Cognac ou Eau-de-vie de Cognac ou Eau-de-vie des Charentes

France · AOC (spirit-drink GI) · Cognac · 732 INAO commune(s)

Terroir

Natural factors

The delimited region lies in the northern part of the Aquitaine Basin, bordered to the west by the Atlantic Ocean, the Gironde, and the islands of Ré and Oléron, and to the east by the first foothills of the Massif central near Angoulême.
The Charente river runs through the region and is fed by small rivers such as the Né, the Antenne, and the Seugne.
The temperate oceanic climate is fairly uniform, except along the coast, which is sunnier and experiences a smaller temperature range; the mean annual temperature is around 13 °C, and rainfall is possible throughout the year, limiting the risk of drought.
The soils of Grande Champagne and Petite Champagne are clay-limestone in character, fairly shallow, overlying soft, chalky Cretaceous limestone, corresponding to the Campanian stage in Grande Champagne according to Wikipedia.
The soils of the Borderies are siliceous-clay in character, with flint derived from the decarbonation of limestone, this zone being situated on Cretaceous strata according to Wikipedia.
The Fins Bois are predominantly covered by "groies" — shallow, red, very stony clay-limestone soils overlying hard Jurassic limestone — with heavier clay soils making up the remainder.
The soils of the Bois zones (Bons Bois, Bois ordinaires ou Bois à terroirs) are sandy in the coastal areas, certain valleys, and throughout the southern part of the vineyard, these sands having been deposited by erosion from the Massif central.

Facts drawn from the specification's terroir-link section by automatic interpretation — see the source.

About this boundary · approximate area

Approximate area — the union of the 732 commune(s) of the delimited area (INAO); no parcel delimitation exists for this denomination.