A wine producing sub-region within the Cognac appellation, geographically surrounding the sub-regions of Grande Champagne, Petite Champagne and Borderies, and which falls within both the Charente and Charente-Maritime departments in South-West France, just north of Bordeaux.
Fins Bois is regarded as producing fine (fins) quality eaux-de-vie - though ranked behind those listed above - and is widely used as either a base- or filler- eaux-de-vie in many Cognac blends. While the major brands usually produce blends of several crus, many smaller producers produce single cru blends of various ages. Examples of such producers who release Cru Fins Bois include A. de Fussigny, Chateau de Beaulon and Jean Grosperrin.
Fins Bois eaux-de-vies are characterised by their floral, fruity softness which adds good complexity and body to blends, but without the structure to age well as an exclusive cru blend.
Famous quotes containing the word bois:
“This spirit it was which so early carried the French to the Great Lakes and the Mississippi on the north, and the Spaniard to the same river on the south. It was long before our frontiers reached their settlements in the West, and a voyageur or coureur de bois is still our conductor there.”
—Henry David Thoreau (1817–1862)