Named after a town in France, Cognac is actually a brandy. A brandy must be produced in a certain way in order to receive the name cognac. Ugni Blanc grapes, also known as Saint-Emilion grapes, are one of the specified grapes that need to be used in order to create this spirit. The most well-known cognacs in the United States are Hennessey, Remy Martin, Camus, Martell, and Courvoisier. Each one of these spirits comes in a variety of distillations: VS, VSOP, Vintages, XO (Extra Old), and more. An original cognac must be distilled twice in copper pots then aged in French oak barrels either from Limousin or Tronçais. Although they only need to be aged for two years, almost every spirit is aged longer than the required legal minimum. Since it is aged the same way as wine and whiskies in barrels, the spirit lacks the maximum flavor profile and must be blended to achieve its profile. To create the profile, a master taster, or maître de chai, “marries” different eau-di-vies (clear, colorless fruit brandy.) The brandies of different vintages and flavors are combined to create the perfect blend, allowing many vineyards in the Cognac region to sell their own creations. Some producers, like Guillon Painturaud and Moyet, only use eaux-de-vie of the same vintage to uphold a smoother, more pure flavoring of their spirit. All of our single bottles are 750ml unless stated otherwise in the description of the product. Please be sure to read it. In the case of a listed vintage not being available, we reserve the right to substitute with the next current vintage of the same price. Any order placed after 3PM (eastern time) will be processed the next business day. If you are looking for a specific product that is not listed on our website – have no fear! We will try our hardest to locate this product for you. We accept all large corporate orders. Each and every item is gift wrapped and sealed with a bow, and a personalized card can be attached as well. Feel free to ask about our combined shipping rates. For any questions, concerns, or ideas please contact a concierge team member at 1-888-272-0220 or through e-mail at info@pompeigiftbaskets.com.
