Armin said: “Amplitude is a surprising, unusual dry white wine, with beautiful tension and ample on the palate. It’s produced from Gros Manseng, an indigenous variety. Entracte is a blend of Chenin and Chardonnay for which the second fermentation takes place in a closed vat. We wanted to produce a sparkling white wine which would offer light, refreshing and very delicate bubbles. The alcohol level also had to be low; the 2018 vintage is only 10.5%, like Domaine Tariquet Classic”. Castarède, Bas Armagnac, XO, 10 YO, 40% ABV, 750 ml is a bold, creamy and powerful Armagnac with distinctive notes of dried and candied fruits, along with spice aromas of cinnamon, pepper and nutmeg around a core of caramel and toasted oak. There are floral notes of potpourri plus hints of sandalwood incense, along with mocha notes of cocoa and coffee. Though only 10 YO, it also offers up hints of classic rancio aromas of leather and furniture wax. A classic Armagnac expression that offers the best the spirit can offer. Distilled in 2003 and bottled in 2016 as a 13 YO, the Armagnac offers up powerful floral and fruity notes, along with honey, almond, hazelnut and anise/licorice. There are additional spice notes of cinnamon, cardamom, pepper and some fresh mint.

Armagnac XO ch du Tariquet Spirit type - Waitrose Cellar

Its most famous descendent is Pierre de Montesquiou d'Artagnan, a musketeer who served Louis XIV for more than 40 years and was eventually made a Marshall of France. French novelist Alexander Dumas used him as the basis of the like-named character in The Three Musketeers. In Armagnac, we also find Folle Blanche (2%) which produces fine, floral eaux-de-vie, Colombard with fruity, spicy aromas enjoyed in blends, Baco (hybrid of Folle Blanche and the American Noah) which produces well-rounded eaux-de-vie with a ripe fruity aroma (35%). 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.The Cognac and Armagnac terroirs, both in the Nouvelle-Aquitaine region, are located some 300 km from each other; which means differences in the soil. It’s a spirit that is not well known in the US. That’s a pity. If you like brandy, especially the kind of aged expressions that you can wrap yourself around in front of a fireplace, you really owe it to yourself to discover this remarkable spirit. The fact that it is incredibly well priced and offers exceptional value doesn’t hurt either.

Domaine Tariquet: A taste of Armagnac history Domaine Tariquet: A taste of Armagnac history

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. Baco 22A, also known as Baco blanc, is one of just a handful of hybrid grape varieties whose cultivation to produce spirts is still allowed under EU regulations. During the 20th century, Baco was the principal grape variety used to make Armagnac. Armagnac producer Chateau de Laubade got its start in 1870 in Gascony, and today it farms 260 acres of grapes used for its brandies. Laubade’s claim to fame — one of them, at least — is that it is one of few properties producing all four grapes allowed by the Armagnac appellation: ugni blanc, folle blanche, colombard, and baco. It happens to be the largest producer of baco grapes in the entire region. The distillery also notes that its blends are aged twice as long as required by regulations. Unaged Armagnac, Blanche d’Armagnac, a new category legalized in 2007, is very aromatic and fruity and is very similar to Pisco.

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. Below are tasting notes on a selection of Armagnacs that are a good cross section of what the region has to offer. Unlike Cognac, which undergoes a double distillation in a Charentais-style pot still, Armagnac typically undergoes only a single distillation in an Alembic Armagnac. This is a small, usually wood or gas fired, mobile, continuous column still. The stills can have up to 15 plates. Most producers use between 5 to 8 plates and some as little as three. Most distillation is by these mobile distillers. The stills carry names, allowing producers to request specific stills to do their distillation each year.