TRADICIJA I PROIZVODNJA / TRADITION AND PRODUCTION
Nježno otvorite vrata kuće Tesseron u Châteauneuf-sur-Charente da biste otkrili obiteljsko blago: jedinstvenu kolekciju najboljih konjaka. Ova riznica datira iz 19. stoljeda kada je Abel Tesseron stekao imanje i započeo svoju kolekciju rijetkih i neprocjenjivih konjaka. Tradiciju je nastavio njegov sin i unuk Alfred, koji danas posluje i koji također posjeduje prestižni Château Pontet-Canet, Pauillac klasificirani rast 1855. godine. Abel Tesseron stvorio je vlastitu konjak tvrtku 1905. godine, oslanjajući se na dva odvojena imanja, jedno koje se nalazi u području Grande Champagne (Boneuil), a drugo u Petite Champagne (Saint-Surin). Usvojio je dugoročnu politiku stvaranja zaliha eaux-de-vie, pažljivo čuvanih u kripti iz dvanaestog stoljeća. Ova stara i rijetka blaga, osim što su stekla velik ugled među malim krugom znalaca, uvijek su bila tražena od strane velikih trgovaca konjakom, uvjerenih u dobru kvalitetu eaux-de-vie koju de koristiti za dovršavanje svojih mješavina.
Danas, zahvaljujući neprekidnoj i sve većoj potražnji, tvrtka prodaje sve više i više svojih konjaka pod imenom Tesseron. Konjci unutar Tesseron asortimana posebno su označeni kao “lot-ovi”, izraz koji se rijetko koristi u Charenteu. Kao što Alfred Tesseron objašnjava: “Ti su “lotovi “ustvari mješavine uzete iz naših rezervi.“
GROŽĐE
Na imanjima Tesseron još uvijek se uzgajaju sve tri tradicionalne sorte grožđa za konjake, Ugni Blanc, Folle Blanche i Colombard. Folle Blanche i Colombard gotovo su nestali u regiji jer ih je teško uzgajati i proizvoditi male usjeve, ali oni su važni jer daju dodatnu dimenziju konačnoj mješavini.
BERBA
Grožđe se skuplja tijekom dugih, toplih, sunčanih dana rane jeseni i fermentira kako bi se dobilo kiselo vino slabe čvrstoće, s oko 8% volumena.
DESTILACIJA
Destilacija se strogo kontrolira od 1. listopada do 31. ožujka sljedeće godine. Tesseron konjaci dvostruko se destiliraju u svjetlucavim bakrenim kotlovima grijanim direktnim plamenom. Za sazrijevanje u konjaku odabire se samo ‘srce‘ destilacije.
SAZRIJEVANJE
Hladni, vlažni Tesseronovi podrumi iz 13. stoljeća bili su nekada dio kripte mjesne crkve. Ovdje se mladi ‘eaux-de-vie’ odmara dugo godina, ostavljen u miru tiho da ostari i sazrije u starim hrastovim bačvama. Ove su bačve izradili majstori iz drevnih hrastova koji su posječeni u obližnjim šumama Limousina. Tijekom sazrijevanja konjak nježno oksidirati, meki tanini se apsorbiraju iz starih hrastovih bačvi, a neki isparavaju i zauvijek se izgube – udio ‘anđela’.
MIJEŠANJE:
‘Maître de chai’ poznaje lik svakog konjaka kao da su njegova djeca. Svaki će biti drugačiji s vlastitom individualnom osobnošću, iako „eaux de-vies“ može biti destiliran iz identičnih sorti grožđa istog dana. Miješanje je sjajna vještina, umjetnost, kojoj poput velikog konjaka treba mnogo godina da se razvije. Tesseron konjaci imaju veliku složenost i dubinu jer “maître de chai” stvara suptilan spoj tri sorte grožđa: Ugni Blanc za okruglost, Folle Blanche za finoću i Colombard za snagu i dubinu. Svaka sorta i bačva ponudit će posebnu nijansu za konačni spoj.
Gently open the doors of the house of Tesseron in Châteauneuf-sur-Charente to discover a family treasure: a unique collection of the best cognacs. This treasury dates back to the 19th century when Abel Tesseron acquired the estate and began his collection of rare and priceless cognacs. The tradition was continued by his son and grandson Alfred, who operates today and who also owns the prestigious Château Pontet-Canet, a Pauillac classified growth in 1855. Abel Tesseron created his own cognac company in 1905, relying on two separate estates, one located in the Grande Champagne area (Boneuil) and the other in the Petite Champagne (Saint-Surin). He adopted a long-term policy of creating stocks of eaux-de-vie, carefully preserved in a twelfth-century crypt. These old and rare treasures, in addition to gaining a great reputation among a small circle of connoisseurs, were always sought after by the great cognac merchants, convinced of the good quality of the eaux-de-vie which they would use to complete their blends. Today, thanks to constant and growing demand, the company is selling more and more of its cognacs under the name Tesseron. Horses within the Tesseron range are specifically labeled “lots,” a term rarely used in Charente. As Alfred Tesseron explains, “These ‘lots’ are actually mixtures taken from our reserves.”
GRAPES All three traditional cognac grape varieties, Ugni Blanc, Folle Blanche and Colombard, are still grown on the Tesseron estates. Folle Blanche and Colombard have almost disappeared in the region because they are difficult to grow and produce small crops, but they are important because they give an extra dimension to the final mix.
HARVEST The grapes are harvested during the long, warm, sunny days of early autumn and fermented to obtain a sour wine of low firmness, with about 8% by volume.
DISTILLATION Distillation is strictly controlled from October 1 to March 31 of the following year. Tesseron cognacs are double-distilled in glittering copper boilers heated by direct flame. Only the ‘heart’ of distillation is selected for maturation in cognac.
MATURATION The cold, damp 13th-century Tesseron cellars were once part of the crypt of the local church. Here the young ‘eaux-de-vie’ rests for many years, left alone to quietly age and mature in old oak barrels. These barrels were made by masters from ancient oaks that were cut down in the nearby forests of Limousin. During ripening cognac is gently oxidized, soft tannins are absorbed from old oak barrels, and some evaporate and are lost forever – the share of ‘angels’.
MIXING: ‘Maître de chai’ knows the character of each cognac as if they were his children. Each will be different with its own individual personality, although “eaux de-vies” can be distilled from identical grape varieties on the same day. Mixing is a great skill, an art that, like a great cognac, takes many years to develop. Tesseron cognacs have great complexity and depth because “maître de chai” creates a subtle blend of three grape varieties: Ugni Blanc for roundness, Folle Blanche for fineness and Colombard for strength and depth. Each variety and barrel will offer a special shade for the final blend.
