Issue link: http://digital.copcomm.com/i/1013885
74 / the tasting panel / august 2018 people all over the regions of France who make vins de mistelles—like Armagnac's Floc de Gascogne or Champagne's Ratafia—though they aren't all that well-known in the United States," said Harden, adding that Pineau des Charentes is "the grand- daddy of them all." So while on its surface Pineau is a vin de liqueur aged in oak and bottled between 16–22% ABV, it's not quite as simple as all that. "I equate Pineau to bourbon in its strictness of rules and its specificity," Harden said. Like bourbon, Pineau's character is also deeply rooted in its place of origin: Made specifically with Cognac eau-de-vie, its production is confined to France's Cognac region and more specifically narrowed to the Charente and the Charente-Maritime areas, which encompass just 3,400 hectares of Cognac's approximate 80,000 hectares of vineyards. Pineau must be a 3-to-1 blend of grape must to Cognac eau-de-vie, and the juice and Cognac must be manufactured by the same wine estate, vineyard, and producer. As Harden says, "To be a Pineau producer, you must also be a Cognac producer." To meet the standards of the Pineau AOC, a Cognac eau-de-vie must age at least one year and have no less than 60% ABV. And although Cognac production allows for the addition of sugar, caramel, and boisé—a "tannin tea" or wood extract made from boiling oak chips that provides a stronger barrel taste and greater tannic pres- ence—Cognacs chosen for the produc- tion of Pineau must be free of additives. Harden explained that because of these rigorous rules, "Pineau derives all of its flavor directly from the grape, from the Cognac eau-de-vie, or from the time in barrel and the resulting interplay of wood-digested influence, 400-plus wood sugars, oxidation, and reductive concentration." Fresh from the Vine During the masterclass, Harden also thoroughly explored Pineau's grape- related parentage. The vin de liqueur can be made with both white and red grapes following a similar production process in which the fruit is harvested, macerated (for red and rosé Pineaus only), pressed, muted, brewed, aged, and blended before bottling. Pineaus Blanc can be made with any of the standard white Cognac varietals, including Ugni Blanc, Colombard, Montils, Folle Blanche, Sémillon, Cabernet Sauvignon, Merlot Blanc, Jurançon, Meslier-Saint-François, and Cabernet Franc, though Harden adds that "often Pineau, like many Cognacs, are made entirely from Ugni Blancs." Rouge and rosé Pineau, meanwhile, essentially feature Bordeaux varieties exclusively. "The Bordeaux and Cognac AOCs actually overlap, but if you grow Bordeaux varieties you aren't allowed to use them in AOC Cognacs," Harden explained. Producers can use these grapes in Pineau, however, so the red expressions are made from Cabernet, Merlot, and Malbec. The Cognac region is home to six crus—Grande Champagne, Petite Champagne, Borderies, Fins Bois, Bons Bois, and Bois Ordinaires—dis- tinguished by soil and topography. The Borderies region, for example, is highly prized for its underlying heavy clay deposits and the mellow and quick- maturing grapes it grows. Pineau is not permitted to use any cru distinction, but producers can still explic- itly state their location. "If you know your Cognac is Grande Champagne and your grapes are Grande Champagne, you can infer that your Pineau is also Grande Champagne," Harden said mischievously. "But that is an oddity of the system." Aging Gracefully Beyond their less formal classifica- tions of origin, Pineau are categorically subdivided based on age. "Anything aged below five years is simply dubbed Pineau des Charentes," Harden explained to masterclass attendees. "Beyond five years is Vieux Pineau and beyond ten years is Tres Vieux Pineau—though these ages will soon be increasing to seven and 12 years, respectively." And beyond the requirement that the utilized eau-de-vie must be at least one year old, producers aren't restricted from using any Cognac based on age. Harden shared that he'd tasted Pineau made from 15- and 30-year-old XO Grande Champagne Cognacs: "They were so grand I really can't describe them," he said. Pineau de Charentes makes up 90 percent of all vins de liqueur from France's protected denominations of origin, and more than 500 winemakers in the Charentes regions produce the Sean Beckner-Carmitchel, Sommelier at Hotel Bel-Air in Los Angeles, tastes a Merlot Vieux Rouge from Château Beaulon as Tasting Panel Publisher Meridith May tries an Ugni Blanc Vieux Pineau from Cognac Réviseur.