This Champagne, incidentally, has nothing to do with the famous bubbly further north. The climate is moderate, with even humidity that produces the proper sugar levels in the grapes. By law, only white wine grapes can be used for Cognac. St.-Emilion, Folle Blanche and Colombard. It is the acidity of these grapes that is one of the keys to the success of Cognac.
Acidity helps to maintain balance and structure throughout the distillation process.
The chalky soils that produce such great wines in the region of Champagne, the home of the bubbly, do the same for the wine that goes into Cognac. And the districts that that have the most chalk are Grande Champagne and Petite Champagne, respectively. But other districts have their special qualities as well. Cognac made in Fins Bois, for example, has a woodiness and nuances of fall leaves. Similarly, the clay and flint soil in Borderies produces very distinctive Cognac.