Darroze 50

One of my go-to recommendations for people wanting to try an Armagnac is Darroze Les Grands Assemblages 20 year old.  Darroze is an independent bottler with a large selection of casks at their disposal. Most of what they bottle are single barrels but their Les Grands Assemblages series are blends of their different casks.  Today, I'm lucky enough to sample the 50 year old Armagnac from this series.

Darroze Les Grands Assemblages 50, 42% abv ($350)

The nose is spicy with overripe fruit. The nose is a bit flat but it really comes alive on the palate with big fruit notes at the front end, followed by spicy mint and earthy notes leading to a peppery, somewhat medicinal finish.

As with all of Darroze's blends, this one seems calculated for mass appeal.  It's very good, but there are probably other brandies I'd buy before spending $350 on it.


Thanks to My Annoying Opinions for the sample.

Chateau de Briat 1996

As a follow up to my recent review of the 1995 Chateau de Briat, I thought I would taste a 1996. This one is an exclusive pick from Astor Wines and, like the 1995, is made from 100% Baco grapes.

Chateau de Briat 1996, 20 yo, 46% abv ($100)

The nose is full of maple syrup, cinnamon and cloves. On the palate it starts spicy followed by sweetness and a mild, pleasant bitterness. The finish is dominated by gingerbread notes.

This is a really nice Armagnac, well balanced and full of baking spices. It didn't have any of the strong bitter notes I disliked in the 1995.

Thanks to Dan Walbrun for the sample. 

Chateau de Briat Armagnac 1995

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.

Cardinat Armagnac

K&L recently brought in three Armagnacs from Cardinat in Bas Armagnac. They are made with Folle Blanche, Baco, Colombard and Ugni Blanc grapes.

Cardinat 1992, 23 yo, 47% (K&L $60)

This has a beautiful, spicy nose with some fruit in the background. The palate starts spicy and earthy and ends on a sweet note. The finish starts with that same sweet note, moves to spicy mint and ends on earthy notes and some bitterness. This one is nicely balanced and densely flavored.

Cardinat 1987, 28 yo, 49% (K&L $70)

Interestingly, this brandy is much lighter in color than the other two. K&L informed me that it was a larger yield so more of it went into used barrels. The nose is woody with a light grainy note, almost like a Canadian Whiskey. The palate is spicy with a light sweetness and a bit of rum-like funk. The finish is brief and spicy. This one is much more nuanced.

Cardinat 1981, 34 yo, 49% (K&L $90)

This has a huge, oaky nose, like a bourbon. On the palate it's quite sweet and oaky with leather and tobacco and a chewy mouthfeel. The finish is sweet with a light spice. This is a super-concentrated monster. It's bourbon like in its woodiness but also very sweet. Some will probably think it's over oaked. I like the oak level, but find it a bit too sweet.


These were three very different brandies. The 1992 was my favorite. It's well balanced with lots of flavor. The 1981 is the opposite; it's got huge, bold oak with a lot of sweetness, definitely a bourbon lover's brandy. The 1987 was much more nuanced, lighter than the other two but a fine brandy with some character nonetheless.

New Armagnac: Domaine de Baraillon 1988 Folle Blanche

Today I taste a 1988 Folle Blanche Domaine de Baraillon. I enjoyed a similar 1988 Baraillon that came out two years ago. This one is available now at K&L.

Domaine de Baraillon 1988, Folle Blanche, 28 yo, 46% abv ($120)

This one has a really wonderful nose with nutmeg and roses. On the palate it's spicy, woody and earthy with a thick mouthfeel.  There's just a touch of fruit underneath. The finish is dry and earthy with a slight bitterness.

These Folle Blanche Baraillons tend to be drier and earthier than those made from Baco and Ugni Blanc grapes. The Folle Blanche barndies may not be as balanced, but they pack a lot of flavor in a profile I really enjoy, and this one is a great example of that with a lot of punch. I would definitely recommend it.

