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General Guide for buying Vintage Armagnacs


WhiskeyBlender
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21 hours ago, smokinjoe said:

Now, you done it.  Here’s what happened to the last guy who used wee dram and George T Stagg in the same sentence...    

 

https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=YG7G6hk-wxk

 

 

 

My favorite part about this video is that it is in French, perfect for the Armagnac thread!

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18 minutes ago, EarthQuake said:

My favorite part about this video is that it is in French, perfect for the Armagnac thread!

Oui!

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  • 3 weeks later...

1973507707_52550238_584471628683891_3057529931748605952_n(1).thumb.jpg.ca57a5c96113f380ab771f16ecd0f35c.jpg

 

I'm having some friends over for an Armagnac tasting in a couple days, so I had a sample of all the bottles I currently have open and settled on these 5. I think I'll start with the Delord as that seems to be the most accessable, and then move from youngest to oldest (arranged as pictured here).

 

One thing that really stood out to me was the tropical notes in the Pellehaut, like pineapple, which I don't recall every getting in any other Armagnacs.

 

The two Darroze bottlings are interesting, not from the same distillery but both are Baco at 20 and 30 years respectively. I think the Barigos may be my favorite of the lot.

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On 2/12/2019 at 8:23 PM, EarthQuake said:

1973507707_52550238_584471628683891_3057529931748605952_n(1).thumb.jpg.ca57a5c96113f380ab771f16ecd0f35c.jpg

 

I'm having some friends over for an Armagnac tasting in a couple days, so I had a sample of all the bottles I currently have open and settled on these 5. I think I'll start with the Delord as that seems to be the most accessable, and then move from youngest to oldest (arranged as pictured here). 

 

Quote

 

One thing that really stood out to me was the tropical notes in the Pellehaut, like pineapple, which I don't recall every getting in any other Armagnacs.

 

The two Darroze bottlings are interesting, not from the same distillery but both are Baco at 20 and 30 years respectively. I think the Barigos may be my favorite of the lot.

Holy smokes @EarthQuake, that's a world-class Armagnac line-up! I'm a huge fan of just about all of the Darroze Domaine de Rieston bottlings. Some are admittedly better than others, of course, but I can say that I've never had anything remotely bad from that domaine. The Domaine de Boingneres is fantastic too. If you can ever get one of her Armagnacs that is pure folle blanche, it will be a treat. Can't go wrong with the Delord vintage and the Pellehaut vintage too. Please let me know how this tasting goes. I can't wait to hear what they think!

 

Cheers,

Nancy

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6 hours ago, WhiskeyBlender said:

 

Holy smokes @EarthQuake, that's a world-class Armagnac line-up! I'm a huge fan of just about all of the Darroze Domaine de Rieston bottlings. Some are admittedly better than others, of course, but I can say that I've never had anything remotely bad from that domaine. The Domaine de Boingneres is fantastic too. If you can ever get one of her Armagnacs that is pure folle blanche, it will be a treat. Can't go wrong with the Delord vintage and the Pellehaut vintage too. Please let me know how this tasting goes. I can't wait to hear what they think!

 

Cheers,

Nancy

Hey Nancy, I'm glad the lineup had your seal of approval. In typical Nancy fashion you nailed the crowd favorite - the Rieston. We went through at least half the bottle of this, and after everyone had a chance to try all 5 this was the one people were reaching for. It's probably my favorite of the the lot too, though I quite like this Barigos 1988 too. Amusingly, I didn't intend to buy the Rieston, I ordered another bottle that I had really liked (1985 Darroze La Marquette which was amazing but now I can't find it anywhere!) but they were out of stock so I randomly picked the Reiston instead. I'll have to order another bottle or two before they run out.

 

Overall it went really well and everyone seemed to enjoy them. This was a group of my wife's work friends who are whiskey drinkers but didn't know much about Armagnac, so I've taken it upon myself to spread the good word.

