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We arrived at Chateau Bellevue late afternoon and as usual Madame Consolaro was waiting for us at the gate of her hotel. Like a true Gascon , Madame Consolaro runs her hotel on traditional hospitality and for 3 days Chateau Bellevue served as a wonderful base from where to explore all the delights that the Gascon land has to offer. Gascony is the land of goose fat, confit, civet, rillette and of course foie gras. It is the land of the most traditional, welcoming and hospitable people, but above all Gascony is the home of Armagnac, the greatest Eau de Vie in the world. I have visited Armagnac many times before and every time I am struck with the beauty of this part of Southern France. Upon entering the area one immediately notices the change in the landscape. The vast plains that make up this region are very agricultural with huge estates growing vines, maize and woods which give the country side here a sense of serenity and peacefulness that is extremely welcoming and relaxing. Gascony is steeped in history and tradition, and when visiting the many small villages and chateaux dotted between the vineyards, one gets the feeling that not much has changed since the days of d'Artagnan, the region's most famous hero, immortalised by Alexander Dumas in the 'Three Musketeers'. The Past here is very important and values such as Chivalry, honesty, respect etc. are very much a part of the Gascon character. Time seems to have stood still and when visiting one of the many ancient cellars and tasting Eau de Vies dating back to 1855 or 1900 one can't help but think, imagine, taste and smell visions of another era. Over the years I have had the opportunity of meeting many wonderful people and taste some great Brandies but before I tell you about four of the best I will try to unravel some of the mysteries that Armagnac's water of life has to offer. Armagnac - A Brandy of Distinction It was the Dutch, way back in the 17th century that popularised the idea of distilling wine and gave the end product the name of 'Brandewijn' (burnt wine). Brandy was used for various purposes including the fortification of normal wines and also for mixing with water to make water safer to drink. The Dutch, who at the time were the biggest wine traders in Europe, soon realised that the more time the brandy spent in barrels the more refined it became. In their search for more wine supplies, wood for burning under the alambics and better oak for barrel making they soon discovered Armagnac. Gascony, had been famous for it's coopers since Roman times and , with it's specific soils and terroirs, the area had the potential of producing a great Brandy . The Dutch started encouraging more vineyards to be planted and it must have been around the end of the 17th century that the first Armagnac connoisseurs were born. Each ship was allowed a barrel of brandy to be shared by the crew on their long sea voyages and so it stands to reason that the sailors soon discovered the delights that Armagnac's water of life had to offer. Over the years the Armagnac brandy continued to develop into a fine elegant spirit and although today is enjoyed by many connoisseurs all over the world, in essence, it remains a rural and mysterious product that very few people get to understand unless one visits the area and gets to know it's people. The Terroir The area is divided into three regions, each with their own distinctive soils and tastes. These are Bas Armagnac, Tenareze and Haut Armagnac. There are many estates and these are planted with various proportions of grape varieties but the most popular are: Ugni Blanc (known locally as Saint-Emilion), Baco 22a, Folle Blanche and of course the Colombard. All these grape varieties are ideal for the production of Brandy. Bas Armagnac, to the west of the Jurisdiction is considered by many as the area where the best Armagnac is produced. It is home to some of the most important and influential families in Gascony and also to some of the rarest and oldest stocks of Armagnac. The soils here are made of sand and clay and in some parts this becomes pure clay. The terrain is also very flat with very few hills. These conditions are ideal to produce white wine that is low in alcohol and high in acidity and although these type of wines are not very pleasant to drink as table wines, they have the necessary basis for producing great Armagnac, that is very complex, with a fruity bouquet, hints of prunes and sometimes honey. Tenareze has soils that are a mixture of sand and clay mixed with chalk. The landscape here is slightly more hilly than that of bas Armagnac and the agriculture is more varied, with fields of sunflowers and fruit trees. This area also produces white wine that is excellent for distilling and the Armagnac here is very flowery, heavy textured and hints of violets. Tenareze is also famous for the production of Prunes preserved in Armagnac. Haut Armagnac is the largest region in the jurisdiction, but with the smallest production. The soils here are very chalky which are ideal for producing table wines but not wines for distilling. Most Armagnac that is produced here is very light, lacking in depth and often tasting simply of fierce alcohol. Most of the produce is either sold to big commercial organisations for the production of commercial brandy or for table wines. A Science and an Art The production of Eau de Vie has 3 very separate, but equally important stages. Various estates have different policies for carrying out their distillation but in principle they remain the same. Viticulture and Vinification The cultivation of the vine follows normal French methods with the exception that in Armagnac the vines are trained higher than for example Bordeaux. Harvesting is done mainly by machine when the grapes are fully mature, in late Autumn. Alcoholic fermentation is carried out immediately. The vinification process is left to it's bare minimum and as natural as possible. The grapes are gently squeezed and the juice is fermented on it's lees without the addition of any chemicals or stabilising substances such as sulphur. Because of this, the resultant wine, which is very low in alcohol and high in acidity, spoils very quickly so distillation must start immediately. Distillation There are two types of stills that are used in the area. The pot still uses a double distillation system and is very rarely used for the production of fine Armagnac. The alambic