Cognac Armagnac

Question 1

Major Cognac producers?

Answer 1

Hennessy, Rémy Martin, Tesseron, Paul Beau, Pierre Ferrand

Question 2

What are some Armanac producers?

Answer 2

Château de Briat 2000 17yr, Domaine D’Ognoas 2000 16yr, Larressingle VSOP, Château Laubade

Question 3

What department is Cognac in?

Answer 3

Charente maritime and Charente

Question 4

In descending order of quality, the six defined regions of production for Cognac are what?

Answer 4

Grande Champagne, Petite Champagne, Borderies, Fins Bois, Bons Bois, and Bois Ordinaires

Question 5

Grande Champagne and Petite Champagne have a high percentage of what?

Answer 5

Soft chalk and limestone

Question 6

What is the difference between Fins Bois and Bons Bois soils?

Answer 6

Fins Bois is groies (hard red limestone) and clay
Bons Bois is sand

Question 7

Wha is Cognac typically distilled from and its min alcohol content?

Answer 7

White grape Ugni Blanc with a base wine of 7-12% ABV and a min 40% ABV (no capitalization no sulfur in fermentation)

Question 8

Encépagement for Cognac?

Answer 8

Colombard, Folle Blanche, Montils, Sémillon, Ugni Blanc; plus a max. 10% Folignan (Folle Blanche x Ugni Blanc)

Question 9

What is the process for distilling Cognac?

Answer 9

-Base wines must be distilled twice in a copper Charentais pot still
-For distillation, the copper boiler must be heated over an open flame
-first distillation must not exceed a capacity of 140 hl, with a volume of base wine not exceeding 120 hl
-the bonne chauffe must not exceed a capacity of 30 hl, with a volume of spirit not exceeding 25 hl
-After the second distillation, the spirit must not contain more than 73.7% alcohol
-Distillation must be completed by March 31 of the year following harvest

Question 10

In Cognac, what is the first distillation called?

Answer 10

The first distillation produces a spirit of 28% to 32% ABV called the brouillis.

Question 11

Explain the process of the second distillation for Cognac?

Answer 11

The second distillation, “bonne chauffe”, is divided into several parts: the têtes (heads), coeur (heart), secondes (second cut), and queues (tails)

Question 12

For aging Cognac, where are the oak barrels sourced from?

Answer 12

Limousin and Tronçais forests

Question 13

List Cognacs aging requirements?

Answer 13

VS / *** / Sélection / VS / De Luxe / Very Special / Millésime: 2 years
Supérieur / Cuvée Supérieure / Qualité Supérieure: 3 years
V.S.O.P. / ‘Réserve / Vieux / Rare / Royal: 4 years
Vieille Réserve / Réserve Rare / Réserve Royale: 5 years
Napoléon / Très Vieille Réserve / Très Vieux / Héritage / Très Rare / ‘Excellence / ‘Suprême: 6 years
XO / Hors d’âge / Ancestral : 10 years
XXO: 14 years

Question 14

Cognac may be labeled Grand Champagne if what?

Answer 14

100% of the eau-de-vie originated in Grand Champagne

Question 15

Fine Champagne Cognac is distilled entirely from wines produced from where?

Answer 15

Grande Champagne and Petite Champagne regions, with Grande Champagne composing at least 50% of the blend.

Question 16

What are the departments of Armagnac?

Answer 16

Gers, Landes, Lot-et-Garonne

Question 17

When was Armagnac AOC established?

Answer 17

1936

Question 18

What are the sub zones of Armagnac AOC?

Answer 18

Haut Armagnac, Bas Armagnac, Armagnac-Ténarèze

Question 19

What is the encépagement for Armagnac?

Answer 19

Baco Blanc, Blanc Dame, Colombard, Folle Blanche, Graisse, Jurançon Blanc, Mauzac, Mauzac Rosé, Meslier Saint-François, Ugni Blanc

Question 20

How is Armagnac distilled?

Answer 20

Distillation may occur in either a continuous still (Alambic “armagnacais”) or the base wines may be double-distilled in a copper pot still

Question 21

For copper continuous still distillation, what are the procedures?

Answer 21

-Continuous stills may include 2 or 3 boilers, but may not exceed 40 hl capacity
-Spirit produced in the continuous still may not exceed 1.5 times the size of the boilers
-At the conclusion of the distillation, spirits must be between 52%-72% abv

Question 22

For pot still distillation, what are the procedures?

Answer 22

-The still used for the first distillation must not exceed a capacity of 140 hl (5% tolerance), with a volume of base wine not exceeding 120 hl
-The still used for the second distillation must not exceed a capacity of 30 hl (5% tolerance), with a volume of spirit not exceeding 25 hl
-At the conclusion of the second distillation, spirits must be between 65%-72% abv

Question 23

In Armagnac, what is added to the blend prior to bottling, to achieve the appropriate strength of spirit?

Answer 23

A mixture of distilled water and Armagnac (petites eaux)

Question 24

List Armagnac aging requirements?

Answer 24

VS / ***: 1-3 years old
VSOP: min 4 years old
Napoléon: min 6 years old
XO: min 10 years old
Hors d’Age: min. 10 years old
XO Premium: min. 20 years old
Vintage: vintage indicates year of harvest, Min of 10 years in oak