Armagnac, Feburary 2013

Winter has been dismal; grey and rainy every day since mid-December. Not being able to stay in the house another weekend, we pointed the car north east of Toulouse and ended up in Armagnac country. We visited several Les Plus Beau Villages one of them was Montreal Armagnac. Here we were directed to an area called Le Boubee and found the Armagnac Estate. Since it was a cold rainy afternoon, we were the only customers of the day and were treated to a personal tour and tasting of the Armagnac from Tenereze De Ladeveze.

Armagnac is a type of brandy developed in the southwest of France the region of Gascony, the first region to distill spirits. Armagnac is the oldest type of brandy but it remains less well known around the world than cognac. In the 14th century Prior Vital Du Four, a Cardinal extolled the virtues of Armagnac: “It makes disappear redness and burning of the eyes, and stops them from tearing; it cures hepatitis, sober consumption adhering. It cures gout, cankers, and fistula by ingestion; restores the paralyzed member by massage; and heals wounds of the skin by application. It enlivens the spirit, partaken in moderation, recalls the past to memory, renders men joyous, preserves youth and retards senility. And when retained in the mouth, it loosens the tongue and emboldens the wit, if someone timid from time to time himself permits.”  
More recently in 2007, scientists at Bordeaux University were studying the health effects of Armagnac. People in this region of France live an average of 5 years longer than all other regions of France. In general they smoke quite a bit and eat a fatty diet with plenty of foie gras, confit de canard and sausages. So, this leaves Armagnac as a fountain of youth. Armagnac has anti platelet properties and may also block some of the digestion and absorption of dietary fat. I am going to personally continue this research, eat a diet filled with foie gras and duck fat and have a jigger of Armagnac daily to see what happens. The diet is already in place, the Armagnac started yesterday. I’m feeling better already!

So what is this magic liquid? It is a spirit distilled by a unique process from wine made from several specific varietals of grapes grown in the southwest region of France. There are 10 varieties of grapes that can be used, but the most common are the Baco, the Colombard, the Ugini Blanc and the Folle Blanche. These grapes yield the special aromas, flavors and textures of Armagnac. These grapes are grown in only three districts: Bas-Armagnac-yielding supple youthful spirits, Tenareze-mainly Ugni Blanc and Colombard grapes that can age a long time, and Haut-Armagnac-who’s spirits can be flat and hard. The soil types vary between a mixture of sandy soil with a small amount of clay or a mix of clay and limestone. Much of the Armagnac is still produced by small local distillers, although some have gone into a co-op type of production.

Traditional Armagnac is produced with a column still between the months of November through January. The still is portable and moves around the area to each estates wine to distill the wine into Armagnac. One of the differences between Armagnac and cognac is that Armagnac is distilled only once in a small continuous column-typestill called an Alambic . Cognac is distilled twice using a pot style still. With the Alambic still the wine is heated and the resulting steam passes up the main column and through a number of heated plates. As the steam passes through the plates comes into contact with the wine entering the column so the steam picks up additional fruit elements and flavors. The vapor enters the condensing coil and cools to liquid and drips straight into an oak barrel.

The Armagnac barrel is called une piece armagnacaise that holds 400-420 liters. Once in the barrel the taste softens by evaporation of alcohol and water (past des anges- the angles’ share). The oxidation that occurs in the barrel allows more aromatic compounds to form which improves the flavor. Barrels traditionally came from oak from the Gascon forest, but due to a limited supply, some of the wood now comes from the Limousin forest. The Gascon oak gives tannis to the spirit, and the Limousin oak imparts a vanilla flavor. After a year in the new barrel, the Armagnac is moved into older oak barrels to continue its aging process. Once it is taken out of the barrel bottled, the spirit is stable and the taste will not change. The age of the Armagnac (time spent in the oak barrel) determines its labeling.    

Labeling of Armagnac:

VS or three star is a blend that has spent at least 2 years in a barrel

VSOP is aged in the barrel for 5 years
XO 6aged 6 years 

Hors d’Age at least 10 years in the barrel

Vintage Armagnac must come entirely from the year listed on the bottle

Independent estates will show the domain’s address on the front of the bottle along with the appellation. If not, the Armagnac was bottled by a negociant, and the spirits can come from multiple locations in the region. 


When to drink Armagnac:

It is traditionally a digestif and is savored after a satisfying meal. It can be paired with desserts such as almond cakes, apple tarts, and caramelized pears. Locally, prunes, usually from Agen are soaked in Armagnac, or it can be served with coffee and mild cigars.


How to drink Armagnac: 

Step One: Pour 1.5 ounces into a brandy snifter

Step Two: Observe the color and the clarity

Step Three: Smell, tilt the snifter so that you get both alcohol and fruit notes

Step Four: Put a few drops onto your tongue, then go for a small sip. Roll this around your palate and enjoy the length and finish. You are looking for a balance between the alcohol, the oak and the fruit: too much oak dries out the palate, too much alcohol masks the fruit and too much fruit makes it taste like a liqueur. 

A la tienne!