My Favorite French Brandies of the 2010s

Following up on the list of my favorite whiskeys of all time, I thought I would do something similar for brandy. Listed below are my ten favorite French brandies released in the last five years. As with the whiskey list, I made this without regard to price or current availability, though I limited it to brandies available at retail in the U.S. since 2010 (i.e., the Golden Age of Brandy). They are listed in alphabetical order by type of brandy.

Cognac

Navarre Vieille Reserve, Grande Champagne, 45% abv
Paul-Marie & Fils Cognac, Borderies, Faultline Spirits, 61% abv
Paul-Marie & Fils Devant La Porte 1951, Grande Champagne, 51% abv

Armagnac

Domaine de Baraillon 1893, Bas-Armagnac, 40% abv
Domaine de Baraillon 1933, Bas-Armagnac, 40% abv
Domaine de Baraillon 1985, Bas-Armagnac 48% abv 
Chateau de Pellehaut 1996, Tenareze, 17 yo, 50.4% abv
Domaine de Pouchegu 1986, Tenzareze, 45% abv

Calvados

Camut Privilege 18 yo, Pays D'Auge, 40%
Henri Bernard Beudin Calvados, Eric Bordelet Selection, 18 yo, 53% abv

Delord 25 Armagnac

Delord is one of the larger houses in the Bas Armagnac. They both source brandy and make their own, and unlike many smaller produces, they have a distillery on site.

Delord 25 year old, 40% abv ($70)

The nose is spicy with some dry raisin notes. The palate starts spicy, then turns quite sweet and then bitter. The mouthfeel is watery. The finish has caramel and is slightly fruity.

I was not a fan of this brandy. The sweet and bitter notes lacked depth - no fruit or earthiness, just pure sweet and bitter, and it didn't have much else going on. Overall, it lacked complexity.

Thanks to Florin for the sample.

Lous Pibous Armagnac from L'Encantada

L'Encantada is a fairly new Armagnac bottler that is bottling Armagnacs from six estates in the Bas Armagnac Region. Like Darroze, L'Encantada mostly bottles single casks and includes the name of the producer on the label. They are unfiltered and bottled at cask strength.

This one comes from Domaine Lous Pibous. It is made from Folle Blanche grapes and aged in new oak.

Domaine Lous Pibous 1994, L'Encantada, 53.7%

The nose has caramel, coffee and lots of earthy notes. The palate opens with notes of an old bourbon, like one of those huge, oaky 17 or 18 year old Bernheim wheaters that Willett put out a few years ago. After that initial bourbon blast, there are some more traditional spicy notes and earthy notes that careen into a spicy finish.

This is a fantastic, monster of a brandy. Whereas most Armagnacs are more rye-like in their spiciness, this one tastes like a big, oaky bourbon, the kind you don't really get anymore.

Sadly, these aren't available in the U.S., but you can get a bottle in France for around 90€ (500 ml bottle).

Thanks to Paul Schurman for helping me acquire this bottle.

Domaine de Baraillon 1986

There are a few brandies that are so consistently of excellent quality that I will reflexively buy them whenever they come out, sort of how I used to with new Ardbeg releases before they started to suck. Included in these automatic buys are 1990s Chateau de Pellehaut Armagnac, Navarre Cognac and 1980s Domaine de Baraillon Armagnac.

Knowing how good those brandies are, I jumped at the chance to get another when K&L announced a new, 1986 Domaine de Baraillon, bottled this year.  Let's see if it measures up.

Domaine de Baraillon 1986, 30 years old, 46% abv ($80)

The nose is beautiful and what I've come to expect from Baraillon with fruit and spice, almost like a mulled wine. The palate opens with the spice, cinnamon and clove, then develops orange rind and sweet brandy notes. Like the nose, it has mulled wine notes and maybe even Vermouth. The finish is dry and spicy.

This is a classic Baraillon, fantastic stuff and a great deal for a 30 year old brandy.

Unfortunately, it looks like this one sold out quickly, but sometimes additional bottles of these releases do pop up, so you might want to watch for it.

