Production

 

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The vine has being planted with gaps of 3 meters, so at most to open it for the sun. The harvest is gathered once a year – in the beginning of October manually or in a machine way. Gathered grapes is immediately pressed in traditional plain horizontal presses. Obtained juice is left for fermentation, without adding sugar. After three weeks, already young dry wine (about 8% of alcohol) is being transferred for distillation, where it passes two stages of boiling, in result of which appears the cognac alcohol.

The first distillation is made already in the next after gathering harvest year, but certainly before 31st march. Both first and second distillation takes place in a special distillation device, so called "sharantskiy" still. Traditionally it is made of copper, because this metal is steady for the tartaric acids influence. The initial distillate, called "heads"(tetes), and final "tail"(guenes) are not used and they being poured out, because they contain many undesirable aroma substances. The second distillation requires peculiar carefulness and skills. It is called "bon-shoffe" (bonne chaaffe), which means "kind heating". During 12 hours, slowly and carefully they again distillate the crude alcohol. As well as in the period of first distillation, remains only the "heart". Only this alcoholic solution with proof from 69 to 72 degrees will be aged in future.

Next important stage is the ripening of the cognac. Ripening in the barrels — is the decisive factor for the drink development. The company «Alef-Vinal» traditionally uses the oak barrels, made without glue and nails, from the relic oak, which has a void structure. Just because of its porosity the oak gives the alcohol more than 500 components, which influence greatly on the color and the bouquet of the drink, enriching and developing it. Minimum after 3 years there takes place a real metamorphosis — develops the bouquet... The cognac alcohol becomes softer, velvety and complete. Appears plenty of flower and fruit tinges, as well as the sweetish vanilla tone. The longer alcohol is being aged on the oak, the deeper many-sided and interesting is its taste and aroma. In process of storing the drink exhales with a speed of 2-4% per year, and also looses proof up to 40 degrees. The masters call this the «part of angels». It goes to the sky, leaving the dark track on the walls and roofs of the storage. The longer is alcohol being aged, the higher share is due to «celestials» and the more elegant is the cognac "Jan-Jacque ". «Part of angels» – is the price of the divine taste of the residuary cognac. At last, when, by the expert-tasters’ opinion, the alcohol is "ripen", there begins the most difficult process - blending, that is the mixing of cognac alcohols of different age, different harvests, as the one separate vine harvest can’t give the cognac the plenty of gustatory and aroma qualities. At first they usually mix the cognacs of approximately same age, from one to three years. This type is called "first mark"(coupe premiere). Then comes the stage of blending the cognacs of different ages "mother cup"(coupe mere) and, at last, the final stage (coupe finale) – final mixing to give the drink intended characteristics. This is how appears the noble drink - cognac "Jan-Jacque ".