The French Spirits Forum- Cognac, Armagnac, Calvados

[kevinbrink]

25 minutes ago, HoustonNit said:

That looks similar even down to the color. I assume you picked this up in the US? May I ask how much it retails for here?

I paid $65 I believe 

[kevinbrink]

This one always looked intriguing sitting on the shelf, noticed a store that had a bunch of 200ml's behind the counter for $11 and figured it was worth a shot. This is pretty tasty, might have to pick up a few as "travel" bottles.

[WhiskeyBlender]

On 8/12/2018 at 7:53 PM, kevinbrink said:

Well I guess this is American, not French, plenty tasty nonetheless. 

@kevinbrink, Germain-Robin is where I got my start in the distillation & blending world. It was started by a 10th generation Cognac maker, Hubert Germain-Robin, whose family had been making Cognac since 1782. They sold their Cognac house, Jules Robin, to Martell, and after some years of distilling at Martell and a few other distilleries, Hubert came to the U.S. in 1982 and started a new distillery, using grape varietals like Pinot Noir, Semillion, Viognier, i.e., varietals that are not legal to distill in France and still call it Cognac. 

 

The G-R Craft Method alambic brandy probably isn't a really good representation of his brandies, since he left in 2005. If you want to get a taste of what he personally distilled, you should try some of the older expressions that would have some pre-2005 brandies in the blend. If you're at all interested in exploring American Alambic brandies further, whether it is G-R or another good house, please PM me and I'd be happy to give you some tips.

 

Cheers,

Nancy

[kevinbrink]

5 minutes ago, WhiskeyBlender said:

@kevinbrink, Germain-Robin is where I got my start in the distillation & blending world. It was started by a 10th generation Cognac maker, Hubert Germain-Robin, whose family had been making Cognac since 1782. They sold their Cognac house, Jules Robin, to Martell, and after some years of distilling at Martell and a few other distilleries, Hubert came to the U.S. in 1982 and started a new distillery, using grape varietals like Pinot Noir, Semillion, Viognier, i.e., varietals that are not legal to distill in France and still call it Cognac. 

 

The G-R Craft Method alambic brandy probably isn't a really good representation of his brandies, since he left in 2005. If you want to get a taste of what he personally distilled, you should try some of the older expressions that would have some pre-2005 brandies in the blend. If you're at all interested in exploring American Alambic brandies further, whether it is G-R or another good house, please PM me and I'd be happy to give you some tips.

 

Cheers,

Nancy

Thanks Nancy I was vaguely familiar with your history there though very ignorant of the history of the distillery itself. Pretty new to grape spirits so any input is welcome! I don't see many G-R products on the shelf though there is a bottle of Old Havana that I've been curious about. 

[HoustonNit]

^^ I love information like the above, it’s what makes this site good, thanks for sharing Nancy.

[WhiskeyBlender]

@kevinbrink and @HoustonNit, if you can still get the Old Havana, snatch it up. It is a bit reminiscent of Armagnac, although if I recall, we used a fair amount of Sauvignon Blanc in the blend. If you want to try something that Hubert would have definitely distilled, look into the G-R single varietal expressions, as those were all distilled in the 1990's. My recommendation would be either the Viognier or the Pinot Noir. The G-R Single Barrel Viognier alambic brandy (V14) that we released when I was there 12 years ago was probably one of the best spirit I've ever tasted....as in EVER. I don't know how the current SB Viognier is, but knowing how viognier distills out, I'm sure it'll be a winner. I'm not trying to proselytize for G-R, and since I don't work there anymore, I don't get anything out of it of course, but if you do look for the single barrel varietal expressions, you can find them at www.caddellwilliams.com, and look under the "Old & Rare" page. 

 

On a tangent, something of interest production-wise that we always did was to capture rain water, give it some light filtration, and then use it for as proofing water from barrel to bottling strength. This is a centuries-old traditional Cognac technique that is used because if you live in a maritime climate such as coastal California, where I live, or in the Cognac region, which is fairly close to the Atlantic coast, the rain water is very clean, soft and bright, with good acidity, and it really gives the brandy a round, full mouthfeel that you can't achieve with other types of water. Although it isn't legal to capture rain water in every state, I have some of my whiskey distillery clients working with this. It really does incredible things for bourbon. 

