The separated brothers: a taste of the terroir (2/3)

Beyond the history, the true identity of a spirit that led Armagnac and Cognac on different paths, the terroir has also played a role in the differences that separate them today.

The terroir

You can make wine as well in Bordeaux as you can in Burgundy, but by no means is it sensible to venture at comparing them, as they are singular and representative of their region.

In the same way, you can make wine eau-de-vie in Armagnac and in Cognac.  And, in the same way, each one carries the mark of a singular identity, fruit of a terroir and a climate that is specific to them.

As such, it is certainly the terroir that in the first place differentiates the two eaux-de-vie: Armagnac and Cognac are above all two very distinct appellations.

The more that the mileage increases between two regions, the more the climatic gap widens.  To connect the Gers of the Armagnac producers to the Charente of the Cognac producers, you must travel two hundred kilometres.  Although it is not huge on the scale of the map of France, the arising differences are considerable.  At the end of such a journey, the sandy soils of Armagnac are substituted by the chalky soils that the Charente winegrowers covert.

The grape

The grape varieties are slightly different.  Ugni Blanc, reputed for its capacity to produce lower alcohol and acidic wines that are more adapted to passing through the alambic, reign in both regions, only the proportions granted to it vary.

In Cognac, where the vines are 98% Ugni Blanc, the final eau-de-vie obtained must contain at least 90% of the distillates from this grape variety solely (against 10% at most for the distillation obtained from the few other varieties authorised).

In Armagnac, 55% of the surface area declared for the production of Armagnac is planted with Ugni Blanc, with 35% planted to Baco 22A and completed with a few other varieties such as Folle Blanche and indeed Colombard.

Differences that have a direct influence on the taste of the eau-de-vie and definitely the strength of the terroir: the producer of personality.  Armagnac and Cognac do not have the same.