
August 21, 2022

We are back to support Armagnac

Terrible year in the vineyards in Armagnac, especially in Bas-Armagnac and Ténarèze, with massive hailstorms leading to huge losses right this week. You must have a strong stomach to deal with such events while knowing that people making whisky, except for a handful of genuine terroirists (but beware of terroir washing elsewhere!) can import barley from all over the world and then sell their bottles for thrice the price, or sometimes thirty times when the spirits are really old and you own a strong – sometimes severely bloated - brand. I'm afraid that's just very unfair and hard to understand, unless you remember Coluche's way of calculating a crowd's IQ: take the IQ of the dumbest and divide by the number of members. So I say let's all get smarter, wake up, and support (read drink) armagnac!

Photograph armagnacnews

The Experiment 10 yo 2009/2019 (50%, Domaine de Baraillon & The Whisky Mercenary, 179 bottles)

This is eau-de-vie à l'armagnac rather than armagnac, since this baby's been finished in an ex-Jamaican rum barrel. Imagine all Scotch malts losing their appellation after having been finished in some 'untraditional' wood? Colour: deep gold. Nose: you do feel it. A pack of chlorophyll and eucalyptus gums, some raisins smoked over burning pinewood, a little diesel oil, then loads of mint-flavoured liquorice, a curious mezcaly side, and then, well, Jäger. An experiment that worked, it seems. With water: very nice, on more of all that and a wee sweet rancio in the background. Mouth (neat): really rich, on violet-flavoured liquorice (that's so good, Haribo now have that in their range called 'Zan') and once again, some kind of heavy herbal bitter. The usual raisins and dried apricots rather in the background. With water: indeed, excellent, this is truly 'meta'. Finish: long, with a salty touch and olives coming through. The aftertaste is more armagnacqy again. Comments: who's gonna call these 'armarums?' Now I'm not sure it's very easy to find a balance and once it's wrecked, it's wrecked, unless you further dilute it with more brandy. I say this is innovation that's not just doing the same innovations as anyone else and right at the same time. Mizunara anyone?
SGP:562 - 87 points.

Darroze Domaine de Paguy 19 yo 2002 (50%, Darroze, Unique Collection, Bas-armagnac, +/-2021)

Darroze have selected this one in Betbezer d'Armagnac, where Domaine de Paguy is located. Paguy own 77ha (but only 12ha are vines), we hope they were not affected by the hailstorms, their vines being 45 years old! Colour: gold. Nose: this further stresses to which extent the armarum was different and truly something else. This is much leaner, purer, really handsome, and closer to the grape, shall we say. Whiffs of vanilla, otherwise golden sultanas, preserved peaches, bits of pencil shavings, lime blossom, honeysuckle, tiny hints of Thai basil perhaps… With water: touches of menthol and liquorice, plus more lime blossom. All fine and nice. Mouth (neat): very good, with a little brown sugar, jams, maple syrup, marmalade, and a tiny glass of moscatel. With water: we're not that far from some malt whiskies, although this would be a little grapier and grittier, naturally. Finish: medium, rather fresh, with these touches of menthol and lime blossom in the end. Comments: never disappointed with Darroze, in my book they're part of the top houses as far as larger ones are concerned.
SGP:651 - 86 points.

Domaine de Bel Air 1980/2022 (46%, Bordeneuve Châteaux & Collection for Selin's Collection, Asia, Bas-armagnac, 100 bottles)

Domaine de Bel Air is usually to be found under Darroze's flag, but there are dozens of Domaines or Châteaux de Bel Air or Bel-Air or Belair everywhere in France, the most famous one being the Saint-Emilion, I would say. Are there several in Armagnac alone? Colour: brown amber. Nose: this is a completely different style of Armagnac, and I doubt that's only the age. More on chocolate, prunes, flower jellies, damson tarte (zwetschke), peonies, then even notes of old pinot noir of high quality. We're thinking something soft from the Côte de Beaune, with softer meaty/umami-y notes. Very lovely, rather postprandial style. Mouth: rounded, compoty, jammy, sweet, full of ganaches, chocolates and prunes. Reminds me of Austria's 'Rumba Pflaume' (prunes) by the house Kastner, our dear friend Konstantin G. being the world's top expert in those. You can't get enough of these Rumba Pflaumen… neither can you get enough of this awesomely unmodern Domaine de Bel Air. Finish: good length, at a strength that always works best if you're not a pipette master. More of those Austrian plums with liqueur, covered with dark chocolate Comments: you could down bottles of this but they've only released 100 of them.
SGP:641 - 89 points.

