Elaboration
ELABORATION
The elaboration of Menuet Cognac entails
a perennial pursuit of excellence by David C. Menuet, the custodian of
the craftsmanship that has been transferred through generations of his
family. The wine from his harvest is naturally conserved until il is
transformed into an eau-de-vie in the alembic built by André Menuet,
David’s
grandfather. Over the years David C. Menuet has perfected the time-honored
skill of double distilling the wine from his juicy grapes and then ageing
his eau-de-vie in French oak casks until perfection.
DISTILLATION, THE CONCENTRATION OF AROMA…
Distillation concentrates
the best components of the wine; the principal elements that constitute
the aroma and bouquet of Cognac. During distillation, David watches over
the alembic night and day and by virtue of his experience and expertise
bestows his eaux-de-vie with all the elements that characterise the personality
of Menuet Cognac. David, carrying on the traditional method, distils his
wine with the “lees” (the grape sediment and yeast from fermentation)
thereby enhancing his Cognac’s aromatic composition.
At this stage of transformation the newborn eau-de-vie is at 70 per cent
alcohol. It still has a long time to mature before becoming Cognac; yet
the light fruity aroma and the hint of a flowery fragrance are hopeful
promises of a marvellous Menuet Grande Champagne Cognac.
AGEING... SHARING COGNAC WITH THE ANGELS...
At
the Menuet distillery, as the limpid eau-de-vie, the «heart» of
the distillation,
streams out of the serpentine coil in the cooling tank, it is initially
placed in small young 350 liter oak casks for one year. The size of the
cask is crucial, since it determines the extent to which the eau-de-vie
will be exposed to the wood: the smaller the cask, the woodier the Cognac.
After this first year, the eau-de-vie is stored in older oak casks for
as long as possible, sometimes, in the case of the finest MENUET COGNAC
for up to 50 years.
As it slumbers in the oak casks the Cognac is in permanent contact with
the air, thereby gradually losing some of its alcoholic strength and volume.
This natural evaporation is poetically known as «the Angel's Share» and
represents the equivalent of thousands of bottles per year disappearing
into thin air. Indeed, this is a very heavy price to pay, however such
perfection is priceless. Meanwhile, the Cognac that the Angels leave in
the cask extracts the oak's best substances giving it both its amber colour
and its final bouquet. Finally, the Menuet Estate cellars, where the oak
casks are stored are constructed on the rocky chalk of the Grande Champagne,
where the equilibrium between humidity and dryness creates
a mellow Cognac that ages harmoniously.
