Cles des Ducs XO Armagnac, 70 cl

Product Information

Unlike Armagnac, Cognac historically developed focusing on export to the Netherlands and to England. Cognac was created by wine producers who wished to export their low-alcohol white wine to England and Holland but decided to distill it so it would better withstand the journey. Each of these areas is controlled by separate AOC regulations. The newest appellation Blanche d'Armagnac ('white Armagnac') was established to allow the production and export of clear, unaged brandies. [6] Production [ edit ] Column still, domaine d'Ognoas, Arthez-d'Armagnac, Landes, 1936 Column still, domaine d'Ognoas, Arthez-d'Armagnac, Landes, 1804 Petite Champagne, sits astride the Charente and Charente-Maritime departments, around Barbezieux (Charente), Archiac and Jonzac (Charente-Maritime). Marie Duffau, Napoleon, Bas Armagnac, 40% ABV, 750 ml offers up notes of dried fruit, especially prune, dark chocolate and brown sugar. This is a very floral Armagnac, with a touch of creamy sweetness that is accompanied by notes of vanilla, well-seasoned wood, some pound cake, cinnamon, clove, nutmeg and a touch of pepper. Salted caramel, sugared almonds and dark chocolate on the opening with dried prunes and dates mid-palate. The finish is rich, warm and well spiced. Best Served

Armagnac XO ch du Tariquet Spirit type - Waitrose Cellar

The nose is a pleasant bouquet of pressed dried fruits, delightful vanilla, and spicy cinnamon. On The Palate Château de Lacquy produces a range of vintage and varietal specific expressions that are bottled at cask strength. These are typically single barrel bottlings. Production is limited to under 500 bottles per expression and the Armagnac can be hard to find. The Château is owned by the Boisseson family, Armagnac producers for more than 10 generations—this is the oldest family-owned producer in Armagnac.The French gourmet dish ortolan has traditionally been prepared by force-feeding an ortolan bunting before drowning it in Armagnac and roasting it. The dish is now legally prohibited due to laws protecting the bird. [4] [5] Geography [ edit ] Vineyards in the Armagnac region near Landes and Gers Armagnac 2-49_Domaine Saint-Martin 3 travelling alambic that belongs to Marc St Martin, the mobile ... [+] distiller who works with many Armagnac producers. It's name is 'Marie-Jeanne'! Photo, courtesy Marc St Martin The use of Charentais stills has been legal in Armagnac since 1972. Only a handful of producers use them, however. Janneau, one of the larger Armagnac producers, uses both types of stills. Since double distilled brandy from a Charentais-type still ages faster than brandy from a single column distillation, the two spirits are often blended together. Ten different varieties of Armagnac grapes are authorised for use in the production of Armagnac. Of these, four are most common:

Armagnac : terroir of the oldest eau-de-vie in France Armagnac : terroir of the oldest eau-de-vie in France

In 1946, Pierre Grassa married Jean-Pierre’s daughter, Hélène Artaud. With heads full of ideas, they took over Domaine Tariquet (with 10 hectares of vines in production) and set about developing the property by buying more land to grow corn. With their four children, Maïté, Christiane, Françoise and Yves, the family was virtually self-sufficient. Younger Armagnacs display notes of plum, prune and stone fruit, like apricot, as well as seasoned oak and vegetative aromas. As the Armagnac gets older, it gets smoother, losing some of its rustic character and becomes more floral on the nose. The fruit notes shift more toward dried and candied fruit notes of date, orange, fig and prune. The vegetative notes become drier and more herbal. Very old Armagnac’s display the rancio characteristics of aged leather, furniture wax and herbal notes of dried tobacco leaf. They can also contain some meaty/bacon aromas.

4. Commercialization

Napoleon denotes Armagnac that has been aged for 6 to 9 years in oak casks and XO refers to Armagnac that has been aged for at least 10 years. Hors d’Age, literally “ageless,” does not carry a specific aging period but is usually applied to brandies that have been aged for 20 years or more. Continuing this pioneering tradition, Yves Grassa was the first to produce sweet wines in the region from the seductive Gros Manseng and Petit Manseng grapes, indigenous varieties from the South West of France. Wine is made from grapes from the Armagnac region of France and is then distilled through a column still. The resulting brandy is then aged in oak barrels for a minimum of one year before bottling. What Does Armagnac Taste Like?

