Armagnac is a distinctive kind of brandy produced in the Armagnac region in Gascony, southwest France. It is distilled from wine usually made from a blend of grapes including Baco 22A, Colombard, Folle Blanche and Ugni blanc, traditionally using column stills rather than the pot stills used in the production of cognac, which is made only from Ugni blanc grapes. The resulting spirit is then aged in oak barrels before release.
ABOUT THE GRAPES
UGNI BLANC OR TREBBIANO
relatively easy to grow and gives high yields-in short. It produces wines with elevated levels of acidity and low alcohol, yet is fairly neutral in taste. Pleasing floral aromatics that tend to accentuate the spice notes from the oak in which they are aged.
COLOMBARD:
Colombard's youthful aroma is slightly herbal and reminiscent of freshly mown hay.
FOLLE BLANCHE OR PICPOULT:
very fine texture and light, high-pitched aromatics (including budding vine flowers, white peach, dried apricot and orange peel). Less than 3% of total vineyard plantings.
BACCO 22A (hybrid) (ONLY IN ARMAGNAC)
Hybrid between Folle Blanche and Noah grape.
Full-bodied, with plenty of fat and volume. With some age, it expresses itself with jammy dried plum notes, yet it can be somewhat rustic and lack finesse.
About Delord, the flagship Armagnac at the Liquor Wine Cave:
Situated in Bas-Armagnac, vineyards are made up of Colombard, Ugni Blanc and Folle Blanche grape varieties. The distillery is to be found in the village of Lannepax, the ancestral home of the Delord family.
The distillation, the most essential and fascinating stage in the production of Armagnac, takes place at the beginning of November through to the end of December.
Their old Sier Armagnac alambics, that they wouldn't part with for all the gold in the world, produce less than 30 litres of eau-de-vie an hour. Delord cellars contain old treasured vintages and include more than 700 oak barrels that protect and age the Armagnac eau-de-vie dating from the 20th Century to the present day.
Delord thanks to their vision have stored such quantities of good Armagnacs for such a long time that they have the resource to be very competitive in price for the same quality. They also concentrate on Armagnac styles, very rounded, soft and easy to drink, that they are amongst the most successful producers.
You can visit our range of Armagnacs here