 

Another thing we would do is make what is know as "vieilles fables," aka, "old weak." I'm not sure if I've ever talked about this ancient technique somewhere on this forum before (if I have, please forgive my bad memory and redundancy!), but at any rate, the idea behind it is to take some old brandy, add it to water so that it comes out somewhere between 15 to 30% ABV, and then you age this in barrels. It is essentially fortified water, which you then use as your proofing water, as opposed to regular water. You can age these barrels indefinitely. Notice that I say that you add an old spirit to the water, and not the other way around- what they call adding strong to weak, as opposed to weak to strong. This is because you want to promote esterification, as opposed to saponification. Also, by aging the fortified water this way, you are also pulling out the water soluble caramelized wood sugars, which also help enrich the whole blend. 

 

I've been using this technique with one of the distilleries that I blend for, and wow does it ever make a big difference if you plan to do any sort of proofing. We tend to go no lower than 101 or so proof, but even so, it really affects the mouth feel and gives the whiskey a certain richness that you can't get otherwise. 

 

At any rate, I digress.......I can get caught up in talking about these ancient production techniques all day! LOL. 

 

Cheers, and happy imbibing,

Nancy

 

 

Edited October 3, 2018 by WhiskeyBlender

[kevinbrink]

37 minutes ago, WhiskeyBlender said:

@kevinbrink and @HoustonNit, if you can still get the Old Havana, snatch it up. It is a bit reminiscent of Armagnac, although if I recall, we used a fair amount of Sauvignon Blanc in the blend. If you want to try something that Hubert would have definitely distilled, look into the G-R single varietal expressions, as those were all distilled in the 1990's. My recommendation would be either the Viognier or the Pinot Noir. The G-R Single Barrel Viognier alambic brandy (V14) that we released when I was there 12 years ago was probably one of the best spirit I've ever tasted....as in EVER. I don't know how the current SB Viognier is, but knowing how viognier distills out, I'm sure it'll be a winner. I'm not trying to proselytize for G-R, and since I don't work there anymore, I don't get anything out of it of course, but if you do look for the single barrel varietal expressions, you can find them at www.caddellwilliams.com, and look under the "Old & Rare" page. 

 

On a tangent, something of interest production-wise that we always did was to capture rain water, give it some light filtration, and then use it for as proofing water from barrel to bottling strength. This is a centuries-old traditional Cognac technique that is used because if you live in a maritime climate such as coastal California, where I live, or in the Cognac region, which is fairly close to the Atlantic coast, the rain water is very clean, soft and bright, with good acidity, and it really gives the brandy a round, full mouthfeel that you can't achieve with other types of water. Although it isn't legal to capture rain water in every state, I have some of my whiskey distillery clients working with this. It really does incredible things for bourbon. 

 

Another thing we would do is make what is know as "vieilles fables," aka, "old weak." I'm not sure if I've ever talked about this ancient technique somewhere on this forum before (if I have, please forgive my bad memory and redundancy!), but at any rate, the idea behind it is to take some old brandy, add it to water so that it comes out somewhere between 15 to 30% ABV, and then you age this in barrels. It is essentially fortified water, which you then use as your proofing water, as opposed to regular water. You can age these barrels indefinitely. Notice that I say that you add an old spirit to the water, and not the other way around- what they call adding strong to weak, as opposed to weak to strong. This is because you want to promote esterification, as opposed to saponification. Also, by aging the fortified water this way, you are also pulling out the water soluble caramelized wood sugars, which also help enrich the whole blend. 

 

I've been using this technique with one of the distilleries that I blend for, and wow does it ever make a big difference if you plan to do any sort of proofing. We tend to go no lower than 101 or so proof, but even so, it really affects the mouth feel and gives the whiskey a certain richness that you can't get otherwise. 

