We took a side trip with Jacqueline and Sonja to Cognac to visit the Hennessy distiller. Cognac is made from grapes grow in the area around the city of Cognac. Hennessy, being the largest producer of Cognac and one of the oldest controls many of the vineyards close to the city, which they say produce the best grapes for their brandy.
The tour at Hennessy was informative, but a bit too staged for me. At 9.50€ per person, it is not a cheap thing to do.
Cognac is made by double distilling the wine from grapes grown in the Cognac region. To be called Cognac, the distillation must be done before the end of March and must be done in a traditional three stage still. The result is a clear liquid with a fruity, flowery aroma that the French call "l'eau de vie" or "the water of life". The liquid is then stored in a cask made with French oak for at least 2 years. These cask all come from a single producer at a cost of about 700€ per.
Each barrel is carefully labeled with the year, the vineyard, name of the distiller, and the volume. As they as stored, a certain amount of the alcohol evaporates. The French calls this the angel's portion. It is also the reason that the storage building, and all the building in Cognac appear black. There is a black fungus that feeds on the evaporate and colors the buildings.
Each barrel is checked annually to determine it's quality, decide if adjustments need to be made in the aging, or if it is ready for one of Hennessy's products. Possible adjustments would include a drier or more humid warehouse, putting the vintage in a new cask, or deciding that it cannot get any better. The the latter case, the vintage is placed in a wicker-covered, glass bottle which stops the aging process. Note that the cask in the first picture here is from the 1898 vintage and is still being aged.
Hennessy's products are all blends. VS is made from 4-5 vintages, each 2-5 years old. VSOP is made from 10-15 vintages 5-10 years old. XO is made from 100 vintages from 6 to 100 years old.
Cognac in a sealed bottle does not age. So a sealed 40 year old bottle of Cognac tastes the same as when it was bottled. However, once opened, deterioration begins.
Below is a link to my photo album from Cognac.
Each barrel is carefully labeled with the year, the vineyard, name of the distiller, and the volume. As they as stored, a certain amount of the alcohol evaporates. The French calls this the angel's portion. It is also the reason that the storage building, and all the building in Cognac appear black. There is a black fungus that feeds on the evaporate and colors the buildings. 
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