Madeira, Armagnac, & Cognac
Oh my, what a month this was! Talk about learning.
Let's start with Madeira. This comes from Portugal. This was the Founding Fathers' drink of choice. There was no wine more prestigious at the founding of our nation than Madeira. My how far we have come!
Madeira only comes from the island of Madeira. The name means "island of the woods" and the island is geographically part of Africa but it is an archipelago of Portugal. They take their wine VERY seriously here!
Madeira is 17-20% alcohol by volume. This is a fortified wine. Clear brandy is added to the fermented grapes. It must be aged in HEAT! It is the heat that causes the toffee-caramel character of the wine. When I say heat, I mean 105 degrees F for 3-6 months for most Madeira. This aging is done in a cask or a vat. The very best Madeira and the smallest amount yearly (3%) is still aged naturally in the attics of the warehouses for 20 years or more. After that, it is carefully cooled and allowed to rest for a year to recover from the shock and then it is aged again, usually in American Oak. This is the BIG money Madeira. If you have a bottle, call me, I will help you drink it.
There are 4 styles of Madeira. Their names are the names of the grapes used, this is also called the "Noble."
Sercial - driest of all. Grown in the coolest vineyards at the highest altitudes on the island.
Verdelho - medium dry. A more full bodied wine than Sercial. Grown a little further down on the mountain side.
Bual - medium rich. Warm growing area which concentrates the sweet richness (NOT SWEET WINE). This is the favorite of England because it is lighter than Malmsey & Port.
Malmsey - richest, sweetest style. Grown in the warmest locations on the island and usually the south side. This makes the grapes super ripe and gives them an astonishing richness.
Levels of Madeira:
Bulk - BLEH - don't buy and don't try it!
3 year - 3 years of aging AFTER heat. The Rainwater style is here. This style was created accidentally in the Mid 18th century when rainwater seeped into the casks on the beach while they were waiting overnight to be loaded onto the boats.
5 year - Reserve - blend of years, the YOUNGEST year is on the label. If labeled "Noble," 85% of the wine must be from that grape.
10 year - Special Reserve - see above
15 years - Extra Special Reserve - see above, above
Solera - no longer made, but bottles still exist - you will pay $$$$$ for it, but it is supposedly extremely worth every cent. If you are interested, here is one nearby.
Vintage - the ultimate in Madeira - single year vintage - aged 20 years AFTER heat!!! (call me, I will help you with it).
We tasted a Cossart Gordon 10 year Bual Madeira. It cost $39.99. It was LOVELY! No spitting or dumping of this one. Yum, yum, yum! We tried it with an amazing flourless chocolate cake.
ARMAGNAC
Armagnac comes from the Southwest of France. It is right next to Cognac. Think of it as the red-headed step child of the Cognac family. It shouldn't be though as it has the longest history of all French brandy. It was first made in the 15th century and used for medicinal purposes. Let's define that.
"It was used to create a sense of well being, relieve toothaches, diminish mental anguish, and promote courage."
Because Armagnac had no navigable river, the brandy did not spread. In the mid 19th century, a canal was finally built to connect Armagnac and Bordeaux and the brandy began to gain in popularity.
86,500 acres of grapes devoted to Armagnac. These are divided into 3 districts.
Bas Armagnac produces most of the wine for distillation (60%), but most of the best Armagnac comes from here.
Tenareze - produces floral and lively wine for distillation (40%)
Haut Armagnac - mostly just wine now
The best Armagnac is more rustic, robust, fragrant, & full bodied than the top cognacs.
Cognac is mostly Ugni blanc grapes (I call it "ugly" blanc). Armagnac only uses 55%, at the most, of this grape. The rest is from folle blanc, colombard, and baco blanc.
Folle Blanc - gives elegant fruit & floral notes
Colombard - gives herbal notes
Baco Blanc, aka Baco 22A, - gives fullness & character
The french are VERY picky about their grapes and their wines and french law forbids hybrids! Because of this, Baco Blanc was to be banished from the country! Fortunately, after heavy petitioning of the government, this hybrid (old hybrid) is now legal in France.
Armagnac is made through a single distillation whereas cognac is made through a double distillation process. Bottles are labeled by the youngest year in the bottle.
VS - very superior
VSOP - very superior old pale
XO - extra old
NOTA BENE: Do NOT jam your nose in the tulip glass to smell this stuff! You will get a nose full of alcohol burn. Dip your finger into your glass and rub the liquid on the back of your hand. Allow the alcohol to evaporate for about a minute and then smell your hand. This stuff smells amazing on your hand! I definitely picked up notes of pipe tobacco or a freshly opened, good cigar.
We tried Chateau de Laubade (one of the oldest houses for Armagnac) VSOP (5 year old). It cost $39.99 at Total Wine in Laurel, MD.
