Cognac Grande Fine Champagne is Cognac made in the traditional way – and under the production conditions of the Cognac appellation – from grapes grown in the Grande Champagne cru. There are no legal stipulations separating Grande Fine Champagne from plain Grande Champagne, but since 1928 the term fine has been officially sanctioned for use with eaux-de-vie produced under France's controlled appellations. A large number of Cognac's best-known producers have embraced this, making full use of the marketing advantages of 'fine' to add prestige to their labeling. Some also blend Grande Fine Champagne and Petite Fine Champagne, with the resulting Cognac sold as Cognac Fine Champagne.
The Cognac vineyards are classified into six crus (delimited growing areas), which radiate unevenly from the eponymous town itself. Despite its name, Grande Champagne is actually smaller than neighboring Petite Champagne – less than half the size in fact – although it produces nearly as much Cognac every year. In 2009, the total area qualifying for the title was 60,500 acres (24,500 ha). A remarkable 56% of the land is planted with vines used for Cognac production, with much of the remainder being occupied by small hamlets and narrow country lanes. It also includes the substantial Cognac-Chateaubernard military airbase and fighter pilot training school, on the outskirts of Cognac town.
The Grande Champagne area is located to the south and south-east of Cognac town, sandwiched between the river Charente (which gives the Charentais its name) and its tributary, the river Ne. The famous village of Segonzac lies at the heart of this densely planted viticultural haven, encircled by largely uninterrupted vineyards for five miles (8 km) in every direction.
The Grande Champagne terroir is characterized by a maritime climate and chalky soils over limestone and sandstone bedrock. With the concept and importance of terroir being as important in Cognac as anywhere else in France, these white soils are widely viewed as the reason behind the finesse and elegance of Grande Fine Champagne Cognac. They were laid down about 70 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 the age has formally been named the 'Campanian', after Champagne – a village just to the north-west of Cognac (but, confusingly, not within either of the Champagne crus).
Like its counterparts, Cognac Grande Fine Champagne 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.
