Moët Hennessy USA: Maturation

The spirit collected from this second distillation is matured in French oak casks for a minimum of two years, and normally much longer. During this maturation period, the spirit takes on a deeper color from the wood as well as some of the toasty, vanilla and coconut aromas contained in the wood. The spirit also loses some alcohol to evaporation during this period, and the resultant spirit is about 60% ABV. The part that evaporates is known as the angels share (la parte des anges).

Creating the blend

Aroma, balance, and complexity are the objectives of any cognac blend. The origin of the eaux de vie in the blend is important, but their age is also an important factor as well.

The most important factor in determining the quality of a cognac is the skill of blending, since the quality of the eaux de vie can is only important relative to the other eaux de vie in a given blend. This relative quality is a more important contributor to the final quality of the finished cognac than is the absolute quality of any one eaux de vie. Eaux de vie from different crus at different ages are needed to balance a specific blend, and strong eaux de vie impart their strength to lesser blends, while lesser elements can add complexity to even the finest eaux de vie.

Blending (as well as purchasing) are accomplished with the assistance and direction of the master blender. After the amount of cask aging appropriate to the grade of cognac desired, the EDV are pre-blended into larger batches, and the final blends are put back into cask for a period of final conditioning prior to bottling. This period is known as calage, and it represents roughly a half year for VS, a year for VSOP, two years for XO, and three years for Richard and Paradis. At the end of the maturation period, the spirit is broken down in steps with the addition of water, and caramel is added to some qualities.

Grading

Cognac is graded according to the length of time spent in cask. Three star or VS (Very Special) cognac is aged for 2 ½ years in cask, VSOP (Very Superior Old Pale) is aged for 4 years in cask, and XO (extremely old), Napoleon and hors d’age are all aged 6 years in cask.
This is the maximum amount of time regulated by law.

Regulation and the compte system

The production of cognac is regulated by the Bureau National Interprofessionnel du Cognac or BNIC. The age of most cognac is determined by a system of age certificates called comptes in French. When a cognac comes off the still it is classified as compte 00, until the end of the distilling season (i.e. March 31), when it becomes compte 0. When it has aged until April 1st of the next year, it becomes compte 1. Each year until compte 6 one year is added to the count.

Under exceptionally limited circumstances, a small amount of vintage-dated cognac can reach the market, as well as another type known as early landed. Early landed cognac was shipped in bond to England and stored underground. Because of the cooler, more humid conditions, this cognac ages much more slowly, develops less color, and takes on less of the oak aromas and flavors.