No, I Can't Recommend a Good Armagnac

For the past few years, I've been singing the praises of brandy, and Armagnac in particular. As a result, I get a lot of requests for Armagnac recommendations. This is always tough. While there is great Armagnac to be had at great prices, it's not very widespread.

There are just two people who seem responsible for bringing in the majority of the great Armagnac (and many other French spirits for that matter) available in the US.  Charles Neal, in California, is a long-time importer of French spirits. He brings in all of K&L's special Armagnac picks as well as many others. Nicolas Palazzi is a New York based importer/distributor. His company, PM Spirits, brings in tons of good stuff from all over France. The problem is, these guys have limited reach. Neal's best stuff are the K&L picks, but he also brings in barrels for D&M in San Francisco.  In Southern California, you can find Palazzi's stuff at K&L and Everson Royce in Pasadena, and it's in a number of NY venues including Astor Wines.

But what if you're not in New York or California?  Well, you can order on-line from K&L or Astor, but if you're in a no-shipping state, you're in trouble. The Armagnac selection in most liquor stores, including many that have huge whiskey selections, is tiny, and the stuff that is there tends to be from a few big producers or blenders that make fairly indistinct stuff (Tariquet, Laubade, Castarede, etc.).

As for all of those fun things I write about, Pellehaut, Baraillon, Domaine d'Aurensan, you're probably out of luck. The big exception is Darroze. They are one of the best bottlers in Armagnac and bottle lots of cask strength, single grower expressions as well as a number of excellent blends. They are the one really great Armagnac bottler that has more widespread availability, though they are also more expensive than most smaller producers.

And while it would be great to have fantastic Armagnac available everywhere, it's probably never going to happen. Most Armagnac producers are tiny. Neal and Palazzi (and the K&L Davids) spend their time hunting around dusty barns in Gascony to find the good stuff. It's like American Pickers, but with brandy and in France. And the same is largely true for Calvados and even Cognac.

So, I'm sorry that I can't recommend a great Armagnac, even though you live in a big city with great liquor stores, but who knows what the future holds? There is definitely room for more Armagnac in the US and so hopefully, as it grows in popularity, we will start to see more of it in more places.

Brandies We Need More Of

As regular readers know, this is the Golden Age of Brandy. There are amazing brandies out there that are reasonably priced, but they are still mostly limited to a few markets. Here are three French brandies I'd like to see more of in more places in the US.

1.  Armagnac. I've been raving about Armagnac for the past couple of years, but the amazing bottles from small growers are mostly going to just a few US locations like K&L, D&M and Astor Wines. In most of the rest of the country, even in many great liquor stores, there's not much in the way of great Armagnac except for the Darroze bottlings (which are very good). This is likely due to the nature of the industry. Most of the best stuff comes from small grower/producers who don't always have huge stocks. Then again, there are a lot of small grower/producers so hopefully we will have a chance to get more and more.

2. Calvados. This stunning apple/pear brandy from Normandy may be the most underrated spirit around right now. One of the best spirits I had last year was a Calvados. While Camut is excellent Calvados which is fairly available, there are around 200 Calvados producers, very few of which make it to the US. I'm planning on drinking a lot of Calvados this year, but I'd love to see more of the good stuff.

3. Marc. Marc is French pomace brandy, made from the leftovers from wine making (skins, pulp, seeds, etc.). It is similar to Italian grappa except that where grappa is usually unaged, some marks are aged in oak (and others in glass or stone). It is made in various regions which are included in the name of the spirit (e.g. Marc de Bourgogne from Burgandy or Marc de Champagne, etc.). Marc is funky, funky stuff with all kinds of crazy earthy, musty notes. I've only had a few but would love to try more.

Hopefully more retailers will figure out that brandy is a happening spirit and start giving us some variety.

