AN EXCEPTIONAL PRODUCT OF HISTORICAL VALUE !
The history is of wine that originated in the Cognac area is a long story! It started well before the era of Christianity, .......but let us simply begin in the 1st century !
At this time, the wine production of Gaul is starting to compete with Italian wines; the Roman Emperor Domitian prohibits the planting of vines and orders the uprooting of 50% of Mediterranean vineyards. This ban is only lifted in the 3rd century by the Roman emperor Probus who restores the opportunity to grow vines and to make wine to the Gauls; this was a great privilege.
THE RICH COMPLEXITY OF THE SOIL
Nowadays the complexity is frightening and everything is moving towards simplification; we speak about wines from vines, but a “Folle Blanche” or an “Ugni Blanc” vine will never give the same quality wine, depending on the region and the soil in which it grows and whether it is a dry or a temperate climate !
The soil of the Cognac region is the melding of a calcareous and varied soil under a microclimate; situated just close to where the continent meets the sea.
WINE BEFORE COGNAC
The entire vineyard of the Cognac Delimited Region, is made up of approximately 6 200 exploitations producing Charente white wine that is intended for distilling in order to produce mainly Cognac. The vine that is largely in the majority is the vine of Ugni Blanc. Certain older vines remain very insignificant such as the vines of “Folle Blanche” or “Colombard”.
FROM WINE TO SPIRITS, OR HOW TO DISTIL
Spirits are obtained by double distillation of white wines harvested in the area bounded by the “Label of Origin” (Appellation d’Origine).
When the fermentation is complete, the white wine must be distilled in order to turn it into wine spirits. It should not be forgotten that alcohol is a natural product obtained by the fermentation of sugar in the original form of fructose and glucose existing in fruit.
COGNAC MATURES IN OAK BARRELS
The Cognac will then age naturally in the oak barrels (the barrel is a Gallic invention).
The making of an oak barrel comes from an ancestral technique that was close to perfection.
When selecting the oak for making the barrels nothing is left to chance so that for many years the Cognac will benefit from the best of the wood.
THE KNOW-HOW OF THE “NORMANDIN-MERCIER” COGNAC
Since 1872 five generations have contributed to the elaboration of the prestigious Cognac “signé NORMANDIN-MERCIER”.
Coming from the best vineyards of “Grande” and “Petite” Champagne, our Cognacs are selected with the utmost stringency, and then matured in our traditional cellars near La Rochelle.