Armagnac’s For Brandy Lovers Everywhere 7 Stunning Armagnac’s For Brandy Lovers Everywhere

This is a very aromatic Armagnac with notes of dried figs, plums, raisins, dried orange zest and prune, along with toasted nuts, caramel, cinnamon and chocolate. There is a bit of a vegetative note, think cooked green bean or cooked cabbage. This is not unusual in Armagnac and is usually associated with Colombard grapes. The greater the proportion of Colombard, the more pronounced the vegetative notes usually are. The most popular grape varieties are ugni blanc, baco, folle blanche, and colombard though there are other ones allowed in production. Armagnacs are usually blends but you do see varietal expressions. Once harvested, the grapes are fermented either with wild or cultured yeast to produce a light acidic wine of about 8% ABV. This must be distilled within a few months as it cannot be preserved with sulphur which would be concentrated during distillation. Armagnac ( / ˈ ɑːr m ə n j æ k/, French: [aʁmaɲak]) is a distinctive kind of brandy produced in the Armagnac region in Gascony, southwest France. It is distilled from wine usually made from a blend of grapes including Baco 22A, Colombard, Folle blanche and Ugni blanc, traditionally using column stills rather than the pot stills used in the production of cognac, which is made predominantly from ugni blanc grapes. The resulting spirit is then aged in oak barrels before release. Production is overseen by the Institut national de l'origine et de la qualité (INAO) and the Bureau National Interprofessionel de l'Armagnac (BNIA). The wines are distilled in a traditional armagnac alambic fired with wood from recycled vine stakes. The 100-year-old cellars quietly safeguard the barrels during maturation. Each grape variety and each vintage are distilled and aged separately for the first years. After several years of ageing in fine grain oak barrels from the most renowned French forests, these eaux-de-vie become Bas-Armagnacs of great finesse and rare elegance.Castarède then goes a step further and ages the fine spirit for another ten years in new oak casks, delivering one of the finest Armagnac’s available. On The Nose See also Château Arton, an Armagnac producer in Haut-Armagnac. There aren’t very many producers in Haut-Armagnac. Arton bottles vintage expressions as well as a 6 YO blend. This has a classic Armagnac nose, with notes of dried and candied fruit, orange zest, along with floral aromas, some licorice, some green vegetative notes and a pronounced pepperiness.

Armagnac Janneau X.O. : a wonderful blend of many medals

The Château de Lacquy, 2007 Colombard, 48% ABV is a single barrel bottling made entirely from Colombard grapes. There is also a Château de Lacquy 2007 Folle blanche, 48% ABV. The expressions don’t carry an age statement but are typically around 12 YO. They are bottled at cask strength. The Château’s bottlings offer an excellent opportunity to compare vintage variations as well as the varying aroma and taste profile in Armagnacs produced from different grape varietals. Château de Laubade, XO, Bas Armagnac, 40% ABV, 750 ml offers up intense notes of orange peel/marmalade, peach, apricot, toasted bread, dried and fresh herbs, and dried fruit, along with notes of cinnamon, chili pepper, other wood spices and a touch of savoriness. This is a smooth, full-bodied, mouth coating Armagnac blended from brandies 15 to 25 years old. Armagnac-Tenareze represent about 40% of the producing vineyards. Soils here are mainly limestone, sand and clay. These soils produce Armagnacs that are strongly flavored and also slower to mature. Armagnac is rich in flavour and, depending on age, will usually have notes of caramel, cocoa, prunes, nuts, vanilla, oak and cinnamon. The opening is delightfully rich and smooth, with a subtle bite of spice on the finish. Understanding Armagnac Age LetteringThis year, the Grassa family is celebrating the 30th anniversary of its partnership with Waitrose with its Bas-Armagnac XO.