacs (absorb too much tannin too quickly)
What is the most common barrel size in Cognac?
350 L
What is a bonbonne?
25 liter glass jars used in Cognac
- used for very old or precious cognac
- stops the aging process
Define boise
mixture of boiled oak chips into a syrup that creates the impression of longer aging
What are the permitted grapes in Cognac production?
- colombard
- folle blanche
- montils
- semillon
- ugni blanc
- max 10% folignan (folle blanche X ugni blanc)
What are the age indications used in Cognac labeling?
2 years
VS , *** , Sélection, De Luxe, Millésime
3 years
Supérieur, Cuvée Supérieure, Qualité Supérieure
4 years
VSOP, Réserve, Vieux, Rare, Royal
5 years
Vieille Réserve, Réserve Rare, Réserve Royale
6 years
Napoléon, Très Vieille Réserve, Très Vieux, Héritage, Très Rare , Excellence , Suprême
10 years
XO, Hors d’âge, Ancestral
14 years
XXO
If a geographic subzone is stated on a cognac label, what percentage of grapes must come from that subzone?
100%
What is the soil type of Fins Bois?
red limestone/clay
What is the soil type of Bons Bois and Bois Ordinaires?
sand
At the end of distillation, the abv of cognac must not be higher than what?
73.7%
What is Esprit de Cognac AOC?
- product of a 3rd distillation in cognac
- 80-85% abv
- used only in sparkling wine production (dosage)
- rarely seen
What are the 3 subzones of Armagnac?
- Haut Armagnac
- Bas Armagnac
- Armangnac Tenareze
What is the min abv in Armagnac?
40%
What types of still are allowed in armagnac production?
- pot still
- continuous still
What are the age indications in Armagnac?
VS - 1 to 3 years
VSOP, Napoleon - min 4 years
XO - min 10 years
Hors d’Age - min 10 years
XO Premium - min 20 years
What are the primary grapes used in Armagnac production?
- ugni blanc
- colombard
- folle blanche
- paco blanc
What percentage of armagnac is distilled only once (continuous still)?
95%
What is Blanche Armagnac?
armagnanc bottled after 3 months in an inert container
Are vintage bottlings more common in Cognac or Armagnac?
Armagnac
- preference of producers to highlight variation as opposed to maintain house style
How long must vintage Armagnac age in cask before release?
10 years
What percentage of calvados apples in an orchard must be local varieties?
20%
What percentage of Calvados orchards must be bitter varieties?
min 70%
(max 15% acidic varieties)
What types of still are allowed in Calvados distillation?
- copper continuous
- copper pot
What are the age indications for Calvados AOP?
min 2 years - Fine, Trois Etoiles, Trois Pommes, VS
min 3 years - Vieux, Reserve
min 4 years - VO, VSOP, Vielle Reserve
min 6 years - Hors d’Age, XO, Tres Vielles Reserve, Tres Vieux, Extra, Napoleon
What does Produit Fermier indicate on a Calvados label?
estate grown and fermented fruit
What is haut tige vs basse tige?
haut tige - apple trees with branches at least 1.6 meters above the ground
basse tige - branches lower than 1.6 m above the ground
What is the min abv in Calvados AOP?
40%
What is the encepagement for Calvados Domfrontais AOP?
- orchards must contain min 15% pear trees (25% from 2016)
- cider for Domfrontais must be min 30% perry
What type of still is required in Calvados Domfrontais AOP?
continuous reflux column still
What are the aging requirements for Calvados Domfrontais AOP?
min 3 years of age in oak cask from date of distillation
- Vieux/reserve 3 yrs
- VO/ VSOP 4 years
- XO/Hors d’Age/Napoleon/Extra/Tres Vieux 6 yrs
What is the max percentage of perry allowed in Calvados Pays d’Auge AOP?
max 30%
What type of still is allowed in Calvados Pays d’Auge?
double distillation in copper pot still
What are the 3 AOPs of Calvados?
- Calvados AOP
- Calvados Domfrontais AOP
- Calvados Pays d’Auge AOP
What are the only two hybrid grapes allowed in a French AOP and what are the corresponding AOPs?
baco blanc - Armagnac
voltis - Champagne
St Emilion is an alias for what grape?
ugni blanc
List 2 Calvados producers
- Le Morton (also makes Domfrontais)
- Dupont
- Adrien Camut
- Domaine du Coquerel
- Eric Bordelet