Since we're in 1980…

Domaine Le Frêche 1980 (41.5%, L'Encantada, Bas-armagnac, cask #039, 327 bottles)

Domaine Le Frêche 1980 (41.5%, L'Encantada, Bas-armagnac, cask #039, 327 bottles)
Pure baco from a tiny Domaine of only 2ha. Sadly and unless I'm mistaken, it appears that the Domaine is now gone. Colour: reddish amber. Nose: much more rustic, yet more modern as well, in a way, with some cedarwood and even whiffs of fresh varnish and paint at first sniffing, before it would move towards chestnut jam and purée, peaches, a little caraway, fresh cinnamon rolls, Bundt cake full of sultanas, and just sweet wine… Mouth: feels much stronger than 41.5%, does it have superpowers, or was there a mismatch? It even burns a wee bit. Nurse, pipette and Vittel please… With water: feels 'dark', with some pipe tobacco, bit of tobacco from an untipped Gauloise, prunes, chocolate, armagnac (I know it sounds almost stupid to mention armagnac in a tasting note for an armagnac, but there, it's epitomically armagnacqy.) Tiny touches of sour wood, Jerez vinegar and bitter chocolate. Finish: rather long, pretty oaky. Ground coffee and raw cocoa powder. Comments: super good, pretty dry, and as I already said, relatively rustic. Come on dear, put on your beret!
SGP:551 - 86 points.

Château de Laubade 1979/2021 'Brut de Fût' (46.2%, OB, Bas-armagnac, cask #75096)

From Chai #3 and from the first tirage form this barrique. It's a blend of baco and ugni blanc. Never a frown with these cask strength armagnacs from Laubade's! Colour: deep gold. Nose: this one's very bright, very fresh, floral, honeyed, jammy, full of mirabelles and quince jelly, honeysuckle, maple syrup, late-harvest pinot gris, apricot jam… It's a Balvenie of armagnac, shall we fearlessly claim. Mouth: superlatively fruity and floral. All yellow fruits ever invented by God (OMG, S., not you!), mirabelles, apricots, peaches, quinces, overripe bananas, with tiny touches of caraway and cinnamon. A very wonderful tirage (they're talking about tirages because they often rack their casks in several times down there in Armagnac country). Finish: good length, good freshness, lovely fruitiness, with the usual bits of liquorice in the aftertaste. Comments: indeed, never a frown with golden… Laubades.
SGP:651 - 90 points.

Armagnac 49 yo 1972/2022 (42.9%, Armagnac Sponge, Edition No. 2, Bas-armagnac, 210 bottles)

Armagnac 49 yo 1972/2022 (42.9%, Armagnac Sponge, Edition No. 2, Bas-armagnac, 210 bottles)
Any attentive spirits sleuth will have noticed that this was produced in the city of Saintes (where everyone isn't a saint, ha-ha) which is one of the capital cities of cognac, not armagnac. Which would suggest this stems from the house Jean Grosperrin's cellars. Oh and it's a 'small batch' of two sister casks. Colour: amber. Nose: 1972, that was the year before last year, right? Seriously, I would say this is an old armagnac that's been watching all the neighbouring cognacs while ageing, as I find it rather fresher, fruitier, somewhat easier, rather on tinned fruits, especially the usual peaches and apricots, also plums, greengages, then acacia honey, raisin rolls, panettone… We're actually getting closer to a classic, easy old malt whisky. Mouth: reminds me of many an old drop as Duncan Taylor used to have, Glenlivets, Macduffs, even 1960s Bowmore mind you. To be poured blind to your best (ex) whisky friends. Finish: medium, fresh, beehive-y, with more cedarwood-like oak only in the aftertaste. Also a wee glass of some of the most venerable V.O.R.S. in the end of the aftertaste (just before you pour yourself another glass). Comments: excellent catch by Angus and, once again, a showcase of the fact that, as has also been seen for example at Cadenhead's, true small batches are often superior to single casks. Je m'incline.
SGP:651 - 91 points.

A last one, let's make it a 1970.

Ryst-Dupeyron 1970 (40%, OB, Armagnac, +/-2015)

Not unlike many other old Armagnac houses, Dupeyron have long tried to take advantage from the fact that they could release bottles bearing vintages, while Cognac could not, for administrative reasons, while vintaged malt whisky was just unknown to the French. Which means that these armagnacs were almost only ever bought as birthday presents, BUT many were, and still are excellent, so never underestimate them. Colour: deep gold. Nose: 1970 means rock and roll, but this is more a string quartet, with a lot of chamomile, lime tea (huge lime tea!) and just 'a new pack of Camels'. Quite some old walnuts too, old woods, and a whole bag of proper 'cider' apples. Not those apples from the supermarket that look like they're in plastic, mind you. Mouth: the oak feels a little bit and would impart some rather obvious tea-ish notes at first, but some puréed chestnuts and baked caramelised apples are soon to come to the rescue. A little honey, a little cinnamon, pastries, and a feeling of good calvados. Finish: medium, a little tea-ish and with a little cider. Maple syrup in the aftertaste. Comments: perhaps not exactly earthshattering – this little 1970 is neither of Jimi nor of Janis levels – but I find it very pleasant to drink.
SGP:561 - 82 points.

Check the index of all armagnac we've tasted so far