Cognac Fins Bois is Cognac made in the traditional way – and under the production conditions of the Cognac appellation – from grapes grown in the Fins Bois cru. The Cognac vineyards are classified into six crus (delimited growing areas), which radiate unevenly from the eponymous town itself. Fins Bois is the largest and by far the most prolific of the six, producing three times more Cognac every year than its neighbor Bons Bois. As might be inferred from the title, it is considered to be relatively 'fine' – superior at least to the more 'ordinary' Bois Ordinaires.
The Fins Bois vineyards form a wide belt around Cognac, biased heavily towards the north-east, where it spans some 30 miles (50km). It reaches from Saint-Jean-d'Angely in the north-west to Villebois-Lavalette in the south - a distance of over 80 miles (130km). In 2009, the total area qualifying for the title was a vast 580,000 acres (235,000ha). About 15% of the land is planted with vines used for Cognac production, leading to an annual output which is double that of Petite Champagne.
The Fins Bois terroir is characterized by a maritime climate and a variety of soil types. These range from red, iron-rich, rocky soils through to heavy clay and patches of chalk and limestone. With the concept and importance of terroir being as important in Cognac as anywhere else in France, this is generally viewed as the reason for the style of the Fin Bois Cognacs. The finest examples come from the area around Jarnac, a town just a few miles east of Cognac itself. Here, the topography is gently undulating, with slopes made of the same chalky soils as those which characterize the two adjacent 'Champagnes'. It was, in fact, this terrain type which gave rise to the name Champagne – both here in Cognac and in the Champagne sparkling wine region 300 miles (280km) to the north. It originally meant 'open country' and carried connotations of idyllic, perhaps gently rolling, pastoral landscapes.
Like all Cognac, that which is produced in Fins Bois 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 is faster-maturing than Grande Champagne and will reach its peak typically within 15 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.
