Cognac Borderies is Cognac made in the traditional way – and under the production conditions of the Cognac appellation – from grapes grown in the Borderies cru. The Cognac vineyards are classified into six crus (delimited growing areas), which radiate unevenly from the eponymous town itself. Borderies is the smallest of these and its style of Cognac is perhaps the most distinctive.
The Borderies area is located north-west of Cognac town, divided by the river Antenne – a tributary of the Charente which forms the cru's southern boundary. In 2009, the total area qualifying for the Borderies title was 19,200 acres (7775ha). A remarkable 53% was planted with vines used for Cognac production, with the remainder being occupied mostly by small hamlets and narrow country lanes. This concentration of vines allows Borderies to produce more than twice as much Cognac as Bois Ordinaires, which is 20 times its size.
The Borderies terroir is characterized by a maritime climate, and chalky clay soils over limestone and sandstone bedrock. With the concept and importance of terroir being as important in Cognac as anywhere else in France, these soils are widely viewed as the reason behind the particular nutty style of Borderies Cognac. They were formed between 70 and 90 million years ago, when global sea levels were at their highest and the area was essentially the eastern corner of the Atlantic seabed. Millions upon millions of seashells were deposited during this time, then ground up over the millennia and compacted into the chalk and limestone which remain today. Such was the impact on local geology that two geological ages of this period (the Upper Cretaceous) have been named after local settlements to the west of Borderies. The Campanian age is named after the small village of Champagne (not to be confused with the nearby Champagne crus or the sparkling wine champagne), while the Santonian age takes its title from the town of Saintes.
Like all Cognac, that which is produced in Borderies is made mostly from Ugni Blanc, with certain quantities of Colombard and Folle Blanche. It has marked fruity, floral aromas and is famed for its balance of intensity and elegance. It takes many years to evolve into its finest form, typically requiring between 20 and 30 years. Cognac develops only in barrel, where it is free to interact with a limited, but all-important, supply of oxygen. It ceases to change and mature once it is bottled.