Armagnac Producers

As I've become more and more interested in brandies, and Armagnac in particular, I thought I would try to put together a list of producers along the lines of my list of whiskey distilleries. In his excellent but regrettably out of print 1998 book Armagnac - The Definitive Guide to France's Premier Brandy, Charles Neal says that there are 800 producers in the Armagnac region. That is a pretty daunting number and covers many producers who sell to negociants and don't bottle their own product. As a more reasonable endeavor, I put together a list of major Armagnac producers whose products are more likely to be found in the U.S.

Much as whiskey production includes distillers, blenders and bottlers of sourced product, Armagnac includes a number of different types of producers.  There are grower/producers who grow their own grapes and make their own wine (which is often distilled for them by a traveling distiller), distillers who buy wine and distill and age it, and negociants who buy distilled Armagnac to bottle and/or blend.

The list below is divided into four sections. The first three sections list grower/producers in the three regions of Armagnac (though Haut Armagnac barely has any producers) which are listed along with their locations. Some of these growers bottle their own Armagnac while others sell casks to Darroze, the one Armagnac negociant that regularly lists the provenance of its casks.

The last list shows firms that distill and/or bottle Armagnac from other growers. Some of them grow some portion of their own grapes as well. As with whiskey, it's not always clear who does what, but I've tried my best to get it right.


Bas Armagnac

Artez, Arthez d'Armagnac. More information available on their distributor's website.

Baraillon Domaine de, Lannemaignan
Barigos, Domaine de
La Beroje, Chateau de,  Le Houg
Bernadotte, Domaine de, Parleboscq
Bertruc, Domaine de, Le Frêche
Boingneres, Domaine, Le Frêche
Bouillon, Domaine de

Briat, Chateau de, Mauvezin d'Armaganc
Busquet, Domaine de, Labastide d'Armagnac

Charron, Domaine de, Perquie

Coquillon, Domaine de, Le Frêche
Couzard Lassalle, Domaine,
Ducs, Domaine Aux, Le Bourdalat 

Esperance, Domaine de, Mauvezin-d'Armagnac
La Gardenne, Domaine de,
Garreau, Chateau, Labastide-d'Armagnac
Gaube, Chateau de, Perquie
Guillemouta, Domaine de

Jean Bon, Domaine de, Toujouse
Jouanchicot, Domaine de (aka Domaine de Dupont), Mauléon-d'Armagnac
Jouanda, Domaine de, Arthez d'Armagnac
Joy, Domaine de, Panjas

Laballe, Chateau de, Parleboscq
Laberdolive, Domaine de, Labastide-d'Armagnac
Laburthe, Domaine de, Lacquy
Lacquy, Chateau de, Lacquy
Lamarquette, Domaine de
Laree, Chateau de, Laree
Lassaubatju, Domaine de, Hontanx

Lasserade, Chateau de, Lasserade

Laubade, Chateu de, Sorbets
Loujan, Domain (Armagnacs labeled just "Loujan" are sourced).
Luquet, Domaine de, Labastide-d'Armagnac

Maouhum, Domaine de

Marie Duffau
Martet, Chateau, Vic-Fezensac (owned by Maison Gelas)
Martin, Domaine au, Hontanx
Millet, Chateau de, Eauze
Miquer, Domaine de, Hontanx

Ognoas, Domaine De, Arthez d'Armagnac

Papolle, Domaine de, Mauléon d’Armagnac
Petita, Domaine de, Perquie
Peyrot, Domaine de, Sainte Christie d'Armagnac
Pounon, Domaine de, Labastide d'Armagnac
Pouteou, Domaine de, Lannemaignan

Ravignan, Chateau de, Perquie
Rieston, Domaine de, Perquie
Rimaillo, Domaine de,
Saint Aubin, Chateau du
Salie, Domaine de, Landas
Sandemagnan, Chateau, Cazaubon
Tariquet, Chateau du


Haut Armagnac

Grand-Comte, Domaine de, Roquelaure.

Tenareze

Arton, Domaine de, Lectoure.

