"Slightly woody nose with autumn fruits. Unctuous and velvety, releasing delicious exotic notes such as cinnamon, ginger and liquorice. Very long, complex and balanced eau-de-vie.
In 1860, the family of Raymond Ragnaud owned a small vineyard in the Grande Champagne, the most sought-after area of the quality of its eaux-de-vie which were particularly suited for ageing, planted only with Ugni-blanc and Folle blanche grapes, the best varieties of the Charente vineyards.
For the last 30 years, Françoise Ragnaud-Bricq, has remained faithful to her roots and carried on the tradition by supervising the grape harvest with meticulousness and great experience. She works hand in hand with the cellar-master to produce eaux-de-vie by distilling only wine harvested in her own vineyards.
Distilling takes place in two stages in two copper pot stills with a capacity of 16 hectolitres. The first distillation is called "Le brouillis", with an alcohol content of 24° to 32 ° depending on the wine being distilled, which is then distilled a second time to produce the "bonne chauffe" where only the "coeur" (the heart) is retained, with an alcohol content of 70°, producing a crystal-clear pure eau-de-vie.
This nectar remains in our aging cellars for about a year, stocked in a new oak casks from the Limousin area, before being transferred to older casks to avoid excessive tannin. The eaux-de-vie undergo many changes during this long period in the casks : the volume and the alcohol content are reduced, the colour and the bouquet are transformed to become "cognac". Once they reach maturity, these "eaux-de-vie" are "awakened" after several years to be blended to produce a harmonious, subtle cognac which is both full-bodied and mellow." - Raymond Ragnaud