We compared the armagnac to cognac. The Courvoisier VSOP was better than the armagnac, but neither was really popular. The Madeira was the drink of choice for the night!
Cheers,
Kitti
Madeira only comes from the island of Madeira. The name means "island of the woods" and the island is geographically part of Africa but it is an archipelago of Portugal. They take their wine VERY seriously here!
Madeira is 17-20% alcohol by volume. This is a fortified wine. Clear brandy is added to the fermented grapes. It must be aged in HEAT! It is the heat that causes the toffee-caramel character of the wine. When I say heat, I mean 105 degrees F for 3-6 months for most Madeira. This aging is done in a cask or a vat. The very best Madeira and the smallest amount yearly (3%) is still aged naturally in the attics of the warehouses for 20 years or more. After that, it is carefully cooled and allowed to rest for a year to recover from the shock and then it is aged again, usually in American Oak. This is the BIG money Madeira. If you have a bottle, call me, I will help you drink it.
There are 4 styles of Madeira. Their names are the names of the grapes used, this is also called the "Noble."
Sercial - driest of all. Grown in the coolest vineyards at the highest altitudes on the island.
Verdelho - medium dry. A more full bodied wine than Sercial. Grown a little further down on the mountain side.
Bual - medium rich. Warm growing area which concentrates the sweet richness (NOT SWEET WINE). This is the favorite of England because it is lighter than Malmsey & Port.
Malmsey - richest, sweetest style. Grown in the warmest locations on the island and usually the south side. This makes the grapes super ripe and gives them an astonishing richness.
Levels of Madeira:
Bulk - BLEH - don't buy and don't try it!
3 year - 3 years of aging AFTER heat. The Rainwater style is here. This style was created accidentally in the Mid 18th century when rainwater seeped into the casks on the beach while they were waiting overnight to be loaded onto the boats.
5 year - Reserve - blend of years, the YOUNGEST year is on the label. If labeled "Noble," 85% of the wine must be from that grape.
10 year - Special Reserve - see above
15 years - Extra Special Reserve - see above, above
Solera - no longer made, but bottles still exist - you will pay $$$$$ for it, but it is supposedly extremely worth every cent. If you are interested, here is one nearby.
Vintage - the ultimate in Madeira - single year vintage - aged 20 years AFTER heat!!! (call me, I will help you with it).
We tasted a Cossart Gordon 10 year Bual Madeira. It cost $39.99. It was LOVELY! No spitting or dumping of this one. Yum, yum, yum! We tried it with an amazing flourless chocolate cake.
ARMAGNAC
Armagnac comes from the Southwest of France. It is right next to Cognac. Think of it as the red-headed step child of the Cognac family. It shouldn't be though as it has the longest history of all French brandy. It was first made in the 15th century and used for medicinal purposes. Let's define that.
"It was used to create a sense of well being, relieve toothaches, diminish mental anguish, and promote courage."
Because Armagnac had no navigable river, the brandy did not spread. In the mid 19th century, a canal was finally built to connect Armagnac and Bordeaux and the brandy began to gain in popularity.
86,500 acres of grapes devoted to Armagnac. These are divided into 3 districts.
Bas Armagnac produces most of the wine for distillation (60%), but most of the best Armagnac comes from here.
Tenareze - produces floral and lively wine for distillation (40%)
Haut Armagnac - mostly just wine now
The best Armagnac is more rustic, robust, fragrant, & full bodied than the top cognacs.
Cognac is mostly Ugni blanc grapes (I call it "ugly" blanc). Armagnac only uses 55%, at the most, of this grape. The rest is from folle blanc, colombard, and baco blanc.
Folle Blanc - gives elegant fruit & floral notes
Colombard - gives herbal notes
Baco Blanc, aka Baco 22A, - gives fullness & character
The french are VERY picky about their grapes and their wines and french law forbids hybrids! Because of this, Baco Blanc was to be banished from the country! Fortunately, after heavy petitioning of the government, this hybrid (old hybrid) is now legal in France.
Armagnac is made through a single distillation whereas cognac is made through a double distillation process. Bottles are labeled by the youngest year in the bottle.
VS - very superior
VSOP - very superior old pale
XO - extra old
NOTA BENE: Do NOT jam your nose in the tulip glass to smell this stuff! You will get a nose full of alcohol burn. Dip your finger into your glass and rub the liquid on the back of your hand. Allow the alcohol to evaporate for about a minute and then smell your hand. This stuff smells amazing on your hand! I definitely picked up notes of pipe tobacco or a freshly opened, good cigar.
We tried Chateau de Laubade (one of the oldest houses for Armagnac) VSOP (5 year old). It cost $39.99 at Total Wine in Laurel, MD.
We compared the armagnac to cognac. The Courvoisier VSOP was better than the armagnac, but neither was really popular. The Madeira was the drink of choice for the night!
Cheers,
Kitti
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