Epitomizing the true spirit of a micro-artisan Cognac house, Bourgoin is all about 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 Cognac, but they also see their spirits as a labor of love and joy as the primary tenet of life.
Bourgoin’s Verjus begins in the vineyard. Their vines are planted only on the best pockets of chalky, Creataceous soils found in their corner of Fins Bois. They have been organically farming their ugni blanc vineyards since 1986, and use only estate-grown, early-harvest grapes to produce this non-alcoholic, naturally acidic grape juice.
Verjus predates citrus in Europe, a crop which arrived only after the Second Crusade, and has been used in French cuisine since the 1600s. The low density of planting of 2750 plants per hectare allows each vine to give approximately 6 kg of very acidic grapes, usually destined to quality Cognac production. Bourgoin Verjus is 2.5 pH, which is the same pH as lemon and lime juice, making it a natural substitute both in cocktails and in the kitchen. It’s the first non-pasteurized verjus in France and contains less than 30 mg/L of naturally occurring sulfites.
Tasting Notes
Bright and elegantly acidic
Region
Fins Bois, Cognac
Village
Tarsac
Soils
Chalky cretaceous
Source
Organically farmed ugni blanc grapes from the Bourgoin estate
Added Sugar
None
Stabilization
None
Added Sulfites
None
Natural Sulfites
Less than 30mg/L
Pasteurization
None
Storage
Best refrigerated; use within 28 days of opening
Acid
2.5 pH – the same pH as lemon or lime juice, and the most acidic verjus in France
ABV
0% Alcohol-Free
Pack Size
6x750mL