 

When I was in France I think (though I am not sure) that I had the Boingneres Folle Blanche 1985, which was exceptional. I had it at a nice little restaurant near Versailles. I remember they had two Boingneres bottles and one was the Folle Blanche, but I can't recall with any certainty which one I tried. Anyway, that was what motivated me to try the Cepages Nobles.

 

Also, in typical midwestern style, everyone was too polite to finish a single bottle. Even the Delord that started pretty low.

 

52708415_569126893568027_1183189990272663552_n.jpg

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On 2/15/2019 at 8:47 PM, EarthQuake said:

Hey Nancy, I'm glad the lineup had your seal of approval. In typical Nancy fashion you nailed the crowd favorite - the Rieston. We went through at least half the bottle of this, and after everyone had a chance to try all 5 this was the one people were reaching for. It's probably my favorite of the the lot too, though I quite like this Barigos 1988 too. Amusingly, I didn't intend to buy the Rieston, I ordered another bottle that I had really liked (1985 Darroze La Marquette which was amazing but now I can't find it anywhere!) but they were out of stock so I randomly picked the Reiston instead. I'll have to order another bottle or two before they run out.

 

Overall it went really well and everyone seemed to enjoy them. This was a group of my wife's work friends who are whiskey drinkers but didn't know much about Armagnac, so I've taken it upon myself to spread the good word.

 

When I was in France I think (though I am not sure) that I had the Boingneres Folle Blanche 1985, which was exceptional. I had it at a nice little restaurant near Versailles. I remember they had two Boingneres bottles and one was the Folle Blanche, but I can't recall with any certainty which one I tried. Anyway, that was what motivated me to try the Cepages Nobles.

 

Also, in typical midwestern style, everyone was too polite to finish a single bottle. Even the Delord that started pretty low.

 

52708415_569126893568027_1183189990272663552_n.jpg

@EarthQuake, I just couldn't help but have a good laugh when I saw the photo of the "almost" empty bottles! Although I live in California, I'm a native East Tennessean, and nobody there would EVER be so rude as to polish off the last remaining dregs if it wasn't their own bottle consumed alone in the privacy of their own home! (LOL) There's a lot that can be said regarding how culture affects drinking customs. Maybe we'll have to have a thread on that one day! 

 

Ha! I'm thrilled to hear that the Darroze Domaine de Rieston was the favorite! Baco is such as great varietal for Armagnac, and it is one that seems to translate well for people that are mainly whiskey drinkers, and particularly bourbon drinkers. 

 

As for the Domaine de Boingneres, just a heads up: Madame Martine Lafitte is retiring, so she's in the process of closing down shop. I don't know if she' going to be selling off her stocks, or selling her still along with the stock so that someone can take over, or what. She's the last in her family line, so if you want to get some more of her Armagnac, now's the time to do it. 

 

At any rate, I'll reiterate this, but I just have to say that you really couldn't have picked a better group of Armagnac producers to show for your tasting. Every time I'm in France, I stock up on all the Darroze, Delord, and Boingneres that my 2nd suitcase will hold! 

 

With that, I'm off to make a cassoulet for tonight's dinner, and maybe I'll have an Armagnac cocktail while cooking, then of course, Armagnac after dinner. All this talk of tasty vintage Armagnacs has gotten me missing southwestern France!

 

Cheers,

Nancy

 

 

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@WhiskeyBlender Nancy, that's a shame to hear about Boingneres. Unfortunately I have difficulty finding these and when I do the prices are quite high. I paid about 2x for the Boingneres ($200-ish) as I did for the two Darroze bottles here ($90 each), and I can't say that I like it any better. Though if you know of a good source for them, please let me know! I would love to find a 1985 Folle Blanche. Have you had any luck in the US or do you generally bring them back from France?

