Jean-Michel NAUD believes that the best eau-de-vie is produced by distilling wines which have been elaborated with precision. With his son Pierre, they select the grapes at optimum maturity, from some of the most prestigious crus of the appellation area. Ugni-Blanc, mainly cultivated on clay and limestone soils, is known to mature slowly and to convey finesse to the eau-de-vie. Colombard, which ripens earlier, is most commonly cultivated on poor soils and offers subtle fruity and floral notes to the cognac.