Behind the Cork™ - González Byass Lepanto Brandy

The González Byass luxury brandy Lepanto is the only Brandy de Jerez produced entirely in Jerez, Spain and the only Gran Reserva Jerez brandy that fully reflects the essence of Jerez.

Distilled in González Byass pot stills in the center of the city, it is made from Palomino grapes grown in Jerez and aged following the traditional Solera system in American oak casks that have previously contained Sherry, which ensures that both quality and flavor remain constant over time.

González Byass has been producing brandy since 1844. Since then the company has continued to purchase new alambiques and pot stills to produce high quality Brandy de Jerez.

Lepanto is distilled in two Charentais pot stills originally from Cognac dating from the 1960s. Following the second distillation the distillate is fractioned into heads, tails and hearts with only the heart, known as holanda in Jerez, being used for Lepanto. [Note that the “Heads” are the spirits from the beginning of the run that contain a high percentage of low boiling point alcohols and other compounds such as aldehydes and ethyl acetate. The “Hearts” are the desirable middle alcohols from the run. Finally, the “Tails” are the distillate containing a high percentage of fusel oil (Fusel is from the German word that means "bad liquor") and little alcohol at the end of the run.]

The brandy is then aged for a minimum of 12 years in American oak casks previously used for aging Sherry. Lepanto Solera Gran Reserva is finished in sweet oloroso casks.

If you are looking for a real treat, give this González Byass Lepanto Solera Gran Reserva Brandy de Jerez a try. It’s super! And, it’s this week’s Behind the Cork™ Wine of the Week. Cheers!

Disclosure of Wine Sample Submission: I received this sample at no cost for review. The opinions expressed are entirely my own.

Media Sample Provided by González Byass

Brandy is Actually Distilled Wine!

Brandy refers to a wide range of spirits, made mostly from wine grapes but sometimes also from other fruits (e.g., apricot brandy).

The name brandy is a shortened form of brandywine, which an anglicized form of Dutch brandewijn, which means "burnt wine.” And, that’s precisely what brandy is - burnt wine. Well… sort of.

To make brandy, wine is heated in a still until it separates into its components using the distillation process. So, put simply, brandy is really distilled wine.

Like wine and whisky, brandy is often aged in wooden barrels, which increases flavor, complexity and color intensity.

The length of aging and the type of barrel used are both important elements in determining the final quality of the brandy.

Brandy, like some wines, gets even better with age. The designation of the style depends on how long the brandy has been aged.

There are various styles of brandy and they all depend on the aging process:

  • Trois étoiles, Trois pommes, Very Special (VS): Aged at least 2 years

  • Vieux or Reserve: Aged for minimum 3 years

  • V.O., Vieille Reserve, and Very Special Old Pale (VSOP): Aged 4+ years

  • Napoléon, Très Vieille Réserve, Très Vieux, and Extra Old (XO): Aged at least 6 years

  • Hors d’âge: Aged at least 30 years

Ever Wonder? - The Difference Between Cognac and Brandy

I was recently asked about brandy and Cognac and their various designations. So, let’s take a closer look at the similarities and differences between them.

It’s easiest to start off with brandy. Brandy refers to a wide range of spirits, made mostly from grape wine but sometimes also from other fruits (e.g., apricot brandy).

The name brandy is a shortened form of brandywine, which an anglicized form of Dutch brandewijn, which means "burnt wine". And, this is precisely what brandy is - burnt wine. Well… sort of.

To make brandy, wine is heated in a still until it separates into its components using the distillation process. So, put simply, brandy is distilled wine.

Like wine and whisky, brandy is often aged in wooden barrels, which increases flavor, complexity and color intensity. Unfortunately, the color of ‘aged’ brandy is sometimes created in low-quality, un-aged brandy by using food coloring such as caramel color (This is greatly frowned upon by most quality brandy producers!). For those producers that actually do age their brandy, the length of aging and the type of barrel used are both important elements in determining the final quality of the brandy.

Now, let’s get to Cognac. All Cognac is brandy, but not all brandy is Cognac. Cognac is brandy that is made from the white wine grapes grown in the Cognac region of France.

Cognac is produced primarily from the Trebbiano grape (known as Ugni Blanc “ooo-nee blonk” in France), along with very small quantities of Folle Blanche and Colombard. French wine makers also have the option of using up to 10% of other grape varieties that include Folignan, Jurançon blanc, Meslier St-François, Montils, and Semillon.

The product of the Cognac distilling process is referred to by the French as eau-de-vie (“oh duh vee”), which means the “water of life.” At this point, it has a maximum alcohol content of 72.4% ABV (148.4 proof!) and is completely clear. The barrel aging process adds the color and enhances flavor. Pure, distilled or demineralized water is added to Cognac to make a finished product that is 40% ABV.

There are several designations used to differentiate Cognac. The “VS” designation means it is “Very Special” with two years minimum aging. VSOP is “Very Special/Superior Old Pale” and must be aged for a minimum of four years, while XO is “Extra Old” with a six-year minimum aging requirement if it was produced up to 2018; after 2018 that changed to a ten year minimum.

There are lots of brands of brandy but there are four major producers of Cognac that control approximately 90% of the market; Hennessy, Martell, Rémy Martin & Courvoisier.

Enjoy brandy or Cognac at room temperature in a bowl-shaped glass to capture its wonderful aroma. Cheers!

Fortified Wines: Sherry and Vermouth

 

In recent posting we've addressed fortified wines including Port, Madeira and Marsala. All these wines are produced by adding either Brandy or neutral grape spirit to wines during the fermentation process or after fermentation is complete.

Without getting too much into the details of distilled spirits, Brandy (derived from the word brandywine, or burnt wine) and grape spirit are produced by heating wine to the point where the alcohol evaporates and is collected separately. Fortified winemakers then use these distilled alcohols to increase the alcohol levels in fermented wines.

While grape spirit is simply neutral-flavored grape alcohol, Brandy takes this grape alcohol one step further by aging it in wooden casks to smooth out the flavor of this otherwise harsh alcohol and give it its unique flavor.

Other popular fortified wines include Sherry and Vermouth.  Sherry, from Spain, is typically fortified with Brandy after fermentation is complete to produce a dry fortified wine. There are sweet styles of Sherry but the finer ones, from Spain, are dry.  The Spanish Sherries are made in multiple styles:

Dry Sherry: Made predominately from the Palomino grape:

  • Fino & Manzanilla - Very light in flavor. Can have salty fruit flavors.

  • Amontillado - A bit bolder with nutty flavors.

  • Palo Cortado - This is much richer with roasted flavors of molasses and coffee.

  • Oloroso - This style is intentionally exposed to oxygen during aging resulting its dark appearance and nutty flavors.

Sweet Sherry: Made from Pedro Ximénez or Moscatel grapes:

  • Pedro Ximéniz (PX) - This is the sweetest style with flavors dates and figs.

  • Moscatel - This has sweet caramel flavors.

  • Sweet Sherry: A blend of Oloroso and PX Sherry.

Vermouth is another fortified wine originally from Italy. Vermouth is produced from neutral grape wine or unfermented wine must. Producers then add additional alcohol and their own mixture of botanical products including fruits, herbs, spices and roots. After the wine is aromatized and fortified, the Vermouth may be bottled dry, or sweeteners such as sugar may be added to create the sweet style of Vermouth.

So during the past few entries we've made a quick pass through the most popular fortified wines. Next, we'll investigate dessert wines.  Cheers!