Fanny Fougerat

Fanny Fougerat is not the first in her family to make Cognac. Four previous generations would distil and then sell their eau-de-vie to the big houses like Martell or Remy Martin. But she was the first to step out on her own and do something different, founding her own brand with an aim to make Cognac that showcases the unique nature of each vineyard and harvest, how the temperature, the slopes, the soil, the climate, and all of those different factors come through in the wines – and then in the Cognac. Her terroir-led process focuses on making great wine as a priority and she never blends her spirit. She and her partner farm 30 HA of ugni blanc grapes, primarily in Borderies but also in Fin Bois. There’s lots of diversity in her vines: some are 90 years old, and some are three. The fermentation process takes five to six days, and the wine is double-distilled in a Charentais Alembic heated with direct fire. Fougerat says her system is to keep only what is interesting and that she distills on the lees when appropriate. Since the first bottling of a Cognac to be sold under the Fanny Fougerat brand name was launched in November of 2013, the brand has been slowly growing. Bartenders and sommeliers love this different side of Cognac. We do too.