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On 2/17/2019 at 10:23 PM, EarthQuake said:

@WhiskeyBlender Nancy, that's a shame to hear about Boingneres. Unfortunately I have difficulty finding these and when I do the prices are quite high. I paid about 2x for the Boingneres ($200-ish) as I did for the two Darroze bottles here ($90 each), and I can't say that I like it any better. Though if you know of a good source for them, please let me know! I would love to find a 1985 Folle Blanche. Have you had any luck in the US or do you generally bring them back from France?

@EarthQuake, years ago I used to buy the Boingneres at a store called D & M Wine & Spirits in San Francisco. However, the selection isn't quite what it used to be. I've been buying them directly from Mme. Lafitte for the past 5 years now. Looks like there is a Domaine Boingneres 2001 Folle Blanche right now on the D&M website for $159, in case you're interested. ? 

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2 hours ago, WhiskeyBlender said:

@EarthQuake, years ago I used to buy the Boingneres at a store called D & M Wine & Spirits in San Francisco. However, the selection isn't quite what it used to be. I've been buying them directly from Mme. Lafitte for the past 5 years now. Looks like there is a Domaine Boingneres 2001 Folle Blanche right now on the D&M website for $159, in case you're interested. ? 

Oooh, I'll be in SF next month for a conference. I'm not sure if I'll get a chance to get away from the Moscone area though. Are there any shops downtown you would recommend in SF? It looks like K&L has some interesting stuff. Do you have any thoughts on Baraillon? They have a 1985 (33 year) for $125. A number of L'Encantadas as well.

 

Looks like Masion Corbeaux (which seems to be close to D&M) doesn't have much but they do have a 1981 Dartigalongue (I have to spell check every time I try to type this, Boingneres too lol) for $125, I may have to make a special trip for that! 

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1 hour ago, EarthQuake said:

Oooh, I'll be in SF next month for a conference. I'm not sure if I'll get a chance to get away from the Moscone area though. Are there any shops downtown you would recommend in SF? It looks like K&L has some interesting stuff. Do you have any thoughts on Baraillon? They have a 1985 (33 year) for $125. A number of L'Encantadas as well.

 

Looks like Masion Corbeaux (which seems to be close to D&M) doesn't have much but they do have a 1981 Dartigalongue (I have to spell check every time I try to type this, Boingneres too lol) for $125, I may have to make a special trip for that! 

MAO gave the 1985 a less enthusiastic review he just reviewed an 84 today and linked back https://myannoyingopinions.com/

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13 hours ago, EarthQuake said:

Oooh, I'll be in SF next month for a conference. I'm not sure if I'll get a chance to get away from the Moscone area though. Are there any shops downtown you would recommend in SF? It looks like K&L has some interesting stuff. Do you have any thoughts on Baraillon? They have a 1985 (33 year) for $125. A number of L'Encantadas as well.

 

Looks like Masion Corbeaux (which seems to be close to D&M) doesn't have much but they do have a 1981 Dartigalongue (I have to spell check every time I try to type this, Boingneres too lol) for $125, I may have to make a special trip for that! 

@EarthQuake, yes, in addition to K & L, there's a good spirits store called CASK. It is on 3rd street, so it will be very close to the Moscone center. You could walk there easily. Might want to check it out. 

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  • 3 months later...

I have not bought any Armagnac yet, but a while back I came across a set of  vintage Darroze bottles gathering dust in the corner of a small liquor store. Thanks to this post and others on this forum, I realized they were a neat find. I kind of put it out of my mind, but now that I may have a small celebration coming up, I figured it may be the right time to splurge a bit on something nice.  


Given the below options, would there be any recommendations from the group?

 

1965 – Darroze, Bas-Armagnac, Domaine de Peyrot 
1972 – Darroze, Bas-Armagnac, Domaine de Coquillon    
1987 – Darroze, Bas-Armagnac, Domaine au Martin
 

Nancy noted both 1972 and 1987 being good vintage years, and the 1965 seems to be the same one that Serge of WF reviewed in 2015 (http://www.whiskyfun.com/archiveseptember15-1-Armagnac-Tullibardine-Tamdhu-Auchentoshan-Jameson.html#060915), but any further information would be very much appreciated!