 

At any rate, I digress.......I can get caught up in talking about these ancient production techniques all day! LOL. 

 

Cheers, and happy imbibing,

Nancy

 

 

Nancy as always this is incredibly informative and very much appreciated. The insight into the production methods you provide on this forum are always incredibly interesting!

[kevinbrink]

On 10/3/2018 at 9:48 AM, WhiskeyBlender said:

@kevinbrink and @HoustonNit, if you can still get the Old Havana, snatch it up. It is a bit reminiscent of Armagnac, although if I recall, we used a fair amount of Sauvignon Blanc in the blend. If you want to try something that Hubert would have definitely distilled, look into the G-R single varietal expressions, as those were all distilled in the 1990's. My recommendation would be either the Viognier or the Pinot Noir. The G-R Single Barrel Viognier alambic brandy (V14) that we released when I was there 12 years ago was probably one of the best spirit I've ever tasted....as in EVER. I don't know how the current SB Viognier is, but knowing how viognier distills out, I'm sure it'll be a winner. I'm not trying to proselytize for G-R, and since I don't work there anymore, I don't get anything out of it of course, but if you do look for the single barrel varietal expressions, you can find them at www.caddellwilliams.com, and look under the "Old & Rare" page. 

 

Nancy, any opinion on the Single Barrel Muscat distilled in 1999 and bottled in 2010, I came across a bottle at what appears to be a very fair price.

[WhiskeyBlender]

10 hours ago, kevinbrink said:

Nancy, any opinion on the Single Barrel Muscat distilled in 1999 and bottled in 2010, I came across a bottle at what appears to be a very fair price.

@kevinbrink, quite honestly, I wasn't particularly fond of that bottling. In fact, I still have some of it- actually, most of that bottle from 2010 is still left and I haven't touched it in 8 years until you asked! I just now revisited it in order to answer your question. It isn't that it is bad in the least- it is intensely aromatic, with lots of citrus, with orange blossom notes, soft tannins, but it is unidimensional. Although it has great length on the palate, it just doesn't have the kind of depth, complexity, and finesse that you find for other varietals such Pinot Noir, Semillion, Viognier, Sauvignon Blanc, or even French Colombard for that matter. Although Muscat makes an excellent grappa-style brandy, I haven't ever found a really great example of it in an aged version, whether it be at G-R or another brandy distillery. A little bit as a blend component (like 0.5 or 1%) is great to make a blend pop, but it just doesn't show well on its own.

 

How much is the bottle, by the way? If it really is a good deal, as in under $100, then I would say go for it if you want to try something unique. If it is over that, then I think if you want to try a really good G-R single barrel alambic brandy or a high-end blend like the XO, or even an Osocalis XO or Heritage, you would be much better served to save your money and wait until the right expression comes along. 

 

Please let me know what you decide to do. If you do buy it, I'd like to hear your thoughts. 

 

Cheers,

Nancy

Edited October 5, 2018 by WhiskeyBlender

[kevinbrink]

2 minutes ago, WhiskeyBlender said:

@kevinbrink, quite honestly, I wasn't particularly fond of that bottling. In fact, I still have some of it- actually, most of that bottle from 2010 is still left and I haven't touched it in 8 years until you asked! I just now revisited it in order to answer your question. It isn't that it is bad in the least- it is intensely aromatic, with lots of citrus, with orange blossom notes, soft tannins, but it is unidimensional. Although it has great length on the palate, it just doesn't have the kind of depth, complexity, and finesse that you find for other varietals such Pinot Noir, Semillion, Viognier, Sauvignon Blanc, or even French Colombard for that matter. Although Muscat makes an excellent grappa-style brandy, I haven't ever found a really great example of it in an aged version, whether it be at G-R or another brandy distillery. A little bit as a blend component (like 0.5 or 1%) is great to make a blend pop, but it just doesn't show well on its own.

