Monthly Archives: March 2011

The geology of the cognac producing region is the single most important factor in the success of the famous drink. The spirits success rests solidly on chalk - a very special sort of chalk known as Campanian chalk, named after the Latin original of the word. This became known as Champagne and exists under most of the Grande Champagne area.

There are two other chalk varieties which are defined mainly by their porosity. Santonian, named after the general cognac region of Saintonge is found mainly to the south of Cognac. Cognacian chalk is found around the town of Cognac. The physical composition of the chalk is almost as important as the geological make-up. It should be friable and not too compacted, so that the vine roots can penetrate through to the underground streams.

Perhaps a confusing factor is that the boundaries were decided by administrators not geologists, so they include the clay bed of the Charente river and the banks of the Né to the south. Perhaps the biggest problem the Cognacais have, is the use of the word champagne, which was stolen by the wine makers 500 miles north east and who use it for the name of their fizzy wine, which also grows on chalk slopes similar to those around Cognac...

Brandyclassics's online store sells a wide selection of Grande Champagne cognacs, Petite Champagne Cognacs and a exclusive selection of Fine Champagne Cognacs. Cognacs from these crus include some of the most famous cognac houses such as A.E. Dor, Hine, Prunier, Raymond Ragnaud, A Hardy, as well as our own Hermitage cognac range.

Cognac Moyet 1842

Euthrope Moyet was a wine grower and collector of old brandies who set up his business making cognacs in St Sulpice in what is today known as the Borderies cru. These old bottles are hand made and the volumes vary, using our experience we estimate this one to be 90cl.

Cognac Paul Beau Hors d'Age Grande Champagne

The emphasis on ageing has worked well and this particularly fine 25 y.o.has developed a big complexity with aromas of orange peel, kumquats, guava, melon, dried nuts and much more. It's slightly higher strength of 43% enhances this cognac further.

Seguinot 10 y.o. VSOP Cognac

From the small commune near Segonzac called La Nérolle and in the very heart of the top cru. This VSOP cognac is dry with lots of floral tones and made on modern stills. A quality Grande Champagne cognac.

March 31^st is the official end of the cognac year when all distillation must cease. In practice distillation will probably have finished around Christmas, but on the 1^st April all cognacs become 'comtpe 0' - the official start of the cognacs long ageing process.

Cognacs put into barrels by 31^st March 2011 will become 1 year old on 31^st March 2012. This is the reason why people tend to express ages using the half year term. For example, three and a half when referring to the minimum ages of VSOP, or six and a half for XO. A cognac may have been put into the oak barrels in April, or in late March, a difference in maturation time of over 11 months! With the larger manufacturers using increasingly short maturation times, this "half year" can make a noticeable difference.

Some of the Hermitage cognacs made this year will be ready to drink in another fifty years. Hermitage cognacs are all aged naturally and that is why they are so good...

Professor Louis Ravaz was the young professor who established the Station Viticole in Cognac and did much to re-establish the new vines after the Phylloxera around 1890, his definition of the Charente terroir is usefully described thus:

“The same variety of grape can be grown anywhere and in the same way as in the Charente: distillation can be carried out anywhere else as at Cognac and in the same stills; the brandy can be stored in identical casks as those we employ in the region; it can be cared for as well or maybe even better. But the same combination of weather and terrain cannot be found anywhere else. As far as the soil is concerned, it is not enough that it should belong to the same geological formations, it must have the same physical and chemical composition, and no one has ever found such a duplicate. In addition the climate of the region must be identical to that of the Charente and that is almost inconceivable. There is therefore very little chance that all the elements which influence the nature of the product should be found together in any region apart from the Charente; and thus no other region can produce cognac”

He went on to say,

“All the trials which have been made all over the place to produce cognac with the same varieties and the Charentais methods have resulted only in failure”.

What he described then is still the case today...

Brandyclassics sell a number of cognacs from Houses in the Charente region, including a number of Pineaus and our very rare pre-phylloxera Sezerac de Forge Vintage 1805 cognac.

Cognac Sazerac de Forge Vintage 1805

This comes from an estate north of the Charente between Jarnac and Angouleme. The region was known for the qualities of the chalk enabling quality grapes to be grown. Sadly this house closed around the middle of the 20th century. These old bottles are hand made and the volumes vary, using our experience we estimate this one to be 90cl.

The Chateau de Beaulon 12 year old VSOP is a cognac of the  Fin Bois cru. Although the Fins Bois is the fourth cru, one should not conclude that it produces fourth grade cognacs. Indeed there is an area of Cognacian Chalk that passes through the south west corner of the region that extends through to the town of Cognac, and is responsible for some of the finest cognacs in Fins Bois. There has been a continuing argument that this particular area should be re-classified as Borderies or even Petite Champagne for the quality of its cognacs.