Aurensan, Domaine, Cassaigne (common ownership with Leberon)

Busca, Chateau du, Mansencôme
Cassaigne, Chateau de, Cassaigne
Grangerie, Chateau de, Lannes

Ladeveze, Tenareze de

Leberon, Chateau de, Cassaigne (common ownership with Aurensan)
Pellehaut, Chateau de, Montréal
La Poste, Domaine de, 
Pouchegu, Domaine de
La Salette, Domaine, Condom (aka Domaine Duffour)


Negociants

Baron de Castelnau, Ayguetinte (Distills and ages purchased wines)
Baron de Lustrac, Magnan
Castarede, Maison, Lavardac. (Also use the label Chateau de Maniban). They distill in-house, except for some of their oldest vintages.
Cavé, Lannepax
Chabot, Villeneuve-de-Marsan
Cles des Ducs, Panjas
Darroze, Bas Armagnac. Darroze purchases Armagnac and discloses the producer on the label as well as making blends.
Dartigalongue, Nogaro (also uses the label La Croix de Salles). Use their own grapes as well as purchasing.
Delord, Lannepax (also sell under the Marie Duffau label). Delord has its own vines as well as purchasing wines.
Eric Artiguelongue, Arblade le Haut
Ferrand, Maison, This Cognac bottler also bottles Armagnac under the Cerbois label.
Gelas, Maison, Vic-Fezensac. Owners of Chateau Martet bottle it as well as other Armagnacs.
Janneau, Condom (Distills and ages from purchased wines)
Kelt, Nogaro. A Cognac bottler that also makes Chateau du Saint Aubin Armagnac.
Lafitte, Domaine a, Sion
Larressingle, Condom
Loujan, This new producer has purchased a vineyard but, prior to having its own wines, bottled sourced Armagnacs under the Loujan label. Now they have produced some Armagnacs from their wines under the label "Domaine Loujan.".
Marcel Trepout, Vic-Fezensac
Marquis de Montesquiou, Eauze (Pernod Ricard)
Marquis de Sauval
Montal, Nogaro.
Ryst-Dupeyron, Maison, Condom. Using the label J. Dupeyron.
Samalens, Laujuzan
Sempe, Villeneuve-de-Marsan
Veuve J. Goudoulin, Maison, Gondrin

Armagnacs: Jean-Bon & Manohum

Around the holidays, I always struggle to find great spirits that are actually on the shelves and won't cost a fortune. For the past few months, K&L has had some great Armagnacs that seem to be flying under the radar, so there are plenty on the shelf. They are a series of brandies from Domaine de Jean-Bon and Domaine de Maouhum. Both are small producers located in the Bas Armagnac that use Baco grapes.

Domaine de Maouhum 1987, 28 yo, 46% abv ($73)

The nose is woody with some bourbony caramel and lots of oak. The palate has a nice acidic fruit note, like slightly sour grapes. Going out it has a chewy mouthfeel. The finish is heavy on the menthol with some earthy, spicy notes. TThe finish was a bit too heavy on the menthol but otherwise, a great brandy.

Domaine de Maouhum 1983, 42% abv ($100)

The nose is dry and spicy with ginger. The palate is spiced cider or mulled wine. It comes on sweet with cinnamon, ginger, clove and lemon.  On the palate, the dry, spiciness of the nose returns along with oak and menthol notes. This is very nice and very balanced.

Domaine de Jean-Bon 1990, 25 yo, 45% abv ($80)

The nose is oaky with some light fruit. The palate is sweet and fruity with just a touch of spice toward the end which leads into a spicy finish. This is fun, really drinkable stuff, sweet, fruity and delicious.

Domaine de Jean-Bon 1987, 28 yo, Bas-Armagnac, Baco, 45% ($100)

The nose has huge oak notes along with bourbon and red wine. The palate opens sweet with cane sugar syrup then develops fruit notes with a bit more acid, then some juniper. The finish has light fruit notes with some wood on the palate. It's interesting that the nose can be so intensely woody while the palate retains so much sweetness. 