Edited by dad-proof
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21 hours ago, dad-proof said:

I have not bought any Armagnac yet, but a while back I came across a set of  vintage Darroze bottles gathering dust in the corner of a small liquor store. Thanks to this post and others on this forum, I realized they were a neat find. I kind of put it out of my mind, but now that I may have a small celebration coming up, I figured it may be the right time to splurge a bit on something nice.  


Given the below options, would there be any recommendations from the group?

 

1965 – Darroze, Bas-Armagnac, Domaine de Peyrot 
1972 – Darroze, Bas-Armagnac, Domaine de Coquillon    
1987 – Darroze, Bas-Armagnac, Domaine au Martin
 

Nancy noted both 1972 and 1987 being good vintage years, and the 1965 seems to be the same one that Serge of WF reviewed in 2015 (http://www.whiskyfun.com/archiveseptember15-1-Armagnac-Tullibardine-Tamdhu-Auchentoshan-Jameson.html#060915), but any further information would be very much appreciated!

Hey @dad-proof!

 

The short answer is, YES, YES, and YES!!!!!

 

Now to put some flesh on the bones of that answer, the Domaine de Peyrot will most likely be made from either Ugni Blanc and/or Baco (aka, Baco blanc or Baco 22A) grapes. I've only had expressions of this one at the Darroze tasting room in southwest France. I can't remember if I had the '65 or not but I can tell you with 100% certainty that I've enjoyed what I did have. 

 

I'm a big fan of Domaine de Coquillon, since they use the Baco grape. Baco tends to have good acidity, which is perfect for distillation, and as they are a hybrid have an interesting combination of a feminine, floral character from its mother, Folle Blanche, while also taking on more assertive, masculine flavors such as stewed prune, tobacco, and dried apricot. 

 

Domaine au Martin is also a good bet, as they use Baco, Folle Blanche, Colombard, and Ugni blanc. Ugni blanc is always my least favorite varietal, as it is too neutral for my tastes, but even so, this is a very reputable house. 

 

All three of these domaines use the local Gascon species of oak, and the distillation and barrel entry proof will be around 52 to 53% ABV. Any reduction from barrel to bottling strength will be what naturally occurs in the chai (pronounced "shay," which is French for rick house). 

 

Thus, I don't think you can lose on any of these! 

 

Please let me know what you decide upon, if you buy them. I can't wait to hear back!

 

Cheers,

Nancy

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On 6/19/2019 at 8:27 PM, WhiskeyBlender said:

The short answer is, YES, YES, and YES!!!!! 

Thank you so much for your time and great help, Nancy. I now have the confidence to go back. The pic I happened to take didn't show price, so I'll factor that in, but based on your descriptions I'm kind of leaning towards the 1972 Coquillon.

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On 6/20/2019 at 10:17 PM, dad-proof said:

Thank you so much for your time and great help, Nancy. I now have the confidence to go back. The pic I happened to take didn't show price, so I'll factor that in, but based on your descriptions I'm kind of leaning towards the 1972 Coquillon.

@dad-proof, please let me know if you go back and get a bottle (or bottles) of the Darroze. I'd love to hear back on what you think of it/them. 

 

Cheers,

Nancy

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  • 4 weeks later...
On 6/28/2019 at 5:54 PM, WhiskeyBlender said:

@dad-proof, please let me know if you go back and get a bottle (or bottles) of the Darroze. I'd love to hear back on what you think of it/them. 

 

Cheers,

Nancy

Hi Nancy, sorry for the delayed reply. It has been a bit of an adventure to get pricing on the bottles. I have learned that Darroze, at least these bottles, don't have barcodes on the box or bottle, so the manager has to look up the price on his office computer, where his old stock (these were purchased  2013-2014) is recorded. The manager has been out or busy with customers the couple of times I have been back. So, I am still interested but the timing hasn't worked out yet.

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