The Chateau de Beaulon 12 year old is a blended cognac with others of the same age. It possesses a fine neutrality of flavour, making it a superb beginners drink. It is neither sweet nor dry, it is not young but not hugely aged. It is not light in style or heavy. It is a well balanced and smooth brandy with few distinctive qualities and hugely easy to drink. If you have never tasted cognac before, this is the one to start with.

Our score: 7/10

Chateau de Beaulon 12 y.o. VSOP Cognac

Much more highly regarded than other VSOP brands, it is an ideal starter cognac for those learning about brandies. It comes with a delicate complexity and wonderful balance.

The Chancellor announced yesterday an increase in duty on all spirits, taking the level up to £25 a litre of pure alcohol. This equates to £7 a bottle at 40% alc. This means for an average bottle of cognac costing £30, more than £16.50 goes on duty and tax. And don’t forget that Vat is also charged on the total of the spirits value and the duty combined - in effect double taxing the consumer.

Under the new duty increase, Hermitage Cognacs will in future sadly have to cost more, adding nearly one pound to an average bottle of cognac. Brandyclassics still have some stocks of our Hermitage Cognacs available at the old level of duty, so please visit our online store add buy now before prices go up.

Cognac Hermitage 2000 Chez Richon Grande Champagne

Cognac Masters 2009 - Gold Award
Making cognacs suitable for drinking young is exceptionally difficult without the use of caramel and sugar syrup. The 2000 has succeeded where others have failed. Its style is consistent with others from Chez Richon with some pineapple, burnt almonds and mocha, a delight for such youthfulness.

The Ugni Blanc is the main grape variety planted in the Cognac region. More than 95% of all cognacs are made from this plain and rather tasteless variety, which was first planted after the Phylloxera around 1890.

The variety triumphed and was a huge success, producing weak acidic wines in large volumes. The grape is probably better known to winemakers, especially in Italy as the Trebbiano Toscano from the hills of the Emilia Romagna near Piacenza. It is now so widespread that, according to Jancis Robinson, it probably produces more wine than any other variety. In France it is the most widely planted vine, helped by more than 100,000 hectares devoted to it in the Charente.

Its popularity is in marked contrast to its qualities. These are summed up crisply and accurately by Jancis Robinson: Pale lemon, little nose, notably high acid, medium alcohol and body. It is a very characterless wine indeed. As a vine it’s twin virtues are the tenacity (it keeps its acid right up to late ripening) and of course it’s extraordinary high yields. These two qualities make it an ideal variety for providing a suitably neutral, suitably acid base wine for cognac. One last advantage is the grape bunch - its shape allows air to circulate thus minimising rot.

Most cognacs and armagnacs for sale on the Brandyclassics website contain additional information including the Viticulture, Grape Variety and Flavour about the bottle. Some typical products are shown below.

Baron de Sainte-Fauste 10 year old Bas Armagnac

This armagnac is unique to Brandyclassics and is superb value. It is soft and round and displays good dried fruit and sweet nut flavours. It is supplied in the traditional armagnac bottle.

Hermitage Réaux 30 y.o. Vintage Cognac

Cognac Masters 2010 - Gold Award
This vintage cognac is one of life's little finds. A beautifully smooth cognac that oozes toffee and chocolate flavours, all wrapped up with a hint of roasted walnuts. This is a cognac that will be impossible to put down and the only problem is making the bottle last.

Hermitage Segonzac 43 y.o. Grande Champagne Cognac

Cognac Masters 2011 - Masters Award
This Grande Champagne cognac is probably one of the finest cognacs we have ever tasted. It is produced by a firm in the centre of cognac who produce from three vineyards in the very best parts of the cru. This exceptional vintage cognac is exclusively only available through Brandyclassics.

It seems that the onward march of cognac is continuing. Despite the recession sales of cognac on a worldwide basis are only 5 million bottles short of the 2007 world record year. Indeed, volume sales were up 18% on the year to 153.1 million bottles, according to the Bureau National Interprofessionnel du Cognac (BNIC).

In value terms the increase was even more startling - with the value increasing 30% to €1.86 billion. It appears that the key driver was the Far East, where we have been seeing substantial increases over the last five years. Shipments to the region increased by 34% on 2009 to 50.9 million bottles. China lead the way with sales rising by 55% to 18.8 million bottles. Shipments to America increased by 7.5% to 49.2 million bottles, closing in on the 2007 record of in excess of 50 million bottles. European sales also increased in 2010, with an 11.7% increase to 46.7 million bottles. The UK is by far the biggest consumer of cognac in Europe with more than 23%.

Interestingly, the higher qualities cognacs provided most of the growth. For the first time the luxury qualities exceeded the regular qualities with sales of 54.5% and growing faster than the VS markets at 6%.

