The Wine Reference🍷 SupportArmagnac: Armagnac
France's oldest brandy, from Gascony in the south-west, with three zones: Bas-Armagnac, Ténarèze and Haut-Armagnac.
How it's made
Mostly distilled once in a continuous column still, which keeps more flavour, then aged in oak. Single-vintage bottlings are common.
White wine, mainly from Ugni Blanc, Baco, Folle Blanche and Colombard, is distilled in winter, usually once in a continuous Armagnac column still (alambic armagnacais), which leaves the spirit low in strength and full of flavour. Some producers double-distil in pot stills, as in Cognac.
History
Armagnac is often called France's oldest brandy: a text from 1310 by the prior Vital du Four praises its virtues. It was traded by Dutch merchants from the 1600s, and the appellation was fixed by law in 1936.
Ageing and label terms
VS or *** means at least 1 year in oak; VSOP at least 4 years; XO and Hors d'Âge at least 10 years. Vintage Armagnacs from a single year are a speciality, and blanche Armagnac is the unaged, clear version.
Styles
Bas-Armagnac in the west, on sandy soils, gives the finest and most prized brandies; Armagnac-Ténarèze is fuller and needs longer ageing; Haut-Armagnac is the largest area but produces the least.
Rules and protected names
AOC Armagnac covers parts of the Gers, Landes and Lot-et-Garonne, with three sub-zones: Bas-Armagnac, Armagnac-Ténarèze and Haut-Armagnac. Ten grape varieties are allowed, and Blanche Armagnac has its own AOC since 2005.
How to serve and classic cocktails
Serve neat in a tulip glass at room temperature after a meal. Works in a Sidecar or Brandy Old Fashioned, and blanche Armagnac makes a fragrant Armagnac and tonic.
With food
Foie gras, duck confit, prunes (a Gascon classic), chocolate desserts and blue cheese.
Good to know
Because most Armagnac is distilled once and to a lower strength than cognac, it is usually more rustic and characterful. Many houses are small family farms, and Armagnac is made in much smaller quantities than cognac.
Producers
- Château de Laubade
- Darroze
- Delord
- Domaine Tariquet
Bottles to try
Château de Laubade VSOP
Prunes, dried apricot, vanilla and gentle oak spice.
Strength: 40% · Age and cask: VSOP, at least 4 years in Gascon oak
An estate in Bas-Armagnac that grows its own grapes, distils them in the traditional single-column armagnac still and ages the spirit in oak from its own forests.
Serve: Neat in a tulip glass, after dinner
Janneau VSOP
Prunes, vanilla, orange peel and warm oak spice.
Strength: 40% · Age and cask: At least 4 years in oak casks
Founded in 1851 in Condom, in the heart of Gascony, Janneau is one of the best-known Armagnac houses. It blends brandy from the traditional Armagnac column still with double-distilled brandy for extra roundness.
Serve: Neat in a tulip glass, after dinner
Château du Tariquet VSOP Bas-Armagnac
Prune, vanilla, baked apple and a warm, peppery finish.
Strength: 40% · Age and cask: VSOP, at least 4 years in oak
The Grassa family estate in Gascony is better known for its white wines, but it has made Armagnac for generations from its own Ugni Blanc and Baco grapes. Distilled in the traditional Armagnac column still.
Serve: Neat after dinner
Larressingle VSOP
Warm and rustic: prune, dried apricot, vanilla, toasted oak and spice.
Strength: 40% · Age and cask: At least 4 years, oak casks
An Armagnac house founded in 1837 and named after the fortified hilltop village of Larressingle near Condom in Gascony. Like most Armagnac, it shows more rustic, fruit-driven character than cognac.
Serve: Neat after dinner
Darroze Les Grands Assemblages 20 Ans
Prune, orange zest and cocoa with a lively, spicy, long finish.
Strength: 42% · Age and cask: Average 20 years, French oak
Darroze is a négociant-éleveur that ages single-estate Armagnacs from Bas-Armagnac and blends them into its Grands Assemblages, bottled without colouring or boisé.
Serve: Neat at room temperature in a tulip glass
More brandy regions
Explore all spirits in the interactive guide
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