Here are some fruits, leaves, flowers and branches....

The first expression of the aromas

Distilling the wines will reveal the first aromas of the eau de vie
All the expertise of the distillers is aimed at:

• concentrating the fragrances: 10 litters of wine will produce in the end 1 litter of eau de vie, so every aroma is also concentrated 10 times
• selecting the best and more promising fragrances; and avoid or eliminate the bad ones. It is not only a matter of separating hearts from the rest; the whole process must be precisely controlled (heat, speed etc…)
• preparing the texture of the future cognacs

This step is fundamental.

At this stage, all the compounds of wines that will evolve afterwards will be selected and concentrated...or taken out. It will be possible to produce great (or mediocre) Cognacs with good eaux de vie, but it is impossible to create excellent Cognacs if the eaux de vie are not exceptional, and it will also be impossible to elaborate good Cognacs if the eaux de vie show huge defects such as bad smells. Therefore, the distiller plays a key role in the chain of creation of Cognacs.

Towards styles: inside Cognac area, different conceptions of distillation

In addition, very happily for Cognac lovers, you will find here different conceptions of how distillation should be ideally run.

Every single distiller “bouilleur de cru” has his own "little secrets" that he applies to his own production. And the biggest Cognac merchants, the big houses, have each a very precise idea of what an eau de vie should be like, and they impose their specifications to the distillers.

Why ? Because each merchant wants to ensure the typicity, the distinctiveness of the “eaux de vie” that will be the basis of the “styles” of the house.

Consequence: the same distiller is able to produce with the same wines very different batches of spirits depending on the merchant who will purchase them.

I said “happily”, because of this “wide path” in distillation procedures, despite the fact that one single varietal of grapes is used for 98% of the wines, the distiller will be able to produce eaux de vies with really different characteristics, different aromas, textures, and aging potential. A diversity that makes the richness of Cognacs.

Believe me, the distillation process, if you look more closely, is a real brainteaser…but a lovely perfumed one, which is not the case with usual puzzles.

The steps « grape varieties » and « wine-making » are not here big factors of diversity, but distillation is definitely one!

Another important factor explains differences in the eaux de vie: the Crus..