Cles des Ducs XO Armagnac, 70 cl

Product Information

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. Armagnac vines grow in fine quartz sands, continental and riverbed sediments and siliceous clay. This terroir is divided into 3 crus: 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.

Cognac and Armagnac The 4 differences between Cognac and Armagnac

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. 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%). It was 1912 when the Grassa family took over Domaine Tariquet in Gascony, where fine eaux-de-vie have been produced since 1683. Château de Gaube, Bas Armagnac Darroze, 1972, 43.5% ABV, 750 ml. Francois Darroze is a negociant that is one of the largest bottlers of Armagnac and specializes in vintage expressions. The 1972 Gaube was bottled in 2011 as a 39 YO expression. All the Château’s Armagnacs are produced entirely from the Baco grape. The Château is located in the Perquie area of Landes in Bas-Armagnac. The existence of the port of La Rochelle and the 1860 Trade Agreement between France and England under the authority of Napoleon III enabled Cognac to grow exponentially abroad, which continues to this day. 98% of the production is exported. Cognac is mainly sold by __four major, world-known Cognac trading houses: Hennessy, Courvoisier, Remy-Martin and Martell.Domaine d’Esperance, 2003 Folle Blanche, Bas-Armagnac, 50% ABV, 750 ml is a vintage, specific cask selection produced entirely from Folle blanche grapes. The company has been run by members of the Montesquiou family since 1990. kilometres from Cognac, visit the Cognac ecomuseum located on the Domaine de Tesseron. It presents the Tesseron family history and heritage through its Winemaker-Distiller Museum as well as the world of Cognac in a fun-filled, poetic way. 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

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

Cognac has now become an absolute trend in the United States. After “Pass the Courvoisier” Busta Rhimes’ hit, in 2012 the performer Jay-Z entered into a partnership with Bacardi to create his own brand of Cognac: D’Ussé. Petite Champagne, sits astride the Charente and Charente-Maritime departments, around Barbezieux (Charente), Archiac and Jonzac (Charente-Maritime). In Cognac 97% of the grape variety used is Ugni-Blanc which produces fine, high-quality eaux-de-vie. It is also used in Armagnac (55%). 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. Serve at room temperature after a good meal (it can also be enjoyed alongside a blue cheese, a crème bûlée, apple pie, a chocolate fondant), or at the end of a long day. DOMAINE TARIQUET ARMAGNAC XO: AWARDSChâteau 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.

Review: Armagnacs of Chateau de Laubade - Drinkhacker Review: Armagnacs of Chateau de Laubade - Drinkhacker

Unaged Armagnac, Blanche d’Armagnac, a new category legalized in 2007, is very aromatic and fruity and is very similar to Pisco. 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. Haut-Armagnac is the largest of the three Armagnac producing districts, although it only contains about 3% of the producing vineyards. This is an area of chalky-clay hills and is characterized by soils high in limestone. Vineyards tend to be scattered among the limestone outcroppings that dot the region.

Fins Bois is located on the periphery of the three aforementioned areas. It is here that the majority of the wines are produced (42%).