 

How much is the bottle, by the way? If it really is a good deal, as in under $100, then I would say go for it if you want to try something unique. If it is over that, then I think if you want to try a really good G-R single barrel alambic brandy or a high-end blend like the XO, or even an Osocalis XO or Heritage, you would be much better served to save your money and wait until the right expression comes along. 

 

Please let me know what you decide to do. If you do buy it, I'd like to hear your thoughts. 

 

Cheers,

Nancy

I'll probably grab it then it's $65, sounds interesting enough I'll certainly chime in when I get around to opening it. I'm guessing I'll be caving on the Old Havana as well, my experience with Grape Spirits at this point has favored Armagnac. I'll keep you posted and thanks again Nancy!

[WhiskeyBlender]

15 minutes ago, kevinbrink said:

I'll probably grab it then it's $65, sounds interesting enough I'll certainly chime in when I get around to opening it. I'm guessing I'll be caving on the Old Havana as well, my experience with Grape Spirits at this point has favored Armagnac. I'll keep you posted and thanks again Nancy!

Wow, if it is only $65, then I'd say by all means, grab it! I hear you on the Armagnac. I'm more of an Armagnac fan as well. As a matter of fact, I'll be back in the Armagnac region again next month. I try to go once a year during distillation season. 

 

At any rate, please do tell me what you think of the G-R bottlings! 

[HoustonNit]

Nancy please share with us your travel to the Armagnac region if you find time. I need to make a point of going there.

[WhiskeyBlender]

On 10/4/2018 at 7:08 PM, HoustonNit said:

Nancy please share with us your travel to the Armagnac region if you find time. I need to make a point of going there.

@HoustonNit, I'd be delighted! If you are an Armagnac fan, I would highly, highly recommend going there at some point. Not only is the brandy fantastic, but it is IMHO one of the most beautiful and magical places I've ever been. The people are exceptionally warm and friendly there, as you would expect from a more rural region. I always feel weird or a little leary of doing this kind of promotional thing on this forum, but when my mentor, master distiller & blender Hubert Germain-Robin was staying at my house this past weekend, we talked about the possibility of the two of us doing a distillery tour of the Calvados, Cognac, and Armagnac region some time next year. If your interested, I'll keep you posted. 

 

Nearly every November, I shut down my business and go visit that region, and I try to learn everything I can of their ancient production techniques from other master blenders and distillers. In fact, I've spent so much time there, and have tried to be as involved and learn as much as I can from that world, (please forgive me for tooting my own horn) that last September, I was inducted into the Company of Armagnac Muskateers (Companie de Mousquetaires d'Armagnac). Please see photos below. 

 

Although I'm originally trained in artisanal Cognac techniques from my mentor, 10th generation brandy maker Hubert Germain-Robin, I have to admit that Armagnac is much closer to my heart than Cognac is, or at least I don't have a passion for Big Cognac. Armagnac is the rustic, poor step child compared to Cognac, which has historically had a lot of wealth attached to it. Not so in the Armagnac region. People have been distilling brandy there for over 700 years. Talk about tradition! This gives a whole new (or old) meaning to the definition of "craft." As I've discussed with producers from that region, they prefer the term "artisanal." 

 

The cool thing about vintage Armagnacs is that they are distilled on a very crude-looking type of still called an alambic Armagnacais, which is a simple type of column still, usually with no more than 3 to 4 plates, whereby the eau de vie comes out somewhere between 52 and 60% ABV. Because of the low ABV, the eau de vie (new make) tends to have a lot of fatty acids and congeneric content, so even though it is distilled on a column, it is quite rich compared to Cognac. For vintage Armagnacs, the atmospheric conditions of the chai (i.e., pronounced "chay," which is the barrel aging warehouse) will usually be such so that the alcohol content will fall naturally over time due to cool, humid conditions. Thus, for vintage Armagnacs, they are not reduced with water, but are bottled at cask strength. I find that for bourbon connoisseurs who want to explore the world of brandy, Armagnac is a natural fit. 

 

At any rate, I'm sure I've yakked on long enough about this. If you have any questions about production, advice on Armagnacs to taste, more about the region, etc. I'm always happy to give more info! 

