Janneau Brandy Armagnac VSOP, 70 cl

Product Information

The result is a more fragrant and flavorful spirit than cognac, where double distillation takes place. TheMontesquiou family’s rootsin the Gascony region in France date back to the year 1040, when the area’s famous Armagnac brandy was first distilled for medicinal purposes (yeah, right… that old excuse). Ageing in the barrel removes a part of the alcohol and water by evaporation (known as part des anges—"angels' tribute" or " angels' share") and allows more complex aromatic compounds to appear by oxidation, which further modifies the flavour. Traditionally, Armagnac was aged in local oak though nowadays barrels might come from further north in France. Since alcohol evaporates faster than water, the alcohol degree is naturally reduced by an average of 0.

The house of Delord was established in 1893, so this 1993 vintage was produced in its centenary year! The 40 year old Bas-Armagnac from the Darroze 'Les Grands Assemblages' range, which spans decades and decades. In a region full of tiny brands, Janneau is about as close as Armagnac gets to a big house, but its still a minnow compared with the famous Cognac houses.

Cognac on the coast near Bordeaux looked to Britain, Holland and the wider world, and became a global industry, whereas inland Armagnac would have been relatively inaccessible until the coming of the railways in the 19th century. Only 48 houses in Armagnac own their own copper still, so to support the rest of the houses, there are five travelling distillers who pull their alambic by tractor around the villages. The wine is distilled through a column still and placed in white oak casks for a minimum of ten years to comply with the “Hors d’ Age” requirements for XO Armagnac.

This unique brandy certainly pleases the nose and palate with its myriad of rich, fruity flavours, spices, wood and vanilla.The French gourmet dish ortolan has traditionally been prepared by force-feeding an ortolan bunting before drowning it in Armagnac and roasting it. Once harvested, the grapes are fermented either with wild or cultured yeast to produce a light acidic wine of about 8% ABV.