Three Armagnacs, three very different approaches: an old BA from the 1970s, a more recent estate bottling, and a classic blend from one of the region’s key houses.
L'Encantada Le Sablé 1976 40,2% (2022 bottling)
70s Bas-Armagnac from L’Encantada cellars. This 2022 bottling from Le Sablé estate has spent 40 years in cask before being transferred into a demi-john. 100% Baco. 40,2%. Let’s go!
Colour: Dark amber, orange highlights. Irregular, heavy tears.
Nose: Very rum-like at first. Citrusy, but with a full spoon of exotic notes. Hints of floral shades, mainly violet blossom. Add a few chalky notes in the background and this could almost be mistaken for a Ténarèze.
Palate: High-acidity profile, confirming the chalky impressions from the nose. Fresh tangerine juice, violet sweets. Great acidulous drive for sure. A tad more oak in the aftertaste, but it remains well balanced.
Last Notes: Deeper and cleaner with air, with lingering floral scents. Cola sweets, cinnamon. Gentle sugariness on quince jam and rustic honey tones. Back on the palate, a touch of coconut powder and milk chocolate.
Hard to complain about this one. A lovely 1970s Armagnac with some Ténarèze shades. I only miss a bit of depth and complexity to push it beyond 88.
88/100
Château de Lacquy 2010 Folle Blanche Brut de fût 49% (2022 bottling)
Another Bas-Armagnac here. Château de Lacquy is a huge property located in the western Armagnac area, nestled in the middle of a beautiful forest (but the way to the estate has some horror movie vibes if you arrive by the end of the day). They own 25 hectares of vines: Baco, Folle Blanche and Colombard. Let’s go!
Colour: Orange, gold highlights. Irregular, medium tears.
Nose: Rustic and fruity at first, with ample plum eau-de-vie notes. Mocha, coffee, obvious roasted scents. A few bourbon vanilla notes in the background. Slightly dusty too.
Palate: Strong oak influence on the palate, expressed through bitter notes. Hints of varnished wood and linseed oil. Honestly, I found it more convincing on the nose. Here, rusticity dominates over precision and depth.
Last Notes: A bit heathery with air. Ample caramel sweets notes. A touch of fresh orchard fruit, surrounded by a few exotic hints, mainly green banana. Some pastry notes too. Back on the palate, the oak structure still outweighs the fruit.
Not the easiest Armagnac, with a very marked wood influence. That said, I’ve been told that more recent bottlings tend to be less oaky.
83/100
Darroze 40yo Les Grands Assemblages 43% (2021 bottling)
Les Grands Assemblages is one of the most famous core ranges of armagnacs, showcasing different decades through blends. This 40yo is made with Baco and Ugni Blanc. Let’s go!
Colour: Dark amber, orange highlights. Irregular, medium tears.
Nose: Sublime rancio with a delicate patina. Intense candied fruit notes: vine peach and plum. I was surprised by the freshness in the background, with hints of forest berries. Some similarities with certain Tavel rosé wines indeed (l’Anglore comes to mind). Touches of lychee too.
Palate: Ample texture, with leathery notes upfront. More roasted shades than the nose suggested: roasted coffee, dark chocolate, burnt tarragon. Nice attack, but I do miss a bit of length.
Last Notes: Heady dry floral notes, mainly potpourri. Tea-ish shades with delicate bergamot accents. Back on the palate, a few herbal notes appear, tarragon again, but also freshly cut basil.
A beautiful blend for sure. Still, I miss a bit of length and fun to be fully convinced.
87+/100
Hontambere Armagnac 2008 Colombard 53,3%
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