After clarifying, the wines rich in fine lees, it is  stocked away from air and light in closed  tanks: thus they can neither oxydize nor mature.  They are then distilled in copper pot-stills heated on a open fire or by steam injection. The alembic usually consists of four parts :  the boiler, in which the liquids are distilled;  the head that covers the boiler, the swan’s neck which leads to the condensation to the  condenser. The latter,  has a coiled pipe where the vapours condenses into alcohol.

The eaux de vie that is  produced must have an alcohol to volume content of less than 72%. The enrichment of marc and the addition of preservatives are forbidden. Gathering  around the still during the distillation, is always a moment of conviviality in  the villages  of Burgundy.

Fine de Bourgogne must be aged and matured in oak barrels (228 liters) or in large vats ((60 hectoliters) for at least three years. It only qualifies as  “old” after four years, “very old” after six years and “over aged” after ten years of ageing.   The name of the Appellation d’Origine Controlée “Fine de Bourgogne” can not be supplemented by any additional mention referring to the grape variety or a geographical region.

The limited utilisation of new barrels makes it possible to preserve a part of the fruity and floral aromas which contribute to the quality of Marc de Bourgogne, which also depends on: the richness of the raw material, the accuracy of the distillation, the control of the blending and the duration of the ageing.

The professional fabric of the Fine de bourgogne is made up of almost the same body as that of the Marc de Bourgogne, which consists of a dozen distillation companies in Burgundy using centuries-old pot-stills passed down from generation to generation. About fifty wine growers that distill and age their own brandy. Most of the professionals (about 150) sell their Marcs to sprit and liquor traders.  Among these, the are the well-known names, Jacoulot, Cartron, L’Héritier Guyot, Vedrenne, Lejay-Lagoutte, la Distillerie du Beaujolais. From 1991, a national competition of the Eaux de vie and Marc de Bourgogne takes place in Dijon during the international gastronomic fair.  Fines de Bourgogne is also presented at the General Agricultural Competition in Paris. The current production is 140 000 bottles per year.

Distillation has been known in France from the thirteenth century. It was applied to the Fine de Bourgogne, in Burgundy only at the end of the 17th century under the impulse of the Cistercian monks, because the consumers preferred to drink the wine of Burgundy rather than the distiller.  In 1778, M. Dejean’s “Traite Rationale de Distillation” appeared, giving advice on the choice of wines, from deposits enriched by the lees to produce an elegant eaux de vie.