Harvested by hand, these grapes are quickly fermented with the gentler, traditional plate press, as any bruising of the skin would give the eaux-de-vie acidic bitterness. By law, all Cognac must be distilled by midnight on March 31 of the year following the harvest. Distillation takes place on the Charentais still, with the eaux-de-vie distilled twice. The first pass is distilled in its entirety, with the resulting product called the brouillis (low wine, abv between 26 and 29% percent).
The brouillis is then redistilled, with the distiller keeping close watch on a mechanism called a hydrometer (along with relying on his own eyes and nose) to cut the distillate into three parts. The heads (the first part) are discarded, as are the tails (the third part) as they contain off-aromas. The only part the distiller is interested in is called the heart, now called the bon chauffe.
Why Remy Martin 1989?
In Cognac, 1989 had hot summer days, cool nights, and low rainfall – ideal conditions for a great cognac. The winemaker at the time, Georges Clot, recognized it would be a key vintage and prepared accordingly by aging the product in oak casks carved from wood taken from France’s stellar Limousine forest. Clot’s successors continued to check on the aging cognac, and in 2007, current cellar master Pierette Trichet recognized it was approaching its peak and authorized its release to the market.
Call your local wine store to secure a bottle of this delicious, historic Cognac, which will be released in September of 2008. It comes in a black frosted bottle with a re-sealable wooden cork.
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Article comments
1 - Ruvy
Marissa,
Since my heart attack, I have drunk a lot more wine, on the recommendation of my doctor. I enjoyed your article immensely - almost as much as I would a glass of good wine.
We have one bottle of fine wine in the house, a bottle of Hennessy's Fine Cognac that my father, may he rest in peace, bought in 1975. I'm saving that bad boy for when either one of our sons gets married, or we buy a house in Israel - or I see a check for $50,000 or more....
Nevertheless, reading your article was very interesting, as much of what applies to the cognac you reviewed will also apply to Hennessy's. And I suspect that the 33 year old Hennessy's will be one hell of an after dinner drink....
L'Haim!!
2 - marisa d'vari
Ruvy, thanks so much for your comment and so glad you are recovering so well. Looking forward to hearing how you enjoy the cognac you have been saving!
3 - Lou Novacheck
Two questions and a comment. Near the end of the article, you say, "Clot's successors continued to check on the aging cognac, and in 2007, currant cellar master Pierette Trichet recognized it was approaching its peak and authorized its release to the market." Is "currant cellar master" a new term to me, since I'm not familiar with it? Or is it simply a misspelled word, "current" rather than "currant," which is a fruit. And isn't Cognac a proper noun, always capitalized?
Don't mean to nitpick - sorry!
Secondly, you've got to try Camus Cognac. Not easy to find, but impossible to forget. The term 'nectar of the gods' had to have been coined after this Cognac.
4 - marisa d'vari
Lou, thank you for your comment and you are 100% right. The current cellar master recognized the Cognac was reaching its peak. Good suggestions about the Camus Cognac - look forward to trying it.