Epitomizing the true spirit of a micro-artisan Cognac house, Bourgoin is all about a true passion for their land and vines, through an honest, transparent distillation of their terroir. The family estate is currently led by Frédéric Bourgoin, the fourth generation of a family of grape growers and Cognac distillers from the village of Tarsac in Fins Bois, approximately 30 kilometers east of the town of Cognac. This commitment to authenticity and transparency invariably leads to some variation from bottle to bottle, or year to year, which though it is uncommon in Cognac, is familiar to drinkers of many agricultural spirits like agricole-style rhum or mezcal. Bourgoin Cognac’s resistance to blending is a style in and of itself, and a defining quality of their decidedly viticultural cognac. The Bourgoin family is serious about their produce, but they also see their spirits as a labor of love and joy as the primary tenet of life. 

“BOURGOIN PINEAU is a true vigneron’s pineau: no blending, no added color, no filtration, and no sulfites. The Bourgoin domain and family home are located in the heart of the village of Tarsac, in the commune of Saint-Saturnin in Charente, France. Our pineaus are sincere and genuine. I will give you no long speeches: the truth is at the bottom of the bottle. There, you will find the emotion of a real pineau. Receive this punch like a gift. Dizziness or light stupor, you will not return unscathed.”   – Frédéric Bourgoin

Bourgoin’s Pineau des Charentes begins in their estate-vineyards. Their vines are planted only in the best pockets of chalky, Creataceous soils found in their corner of Fins Bois. They have been organically farming their ugni blanc vines since 1986, and make all their base wine using indigenous yeasts and with no added sulfites, no acidification, and no malolactic fermentation. 

Alcoholic fermentation takes place in temperature-controlled outdoor vats for four days without malolactic fermentation and without added sulfites. The wine is then double-distilled in a 20 hectolitre copper Charentais still, turning 100 hectolitres of wine into 10 liters of eau-de-vie. Their Pineau des Charentes, a signature mistelle of the region, is playfully described by Frédéric as “75% grape juice, 25% cognac, and 100% pleasure.” Uniquely, this pineau undergoes oxidative aging for 12 months in partially filled ex-Cognac barrels. The Pineau is then moved into stainless steel tanks outdoors where it ages for nine years before bottling unfined, unfiltered. Not only does this process convert the aperitif’s typical fructose into glucose, preventing its sweetness from coming across as overly sugary, but it allows the pineau to remain remarkably stable once opened. Bourgoin’s Pineau des Charentes has no additives: no sugar, caramel coloring, or boisé.

Flavor Profile:Bourgoin Pineau de Charentes is fresh and thirst-quenching, with notes of red apricot, orange blossom honey, salted walnut, and crisp apple.

→ Tech Sheet

→ Back to Bourgoin Cognac