 

Photos below: my Mousquetaire medallion; a photo from the Compagnie de Mousquetaires d'Armagnac induction ceremony last September, with my mentor, master distiller Hubert Germain-Robin. I'm the lady with the short, silver hair in the photo. 

 

Cheers, 

Nancy

 

 

 

 

 

Edited October 9, 2018 by WhiskeyBlender

[HoustonNit]

@WhiskeyBlender I’m with you when it comes to Armagnac over Cognac. Seems to have more earthiness and such so much more going on.

My wife is French and I spend a couple weeks there every summer. She’s from the Picardie/High Normandy border region. Up until the 80s they had a tradition in the region of the locals producing there own cider and having it distilled by a traveling distiller. The distiller would go to the small bar in each village and park his horse drawn wagon with his still and customers would come for him to distill there cider. I assume when the last of these distillers died the tradition died with him. I had some of this from a batch bottled in the 70s and it’s one of the most enjoyable spirits I’ve ever had.

I’d love to visit a few cider/Calvados makers next time I’m there as it’s only a two hour drive. Only thing stopping me is I’m clueless as whee to go. I’d love to visit some small producers with some well aged barrels in the back of the barn. If you have any recommendations I’d be forever grateful.

Same for Armagnac, visited my wife’s cousins in the Gaillac region only an 1.5hr or so from Armagnac region.

brandy from the cart drawn still

[WhiskeyBlender]

@HoustonNit, wow, those old mobile alambics are really quite something else! That's something you still see a lot of in the Armagnac region. I bet that Calvados from the '70's was amazing too.

 

How often do you and your wife visit her family in France? I'm a big fan of Armagnacs from the Pays d'Auge, where arguably the best Calvados is made. When you go back, check out Chateau de Breuil, Christian Drouin, Pére Jules, and Roger Groult. Roger Groult distills using a wood fired alambic, which is REALLY an art form to do that kind of distillation, because you have to keep the fire steady, and you don't want to create a lot of peaks during the distillation. 

 

My second favorite would be Calvados that comes from the Domfrontais. It tends to have about 30% pear in the blend, which is quite nice. If you go there, check out Lemorton Calvados. 

 

As for Armagnac, you almost can't ever go wrong with a Darroze Armagnac. It makes a great visit as well, and is out near the coast in Roquefort, not too far from Bordeaux. Other favorites I have in the Bas Armagnac region (both to visit and to buy bottles from) are Domaine de Boingneres, owned by the chain-smoking lady, Martine Lafitte, which is in Bastide de l'Armagnac. Her cousin, Pierre Laberdolive, is fairly close by, and runs/owns Labedolive, an Armagnac house by the same name. Talk about artisanal and terroir, this guy not only distills and ages his own grapes, he also cuts trees on his property to use for his barrels! 

 

There is also Chateau de Ravignan, which makes a great Armagnac. This place has been occupied since the 12th century, although the current family has had the property since the 17th century. Even though they have this impressive, massive chateau, I couldn't believe how down-to-earth they were. They personally took us on a tour of their chateau, let us see family heirlooms from the 17th century, and did a private cask tasting. 

 

My good friends, the Deche family, own Chateau de Millet just outside of the town of Eauze. They've been making Armagnac for at least 5 generations. And there is also Delord, who I also know and visit, and they've "only" been making Armagnac since the 1890's. 

 

The thing I really love about these Armagnac producers is that almost everyone is so down-to-earth, just good folks who would give you the shirt off their backs. Even during distillation season, when they're extremely busy, they'll spend all the time in the world with you to answer questions about production, their Armagnacs, etc. They're not pretentious, like many of the people from Cognac (not all are like that, of course, just usually the big houses). They tend to be really warm people, and once they see that you're really interested in what they're doing and what they're about, you've made a friend for life. I find the people in Normandy to be very similar. Once you get out of Paris and the surrounding areas, the French people tend to be extremely warm and wonderful. 

 

Did your wife's family ever make Calvados? That would be cool to have that family connection for sure. 

