This brandy comes from the Bas-Armagnac. It's made from 100% Baco grapes. K&L has been promoting it lately and has it for a good price, so I thought I'd check it out.
Chateau de Briat 1995, 21 yo, 43% abv ($70)
This has a really dry and spicy nose. The palate is dry and exceedingly bitter, like beyond any regular level of bitterness. It just dominates everything from mid-palate to finish. Air opens it up a bit - bringing out some fruit and a slight sweetness, but it's still fairly bitter.
This stuff is way too bitter - not an Armagnac I would recommend.
Hi Sku,
ReplyDeleteYou may be aware, but just in case. There is a free download on Kindle entitled the "Practical Distiller" that addresses the issues of farm distilling in an historical context.
I mostly agree, though I don't think I disliked it as much as you did. I will say, however, that since I first experimented with this bottle a month ago, I haven't revisited it at all.
ReplyDeleteHmmm...you mean this is not "a spellbinding brandy with luscious layers of oak, vanilla, caramel, and soft fruit" and that I should not be disappointed that I did not buy two (or even one) when I could have? Well, it's already sold out--I wonder what all the people who bought K&L's breathless rhapsodizing think of it.
ReplyDelete" It only takes one small whiff of this luscious twenty-year-old Armagnac to get your taste buds salivating. The nose is brimming with caramel, toasted oak, sweet fruit, and a bit of earth. The sweetness is what first lights up the palate, as this 1995 is not nearly as dry or tannic as some of the most rustic editions we've carried over the years. Much like a bourbon, the oak provides ample vanilla and richness right off the bat, followed by more nuanced notes of brandied fruit and wood. What stands out on the finish is how long that pronounced sweetness continues to persist. Whereas many of our best Armagnacs dry out towards the back, the 1995 Briat somehow prolongs that intense richness into a lasting presence of baking spices, oak, and soft caramel."
By saying ' this 1995 is not nearly as dry or tannic as some of the most rustic editions we've carried over the years' they're saying it's dry and tannic.
ReplyDeleteYou know, like sweet sweet bourbon.
Oh SKU, you're the worst sales team associate in K&L land. It's like your blog is an instant zero money spending coupon.
Just tried this and I gotta say I'm not getting any of that intense bitterness you're describing. I wonder if something weird happened with your pour?
ReplyDelete