Domaine de Jean-Bon 1979, 36 yo, 45% abv ($130)

This is another heavily oaky nose, this time even more so and with less fruit. The palate is oaky with a light sweetness and a dry, ashy mouthfeel, like an old red wine. Toward the end, some fruit notes emerge and the finish has a fruity nose and some spice on the palate. Going through these three, you can really see the interplay of oak and fruit over time. The 1990 was fruit forward, the 1979 dry an oaky, and the 1987 is a perfect balance of the two.


These were all very good. The Maouhums are spicier and the Jean-Bons are fruitier. As usual with Armagnac, these are fantastic deals, and they are there for the taking. In addition to these, K&L brought in a Maouhum XO for $50 and a number of other Jean-Bons, including a 1974 ($140), a 1995 ($60) and a 1999 ($50).

Disclaimer: I purchased the 1987s (which sparked my interest in these); the others were samples provided by K&L. 

Domaine d'Aurensan and Chateau Leberon Armagnacs

Today I continue my week of French spirits with some new Armagnacs brought to us by Nicolas Palazzi. These are from two small estates in the Tenareze Region that are owned by the same family. 

Domaine d'Aurensan 20 year old, 42.5% abv ($210)

This one is a blend of four casks from 1973, 1978, 1981 and 1990. The nose on this is fantastic. It's very bourbony with caramel notes and oak. Whereas the nose says bourbon, the palate says rum, opening with big, sweet molasses notes. Those yield to earthy notes more typical of Armagnac that trail into the finish, which also adds some anise.

In addition, Palazzi is offering a 1975 Aurensan for $425 (funny, he didn't send a sample of that one).

Chateau Leberon 1986, Single Cask, 44.7% abv ($260)

The nose on this has earthy Armagnac notes along with some sulfur, like you'd fine in a sherry cask. On the palate, this is a much more traditional Armagnac than the Aurensan with dry, earthy notes. The late palate brings out some of that sulfur, briefly but sharply, and the finish returns to earthy Armagnac.

Palazzi is also bringing in a 1964 Leberon at $750.


I really liked both of these, though I'd say I slightly preferred the Domaine d'Aurensan which was a bit bolder in character. That being said, they are quite expensive, and there are Armagnacs of comparable quality that are quite a bit cheaper.

Thanks to Nicolas Palazzi for the Samples.

 

Armagnac Report: Chateau de la Grangerie

K&L recently introduced a trio of private barrel Armagnacs from Chateau de la Grangerie, a small producer in the Tenareze region.  All of them are distilled entirely from Ugni Blanc grapes.

First a warning, these need air.  When I tasted them fresh out of the bottle, they had a lot of bitterness.  Five minutes in the glass made most of that dissipate, and the following notes reflect tastings after that five minute period, so pour and wait. I'd even be tempted to decant these.

2001 Chateau de la Grangerie, 13 years old, 45% abv ($50)

The nose is dry and spicy with wood spice and just a hint of fruit. The palate is dry with faint grape notes which develop into a deeply earthy palate and a long, earthy finish, just bordering on too bitter, with bay leaves on the nose...like strolling through a damp forest after the rain. This one is bold, complex and earthy.

1994 Chateau de la Grangerie, 20 years old, 45.5% abv ($65)

The nose has mild, fruit juice flavors. The palate is dry and earthy but those notes are fleeting. The finish has a strong menthol note. This one feels a bit undeveloped; the flavors on the palate aren't particularly strong, it seems watered down and the strong menthol note on the finish puts it out of balance.

1964 Chateau de la Grangerie, 50 years old, 44% abv ($150)

The nose on this is just fantastic with honey and orange rind, even some sherry. The palate opens with lightly sweetened tea, then spicy black pepper notes. It turns dry, earthy and chewy just as it transitions to the finish which has pleasant dry fruit note, think apricots and red grapes, but without the sweetness.