 

At any rate, I've added a few photos below: a photo from a distillation on the mobile alambic Armagnacais at Chateau de Millet during the La Flamme de l'Armagnac festival dinner; the outside of the chai at Laberdolive Armagnac.

 

In good spirits, 
Nancy

 

 

 

Edited October 11, 2018 by WhiskeyBlender

[HoustonNit]

@WhiskeyBlender Nancy thanks so much for the detailed reply, will certainly try to make a visit to some of your recommendations. I don’t believe anyone from my wife’s family ever made Calvados or if they did considering there love of spirits it’s long gone. Luckily one of there neighbors in the village an older gentlemen does seem to still have some bottles that he shares with my father-in-law.

[kevinbrink]

On ‎10‎/‎4‎/‎2018 at 9:22 PM, WhiskeyBlender said:

Wow, if it is only $65, then I'd say by all means, grab it! I hear you on the Armagnac. I'm more of an Armagnac fan as well. As a matter of fact, I'll be back in the Armagnac region again next month. I try to go once a year during distillation season. 

 

At any rate, please do tell me what you think of the G-R bottlings! 

Well the store wouldn't honor the price on the tag so I passed based on your notes, I did however pick up the Old Havana along with a couple of other reinforcements

 

I have to say as you noted this is considerably more enjoyable than the "Craft-Method" Brandy, thanks for the info as always Nancy!

[WhiskeyBlender]

On 10/14/2018 at 5:57 PM, kevinbrink said:

Well the store wouldn't honor the price on the tag so I passed based on your notes, I did however pick up the Old Havana along with a couple of other reinforcements

 

I have to say as you noted this is considerably more enjoyable than the "Craft-Method" Brandy, thanks for the info as always Nancy!

That's fantastic that you got a bottle of Old Havana, Kevin! But I can't believe that the store wouldn't honor the price of the single varietal Muscat. If they had it on the label and advertised it as such, then they ought to honor it. At any rate, I'm glad you're enjoying the OH bottling!

[kevinbrink]

3 minutes ago, WhiskeyBlender said:

That's fantastic that you got a bottle of Old Havana, Kevin! But I can't believe that the store wouldn't honor the price of the single varietal Muscat. If they had it on the label and advertised it as such, then they ought to honor it. At any rate, I'm glad you're enjoying the OH bottling!

Yeah, I don't have energy to argue with a store but it was pretty disappointing considering it was the price listed on their website as well, after I left the store I placed an order online just to see what would happen and they told me it was out of stock... 

https://www.winechateau.com/products/germain-robin-brandy-single-barrel-muscat

[WhiskeyBlender]

On 10/15/2018 at 7:36 PM, kevinbrink said:

Yeah, I don't have energy to argue with a store but it was pretty disappointing considering it was the price listed on their website as well, after I left the store I placed an order online just to see what would happen and they told me it was out of stock... 

https://www.winechateau.com/products/germain-robin-brandy-single-barrel-muscat

Ha! My guess is that someone who works at the store figured out what they had, and decided they wanted it instead. Also, 8 years ago, that bottle initially sold for $150. I'm sorry to hear that you missed out on that particular bottling. $65 was a more than fair price for it. I personally would have paid up to $85 for it, if I saw it out somewhere, but not over a $100 for sure. 

 

I'm glad you like the Old Havana. It is a definite step up from the Craft Method. I see that you have the Tariquet 15 year. If you want a REALLY great intro bottle of Armagnac, then I would suggest finding a bottle of the Darroze 20 year "Les Grande Assemblage." It is about $100, and even though it is a blend and not a vintage Armagnac, I think it is hands down the best Armagnac out there in that price range. In fact, when I don't want to dip into my stash of vintage Armagnacs, that is sort of my "daily drinker" because it still has good fruit, soft alcohol, and isn't over-oaked. Even his 12 year old, which is around $65 to 70, is pretty spectacular. It does display some youthful vigor, with lots of fruit, although it doesn't have the kind of depth, length, or complexity on the palate as the 20 y.o. 

