Powerful or delicate, round or austere, floral or fruity…

Depending on the “Crus” from where the grapes originates and to the distillation methods, the fragrances of the new spirit remind you of fresh flowers ( from the subtleness of vine flower and linden to the more heavy scents of rose or violets), green fruits (such as apple and pear) grapes, red berries, vine shoots…

Grande Champagne eaux de vie are considered the finest. There nose is at the same time very "sharp" and very delicate.They smell like flowers, vine buds, linden, vine branches. Distilled without lees ( yeast cells remaining in the wines) they tend to be austere when they are young.Distilled with lees, they contain specific compounds, which are not pleasant at the beginning: on a young eau de vie, they give a soapy flavour, not exactly pleasant. But in older Grande Champagne spirits, the slow evolution in casks gives interesting flavours, such as pineapple or coconut, as well as richness, a fuller body. Therefore Grande Champagne spirits require a long ageing before becoming a Cognac or entering into a blend, but when they do, they bring very interesting scents and structure.

Petite Champagne eaux de vie are very similar to Grande Champagne ones, but they are less delicate...well, it depends on the exact zone.

Borderies are highly praised by some merchants, who appreciate their complexity, and their exuberance. Borderies show complex bouquets of fruits and flowers, they mix aromas that you would find in Champagnes as well as in Bois. But they are favoured also for their suppleness: they mature more rapidly than the Champagnes. Everybody in Cognac will tell you about the special smells of hazelnuts and violets that you can find in pure Borderies.

The Fins Bois bring very fruity notes: when you smell a nice young Fin Bois spirit, you cannot ignore that it was made from grapes. They are very appreciated by the merchants as a raw matter to make young Cognacs, because they do not need a long ageing to be pleasant; young Fin Bois are very round and supple. In a blend, they bring these qualities, as well as their aromas to the more floral Borderies and Champagnes. This Appellation is really under estimated: the area is so wide, that you can find excellent soils and very good spirits and Cognacs in Fins Bois. Some of them are delicious...and not only mixed with a tonic!

Bons Bois eaux de vie are even more fruity, supple and round, but their taste is less persistent than the other spirits

Bois Ordinaires are quite rare. These areas, which include the islands of Re and Oleron were not very popular historically, because of technical problems due to their location. They were considered as lacking elegance. Anyhow they have been recently promoted by a Cognac house as a "different type of Cognac"... with quite a success.