Armagnac recommendations?

[Jono]

http://dandm.com/delord-25-year-old-bas-armagnac.html

This may be a great value..$69.99 at Binny's...at least for stepping into the waters.

And for what their opinions are worth -

"Score: 96 Points, Best Buy, Wine Enthusiast

Score: 5 STARS, Highest Recommendation F. Paul Pacult

[Jono]

I went ahead and picked up the Delord 25 as it has excellent reviews and for the price still affordable.
Will wait until Christmas to crack this open.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LFfn6IMwhIg
Delord 25 Years Old Bas-Armagnac


UltimateBeverage

[sailor22]

Great choice! Be sure and share your thought with us when you open it.

[Jono]

Very bourbon like in character! I enjoyed the Delord 25 so now I have at least a basis for comparison.

[ChainWhip]

I'm enjoying my bottle of Delord 25 as well. I was "iffy" on my first pour but each subsequent pour has been an improvement over the preceding one. It's interesting contrasting it with Bourbon or Scotch - I think I can make out the grape base but it does have similarities with Bourbon as noted above.

[DanG]

I have a bottle of Delord XO which I find is quite nice. Not the most complex drink on the planet but very pleasant.

As for Calvados, I like Pere Magloire. I also have a bottle of Chauffe-Coeur VSOP which is okay and cheaper... maybe an introduction to Calva but not all that impressive. I have a 375ml bottle of Daron Fine but I don't like it. I'd definitely recommend looking into American wood-aged apple brandies as well which are often excellent, though usually not aged as long as the better calvas and stronger in flavor.

[compliance]

I jumped on the Armagnac train and bought a test bottle (1973 Chateau Pellehaut). The nose is phenomenal, the taste is something I think I need more time to get used to. It's not sweet enough, and I feel like that is hiding the flavor. Like a soup that needs salt. This might also sound odd, but I got more enjoyment tasting it with the front of my tongue while I usually taste my whiskeys more on the back of tongue. The front was the only way to get the fruity grape notes that make the nose so interesting. I never noticed anything like that before.

I did the same thing about 6 months ago with Calvados, so I dug that test bottle back out too (15 year Adrien Camut). They share a lot of similarities, just with different fruit notes layered on top. I like the overall flavor of my calvados better, but I have always felt that it was too light. Maybe there are brands that have more power to them, more like the typical scotches and bourbons. This feels watered down in comparison. Nose on the Armagnac beats the calvados easily, just wasn't getting into the taste as much.

Neither one pushed my buttons enough to assuage my fears of the impending aged whiskey drought.

[squire]

I would like to further explore the world of Armagnacs but lack a local who stocks them.

[sailor22]

Compliance - Most of the big house Cognac products will probably give you the sweetness your looking for. Unfortunately they are typically pretty watery in character too. Perhaps look for an iteration at a higher proof?

The way you describe the flavors in the mouth, unbalanced, is what I get from a lot of Cognac and some Armagnac.

I have a Pellehaut '87 (K&L barrel) open and it is very whiskey like without much in the way of fruity sweetness. The flavors seem well balanced to me with a progression from front to back of the mouth that resembles a well crafted whiskey. I would include the Darroze Domaine de Salie '77 in the very well balanced category, but it isn't particularly sweet either.

[sailor22]

I would like to further explore the world of Armagnacs but lack a local who stocks them.

No local stock here either - the internet is the only option for me.

IF you ever have a notion to visit Tallahassee I would be happy to share anything I have at that moment.