 

I also like the Darroze 30 yr.. I have some of the 40, 50, and even 60 year old, but I think the fruit aspect starts to disappear after 30 years. 

 

At any rate, I'd love to hear what you think about the Tariquet and the Domaine Dupont Calvados. As the days get cooler, brandy season is upon us!

 

Cheers,

Nancy

 

[kevinbrink]

59 minutes ago, WhiskeyBlender said:

Ha! My guess is that someone who works at the store figured out what they had, and decided they wanted it instead. Also, 8 years ago, that bottle initially sold for $150. I'm sorry to hear that you missed out on that particular bottling. $65 was a more than fair price for it. I personally would have paid up to $85 for it, if I saw it out somewhere, but not over a $100 for sure. 

 

I'm glad you like the Old Havana. It is a definite step up from the Craft Method. I see that you have the Tariquet 15 year. If you want a REALLY great intro bottle of Armagnac, then I would suggest finding a bottle of the Darroze 20 year "Les Grande Assemblage." It is about $100, and even though it is a blend and not a vintage Armagnac, I think it is hands down the best Armagnac out there in that price range. In fact, when I don't want to dip into my stash of vintage Armagnacs, that is sort of my "daily drinker" because it still has good fruit, soft alcohol, and isn't over-oaked. Even his 12 year old, which is around $65 to 70, is pretty spectacular. It does display some youthful vigor, with lots of fruit, although it doesn't have the kind of depth, length, or complexity on the palate as the 20 y.o. 

 

I also like the Darroze 30 yr.. I have some of the 40, 50, and even 60 year old, but I think the fruit aspect starts to disappear after 30 years. 

 

At any rate, I'd love to hear what you think about the Tariquet and the Domaine Dupont Calvados. As the days get cooler, brandy season is upon us!

 

Cheers,

Nancy

 

I cracked the Tariquet last night, I've had a bottle of the 12 year for a little while now and I've enjoyed it, I think it was the first Armagnac I picked up though I could be wrong, I might have picked up a bottle of Delord 25 first which I also like. The Tariquet 15 is definitely a step up from the 12 and worth the extra 15 bucks I paid for it and I think I'm actually enjoying it more than the Delord as well which was priced about the same ($70ish) not sure if that would be the same if they were similarly proofed. The Dupont is nice enough though I think I'm ready to drop a little more coin on my net bottle of Calvados probably worth a trip to Astor at this point for a little more selection next time they have a French spirits sale. 

[kevinbrink]

13 hours ago, kevinbrink said:

I think I'm ready to drop a little more coin on my net bottle of Calvados probably worth a trip to Astor at this point for a little more selection next time they have a French spirits sale. 

@whiskeyblender funny enough today seems to be that day!

 

[HoustonNit]

@whiskeyblender funny enough today seems to be that day!
 

If you where in the Houston market you’d be in luck, NASA liquor posted a bunch of new interesting bottles they got in of Calvados and Armagnac.

[kevinbrink]

4 minutes ago, HoustonNit said:

 

If you where in the Houston market you’d be in luck, NASA liquor posted a bunch of new interesting bottles they got in of Calvados and Armagnac.

 

It's funny sometimes I like the limited selection, if I see something remotely interesting in NJ I tend to pick it up, conversely I'll probably stop at Astor after work depending when I get out today (I work in NYC) and I will be overwhelmed on the plus side they are doing a few tastings today so that helps. 

[EarthQuake]

On 10/17/2018 at 6:25 PM, WhiskeyBlender said:

Ha! My guess is that someone who works at the store figured out what they had, and decided they wanted it instead. Also, 8 years ago, that bottle initially sold for $150. I'm sorry to hear that you missed out on that particular bottling. $65 was a more than fair price for it. I personally would have paid up to $85 for it, if I saw it out somewhere, but not over a $100 for sure. 