These are really bold, earthy Armagancs. The 2001 was my favorite. It was complex and earthy, with layers of flavor that made me keep wanting to take another sip. At $50, it's a steal.  The 1964 is probably more of a people pleaser as it had a more traditional brandy flavor profile. It's very good, and it's certainly reasonably priced at $150 for a 50 year old (When was the last time you could pay $150 for 50 year old anything?). Overall, though, I thought the 2001 was more interesting and had more complexity. Compared to these two great Armagnacs, the 1994 seems out of place. The palate had weak, diluted flavors, and the only real distinctive notes came in the menthol on the finish which was way out of balance.  But hey, two out of three ain't bad.

Younger Armagnacs from Baraillon and Darroze

Today I taste two Armagnacs from two of my favorite producers.  

Domaine de Baraillon 10 year old, 2003 42% abv ($53)

Domaine de Baraillon has blown me away with some of their older vintages.  This is by far the youngest Baraillon I've tasted.  It was bottled for K&L.

This has a really nice nose with honey and floral notes.  The palate is sweet and fruity and the finish has raisins. With the sweet and fruity notes, it's more like a Cognac than a typical Armagnac.

This is light and sweet and not very complex but totally enjoyable.

Darroze Les Grand Assemblages 20 year old, 43% ($100)

Darroze is the most prominent independent bottler in Armagance.  Most of their bottlings are vintage bottlings which disclose the (usually very small) distillery.  This is age stated but there is no distillery listed so it is likely a blend of Armagnacs from different distilleries.

The nose is spicy with a touch of fruit slipped in between the spicy notes. On the palate, it's rich and spicy with a touch of sweetness, a typical Armagnac mix.  The finish surprised me with Christmas spices, especially ground ginger but also some clove at the end of the finish.

As with the Baraillon, this Armaganc is not overly complex, but fun to drink with a nice balance of sweet and spicy notes.   

Thanks to Funky Tape for the samples.

1998 Ladeveze Armagnac from K&L

This is a new K&L Armagnac that they are very proud of. It is distilled from Graisse grapes in the Tenareze region of Armagnac. K&L only had 40 bottles to start with, and they sold out of those, but they expect to get more this fall.

1998 Ladeveze, K&L, 16 yo, 45% abv ($120)

The nose is very fruity with just a touch of spice - more of a Cognac nose than an Armagnac. The palate begins dry and fruity, but it quickly becomes diluted and flat tasting. Around mid-palate, the flavor just sort of disappears, and you're left with a sort of plastic note. The finish has a very vague pepper note, followed (much later) by green apples and medicinal notes on the palate and a slightly fruity nose.

I was really disappointed with this one. There's just not much to it. To be fair, K&L's David Driscoll specifically said, "This is not a Bourbon drinker’s brandy; it’s a wine lover’s brandy." I'm not much of a wine connoisseur, so maybe that's true, but this bourbon (and brandy) drinker wasn't impressed.

There is some good brandy news from K&L though. They just got new shipments of the 1994 and 1996 Chateau de Pellehaut, two of my favorite Armagnacs from last year.

$15 Armagnac: Prince D'Arignac VS

Armagnac is one of my favorite spirits, and while it's a good deal compared to whiskey, there's not much available on the low end.  For that reason, I was intrigued to see Trader Joe's carrying an Armagnac for $14.99.  This appears to be an independently bottled brandy and the VS indicates that it is between two and four years old.

How good is a $15 Armagnac?  Let's find out.

Prince D'Arignac Armagnac VS, 40% abv ($14.99)

The nose is new makey, like it really smells fresh off the still with all of those tequila like new make notes.  The palate follows suit.  It's got some spice but the overall flavor is raw new make...more akin to a two month old than a two year old brandy.  There's really nothing that distinguishes it as Armagnac until the finish which has a light spiciness and some fruit in the background, but even that is dominated by new make notes.  I feel bad for anyone who picks this up hoping it will give them a sense of what Armagnac is like, and given that it's at Trader Joe''s, I'm guessing that will be a lot of people.

Well, now I know what a $15 Armagnac tastes like, and I don't plan on tasting it again.