It seems that consumers are becoming more discerning in the cognac that they buy, which here at Brandyclassics we're very excited about. We don't sell generic supermarket VS, VSOP and XO brands, but concentrate on sourcing and supplying distinctive, unique marques for the cognac enthusiast.

Perhaps the name of Jean Fillioux is not quite in the same league as Delamain or Hine, but whatever one wants to believe they do have a history which can be associated with equally great esteem.

They were founded in 1880 by Honoré Fillioux, who had in the past blended cognacs for Hennessy, a tradition which has continued and which is still the case today. The firm is not large; they own about 20 hectares at La Pouyade at Juillac-le-Coq in Grande Champagne and is run today by Pascal Fillioux. His style is said to prefer well rounded blended cognacs which may include some additives, perhaps through his connections with the Hennessy style. The firm also distils cognacs from two other estates.

Pascal’s skills and experience however, strongly suggest that his families traditions have also been associated with those of ageing, and his knowledge and use of oak is one of the greatest accumulated by any cellar master. His knowledge of different oaks and their relationship on his cognacs is one that can only be created by generations of experience, gained from his family’s deep understanding of the ageing process, the effects of tannins and the formation of congeners in the barrels. Indeed, most of his cognacs are aged slightly longer in new oak than is average. But where dilution is required it is added at an early stage soon after distillation, which means that the effect of the cognac on the wood is less severe than those which are diluted at a later stage.

Whilst most of the Fillioux cognacs are blended, there are two exceptional single estate offerings. The eight year old La Pouyade is a masterpiece of distillation excellence at 42% and more recently a 1990 vintage has found its way onto his list, both exhibit a rare taste of what can really be achieved.

It is rare for us to get excited about a new armagnac but we feel rightly pleased with our new association with Eric Artiguelongue a notable cellar master in Arblade le Haut, Gers.

Brandyclassics have taken the exclusive distribution for these wonderful Clos des Saveurs armagnacs in the United Kingdom where we will be demonstrating the fine qualities and range of vintages which come from a number of different distillers in the Bas region. Not only are we impressed with the qualities of each individual vintage, but we were also able to bottle them in the traditional basquaise bottle, sealed with red wax. Presentation boxes are also available and a new oval label will provide an attractive but traditional presentation.

Perhaps the key feature of these delightful spirits is their competitive prices. In a world where vintages are increasing in price rapidly, they offer a level of stability over the next few years which other houses will find hard to compete with. This is the first new range of armagnac’s we have been able to offer for a number of years- they are  highly recommended and available now.

Brandyclassics's range of Clos des Saveurs Bas Armagnacs include some very rare 1900 and 1893 vintage Armagnacs, in addition to more recent vintages.

Clos des Saveurs 1893 Vintage Bas Armagnac

1893 is probably the oldest reliable armagnac, vintages before this are not as well made. This is a very good example of early armagnacs.

Clos des Saveurs 1990 Bas Armagnac

These fine armagnacs are collected by an old cellarmaster with vast experience and the quality is very high. The presentation is excellent and we are pleased that the firm use the traditional dark green basquaise bottles.

Clos des Saveurs 1965 Bas Armagnac

We were taken with both the colour of very deep gold and a cedar like taste. There is a long well balanced finish of mace and tobacco

Due to rapid expansion, Chateau de Beaulon opened a new cellar in August 2010.

It is difficult to understate the success of Chateau de Beaulon in the last two or three decades. The firm are distillers and the credentials of it’s owner Christian Thomas can only be matched by the superb cognacs he produces, mainly from the Ugni Blanc but also the Folle Blanche and Colombard grape varieties. The Thomas family have reigned supreme around St Dizant du Gua in the most westerly part of the cru for centuries but have only owned the Chateau since 1965.

Cognacs and Pineau have been made there for centuries, but it is only since the Thomas family have been the firms owners that real growth has taken place. Their well balanced cognacs have sold in many countries and a limited number of vintages have helped to swell the firms turnover, thus requiring greater warehousing and storage facilities.

The new warehouse is a truly beautiful state of the art building which bolsters the firms green credentials using gravitational force for storage and bottling. Soft lighting in the main section creates a defining influence of the quality produced from this fourth cru estate.

Brandyclassics sell a wide variety of Chateau de Beaulon cognacs and pineaus, a small selection of which are shown below.

Chateau de Beaulon 12 y.o. VSOP Cognac

Much more highly regarded than other VSOP brands, it is an ideal starter cognac for those learning about brandies. It comes with a delicate complexity and wonderful balance.

Chateau de Beaulon Vintage 1983

Still in wood and nearly 25 years old, floral tones with hazelnut and vanilla. Cognacs from this cru tend to mature quicker than those from the Champagnes.

Pineau des Charentes - White 5 yo

Excellent for making Pineau Royale, summer cocktail cooler. See the brandyclassics recipe for this refreshing summer drink so admired by ladies.