 

I'm glad you like the Old Havana. It is a definite step up from the Craft Method. I see that you have the Tariquet 15 year. If you want a REALLY great intro bottle of Armagnac, then I would suggest finding a bottle of the Darroze 20 year "Les Grande Assemblage." It is about $100, and even though it is a blend and not a vintage Armagnac, I think it is hands down the best Armagnac out there in that price range. In fact, when I don't want to dip into my stash of vintage Armagnacs, that is sort of my "daily drinker" because it still has good fruit, soft alcohol, and isn't over-oaked. Even his 12 year old, which is around $65 to 70, is pretty spectacular. It does display some youthful vigor, with lots of fruit, although it doesn't have the kind of depth, length, or complexity on the palate as the 20 y.o. 

 

I also like the Darroze 30 yr.. I have some of the 40, 50, and even 60 year old, but I think the fruit aspect starts to disappear after 30 years. 

 

At any rate, I'd love to hear what you think about the Tariquet and the Domaine Dupont Calvados. As the days get cooler, brandy season is upon us!

 

Cheers,

Nancy

 

Nancy, it's always a pleasure to read your posts and I learned quite a bit from the ones on the last page or so here. Thank you and please continue to post. I would love to hear about your next trip to France.

 

I've been getting into Armagnac quite a bit lately, I tend to agree on Cognac vs Armagnc. It's not that I don't enjoy Cognac, it just generally seems to fall a bit flat compared to Armagnac, especially at the same price point.

 

My wife and I went to France last year and I made it a mission to try a number of Armagnacs (but sadly did not visit the region). I had a glass of a very nice 1985 Boingneres which was phenomenal, I managed to find a bottle of this recently though I think it was a different grape variety but same year. Upon returning and realizing that any vintage Armagnac around 30 years old is likely to be fantastic, I've ordered a couple bottles of vintage Darroze, a 30 year 1985 and a 36 year 1980, both of which are excellent and will probably be replaced when they are empty. There is a site online that has ~30 year old vintage Darroze for about $100 and I find that to be an excellent value (the Boingneres was about twice that and I probably wouldn't buy it again at that price, but it is very nice). I haven't tried any of the Darroze blends but may seek out the 20 year after seeing your recommendation. I brought a few bottles back from France as well, the best was probably a 41 year old 1976 Dartigalongue, and I found a 30 year 1985 Dartigalongue in Chicago last month which is up there with the best Armagnacs I've had, I regret only grabbing one bottle. I also brought home Moussoulet 1989, which I haven't been able to find much info about. This one was only 16 years old (which I didn't realize when I bought it), and is probably the most Bourbon-like Argmagnac I've had, with the relative youth seemingly making it bright, firey and vibrant. It lacks the complexity of some of the older Armagnacs I've had, but I like it in its own way.

 

I've got a 1981 De Lord open here as well but with the low proof it doesn't really stack up to Darroze, Dartigalongue, etc in my opinion. Perfectly good, but I don't salivate when I see it in the cabinet. I've tried Millet VSOP and XO as well as this is about the only Armagnac I typically see in Iowa but was not much of a fan. I find it somewhat amusing that you have personal experience with the owners, as I figured this was some large house (this is the only explanation I could think of for why I would find it in Iowa City, Iowa). I would be curious to know if you think they have other (vintage?) offerings that are worth tracking down or if I should just stick with Darroze et al.

 

I loved hearing about your time at Germain-Robin. I see bottles of this on the shelf at Binny's every time I'm in Chicago but am always hesitant because I've never had an American brandy that was anywhere near as good as a nice French brandy. But I'll be more tempted the next time I'm in the area.

 

I picked up a couple bottles of Calvados recently trying to branch out a bit. A 1987 Lemorton and a 1999 Drouin. I'm liking the Drouin a bit more out of the two so far. The Lemorton seemed a bit odd, but I've only had a glass or two of it, so I need to give it some more attention. The verdict is still out on me for Calvados, Armagnac is really center stage for me when it comes to French Brandy it would seem. But I do love a good French cidre or poire! I've had some Dupont Cidres, but have yet to try their Calvados.

 

If you have any specific Armagnac or brandy recommendations please let me know.

Edited October 19, 2018 by EarthQuake