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.

Two New Chateau de Pellehaut Armagnacs from K&L

I was very impressed with last year's Chateau de Pellehaut Armagnacs from K&L's exclusive barrel program so when they announced two new vintage barrels for this year, I was excited to try them.

As you may recall, Chateau de Pellehaut is a grower/distiller from the Tenareze region of Armagnac.

1996 Chateau de Pellehaut, 17 yo, Folle Blanche, K&L Exclusive, 50.4% ($60)

The nose is earthy and rich.  The palate brings out that earthiness with a slight bitterness and some background spice.  This is one of those deep, earthy brandies that I would usually identify with something much older.  It's fantastic stuff and I highly recommend it.  

1983 Chateau de Pellehaut, 30 yo, Ugni Blanc, K&L Exclusive, 47.8% ($85)

Yes, this is a 30 year old Armagnac for $85, another reason why I'm loving brandy these days.  Suck it Scotch! 

The nose on the 1983 is sweet and syrupy with Canadian Whisky notes.  The palate starts off with some of that syrup and orange rind, then moves to spice and earthy notes.  The finish is a bit acidic.

Overall, the 1983 is good, but the 1996 is wonderful.  Last time I tried two Pellehauts, I also preferred the younger one, but in both cases the older version was Ugni Blanc and the younger expression has more Folle Blanche, so I'm not sure if it's the age or the grape that I'm appreciating.  In any case, I found the 1996 drier, spicier and more complex and the 1983 fruitier and sweeter, and I tend to favor dry and spicy over sweet and fruity; your tastes may be different.

Both of these continue to reinforce my perception that we are indeed in a golden age of brandy.  Great prices for wonderful, old brandies.  Enjoy it while it lasts.

Chateau de Pellehaut Armagnac

Our first week of brandy tastings for this series will be dedicated to Armagnac. As I discussed last week, most Cognac producers are essentially blenders who buy brandy on contract with small grower/distillers. In Armagnac, it is a bit easier to find grower/distillers, and one of the larger ones, though still small by Cognac standards, is Chateau de Pellehaut.

Chateau de Pellehaut is in the Tenareze region of Armagnac which is between the regions of Bas-Armagnac and Haut-Armagnac. Tenareze brandies are considered more rustic and less approachable than those from the more popular Bas-Armagnac region.

Today I'll be tasting one of their standard offerings, the Reserve, and two special bottlings from K&L, a 1987 and a 1973. The 1973 demonstrates some of the value of brandy as compared to whiskey that I've mentioned in the past...try finding a 39 year old whiskey for $130.

Pellehaut's more recent vintages are made from the folle blange grape, and the Reserve is made from both ugni blanc and folle blange, but the 1973 is 90% ugni blanc.


Chateau de Pellehaut Reserve, 42% abv, ($50)

The nose has nicely balanced elements of fruit, wood and spice. The palate starts sweet and then develops a nice tang which goes on to dominate the finish. It's very drinkable.


Chateau de Pellehaut 1987, K&L Selection, 49% abv ($80)

The nose is dry and spicy with just a touch of fruit. The fruit comes in strong on the palate, followed by wood and spice which last into the finish. This is a powerfully flavorful and well balanced brandy.


Chateau de Pellehaut 1973, K&L Selection, 43% abv ($130)

The nose mildly spicy; there's also some honey and mild fruit. The palate has a nice spicy fruit flavor, almost like a mulled cider with cloves lasting into the finish which also had a sandalwood note. There's a similarity to some of the better Canadian whiskies with their balance of rye and fruit.


In comparing these, you can definitely tell they are from the same family; the interplay between fruit and spice is a common motif. The Reserve is an easy drinker, the 1973 is nicely balanced, but I'd say the winner here in the 1987 with its strong notes of both fruit and spice in perfect balance.

By the way, if you haven't been reading the comments on the posts introducing last week's brandy series, you should check them out. There is tons of helpful information from knowledgeable commenters, including some who are in the industry. Clearly, there is a thirst for knowledge and discussion of brandy.