Depression Era Brandy: Domaine de Baraillon 1933

Domaine de Baraillon is one of my favorite Armagnac houses, and I was lucky enough to have enough friends who were interested to make a split somewhat reasonable for this rare brandy that K&L plucked out of France this year. I've done lots of previous reviews of Baraillon Armagnacs, including an even older one from 1893.

This Armagnac was distilled in 1933 and moved to glass demijohns in the mid-1980s, so it had about 50 years in wood.  It was bottled at cask strength.  Unfortunately, it's no longer available, but I thought it was unique enough to be worth recording.

Domaine de Baraillon 1933, 40% abv ($800)

The nose on this is massive and just bursting with fruit.  There's grape, raisin, prune and it just comes rushing at you like a big fruit bomb.  The palate gives a quick burst of sweet then quickly turns dry, spicy and oaky with pepper.  It trails off with light bitter notes that grow into a very earthy, bitter finish, but the fruit is still there on the nose of the finish.

This is a pretty extraordinary brandy.  Like the other Baraillons, it has elements of fruit, spice and oak, but where the others balance them together, this one divides them, giving you one after the other - fruit on the nose, spice and oak on the palate, earthiness on the finish.  While it's less balanced at any given point, the progression is really interesting and makes me keep going back for another sip to start the whole thing over again.   

This is a really wonderful brandy.  Yes, $800 is really expensive, but it's about as much as you would pay for this year's Pappy 20 on the secondary market, so there's that.

UPDATE: A few people have asked me how this can be  cask strength if it's only 40% abv.  Well, it's old and it lost proof over the years.  It's likely that Baraillon was monitoring the abv and moved it to glass when it hit 40% to keep it from dropping any further in the cask.  Interestingly, despite its low proof, it doesn't taste at all diluted, which makes me wonder if there is a flavor difference between a brandy (or whiskey) that naturally reduced to a certain proof over time versus one that had water added prior to bottling in order to dilute it.

New K&L Armagnacs: Chateau de Pellehaut

This is my second in a series of three reviews of this year's exclusive brandies from K&L.  This year K&L has brought in four Armagnacs from one of my favorite producers, Chateau de Pellehaut in the Tenareze Region.  Here they are.

2000 Chateau de Pellehaut, 14 yo, Folle Blanche, 50.5% abv ($50)

This has a really nice nose, dry but fruity, subtle.  The palate has some fruit and some of that nice Pellehaut bitterness.  Pepper comes in late and goes into the finish.  The is surprisingly mature for its age and nicely put together.

1996 Chateau de Pellehaut, 18 yo, Folle Blanche, 50.4% abv ($60)

Last year's 1996 Pellehaut was one of my favorite spirits of the year.  Now it's a year older; let's see how it's aged.

The nose is fruity with mulling spices but not too sweet smelling.  The palate is spicy, a tad bitter and peppery which fades into a peppery finish.  I still have some of last year's '96 so I did a side by side.  This year's is not quite as full bodied as last year's and lacks some of the sweeter notes that really rounded that one out. Both are good, but I'd give the nod to last year's version.

1994 Chateau de Pellehaut, 20 yo, Folle Blanche, 48.5% abv ($70)

This has a really bold aroma of leather, polished wood and spice.  The palate has grape jelly, oak (like wine casks) and has a dry, chewy mouthfeel.  The finish has fruit on the nose and spice on the palate.  This one is terrific; it's bold but well balanced and the strong oak notes give it a little something extra.

1978 Chateau de Pellehaut, 36 yo, Ugni Blanc, 45.5% abv ($100)

The nose on this is oaky with lots of polished wood and pipe tobacco.  Considering the nose, it's surprisingly sweet on the initial palate, followed by lots of spice.  The finish is dry and woody.

As usual with the Pellehauts, these were all good and had the characteristic mix of wood, fruit and bitterness.  The 1994 was definitely my favorite of the group.  It had a bit more wood and spice, which added to its complexity compared to the '96, but it wasn't quite as dry as the '78.

Thanks to K&L for the samples.  Tomorrow I review their Cognacs.