Armagnacais is the mostly used still, and since the middle of the 18th century has distinguished Armagnac brandy from any other brandy in the world. This type of still, which is made of pure copper, uses a continuous distillation system and once distillation starts it continues working, day and night, until all the wine has been distilled. Sometimes this process lasts for 5 months or more. The process is rather complicated, but in simple terms it involves the flow of wine through various copper tubes, and cylindrical receivers that are heated to various temperatures. When the wine reaches the final stage it is cascaded down a series of baffle plates that are heated to about 100dc. At this stage the alcohol, water and other substances in the wine, evaporates and rise up back via the baffle plates. It then passes through some tubes that are in contact with the incoming wine. At this stage the Eau de Vie picks up some of the wine flavours and finally it is cooled and condensed leaving the still at around 15dc. In the old days most of the Alambics Armagnacais were horse drawn and although some are still in use today , most estates now have their own fixed stills. Ageing and Blending It is in this third and most important stage that science turns to art and man completely takes over the destiny of his Eau de Vie. The wine has now been reduced to about 15% of it's original volume. It is 55% alcohol. It's thick, syrupy and clear in colour with a penetrating flowery smell and a fierce, aromatic, mouth coating taste of minerals and other earthy flavours. It has the potential to mature into a great Armagnac. All it needs now is a great Cellar Master to look after and care for it until the day it is ready to be bottled. Sometimes this is a duty that can span 40 to 50 years. As soon as the newly distilled Eau de Vie comes out of the still, it is put in new oak barrels from which the Armagnac gets most of it's colour, tannins and complexities. The 400 ltr barrels are made of black Gascon oak and are locally known as 'Pieces'. These are stored in an above ground cellar where there is an abundant supply of air leading to oxidation and evaporation. This evaporation is called 'The Angel's share' and in the early years it helps the young Armagnac to develop certain characteristics and to reduce the degree of alcohol. The Cellar Master must constantly check the development of his Armagnac, tasting barrel after barrel and according to the 'Rancio' and degree of maturation he must decide whether to transfer from new barrels to older ones or from the upstairs cellar to the underground one where air is limited and humidity high. In these conditions the Armagnac develops much slower and the level of evaporation is minimal. It is generally believed that Armagnac should not be aged in wood for more than 40 or 50 years. When the cellar master decides that a certain brandy has aged to it's full capacity, he puts it to sleep in glass bottles where it stops developing. Sometimes, some estates would need to adjust the alcohol level of their Brandy. This process is normally carried out on young blended Armagnacs. There are various ways of reducing the alcohol level. The commercially oriented producers simply dilute their Eau de Vie with distilled water but the more serious and traditional producers reduce the alcohol level by adding 'Petites Eau'. This is a special low strength Armagnac which is distilled to a formula that is normally known only to the Cellar Master. Single vintage Armagnacs are sold unblended and at cask strength, which sometimes can reach as high as 45%. Most Armagnacs are sold as Blends (ie.VSOP, XO etc). The Cellar Master must be able to blend the various brandies from different ages and varietals to produce a blend that is of the same characteristic as the ones blended many years before, possibly by different people. I was once told that there are many attributes that someone must have to become a great Cellar Master, a good nose, many years of experience, a brilliant memory but most importantly he or she must be a Gascon Armagnac in Bottle There are many terms that are used to determine the age and type of blended Armagnac. The following are the most popular. 3 stars A blend of Eau de vies, the youngest of which has spent 2 years in oak Barrels. Generally used for cooking. VSOP A blend the youngest of which is 5 Years in oak XO A blend the youngest of which is 6 years in oak Hors d'age A blend the youngest of which is 10 years in oak Single Vintages. These are very special brandies that were distilled from the wine of the vintage stated on the bottle. They were aged and matured on purpose to be bottled and sold as such. There are also a few estates that distil, age and bottle single varietal, single vintage Armagnacs. These are considered as great specialities and are quite rare to find on the market. Samalens This popular estate was founded in 1882 and since than the name of Samalens has been associated with great Bas Armagnac, fine Cellar Masters and proud Gascons. During the 60s and 70s, Jean and Georges Samalens worked endlessly to promote the traditional qualities of Armagnac and although no longer with us their love for the area and all it's traditions will be remembered for a long time. Today the estate is run by Philippe and Pierre Samalens who continue their predecessors work with as much love and passion. At Samalens the wine is bought in from various local vignerons but is distilled on the estate in the glorious distillery room . There are a number of stills and some of them date back to the date when the estate was founded. The Eau de Vie is aged in barrels, the wood for which is personally selected by Philippe and weathered at Samalens until it is ready for the coopers to shape into Barrels. Ageing is done in the magnificent 3 cellars at various levels and in one of them you can still find Armagnacs dating back to 1888. Samalens are famous for their blends and their VSOP and Hor's d'age are excellent examples of fine Armagnacs. The VSOP has an amber colour and is very fruity with a hint of vanilla, whilst the Hors d'Age has a fuller body , with a perfumed bouquet and a long finish. Laberdolive If in Sauterne you ask for their best wine, you will probably get Y'qeum, if in Pomerol you ask for their greatest wine, they will probably give you Petrus. If in Gascony you ask for their finest Brandy, you will probably get Laberdolive. The 42 hectare estate has excellent sandy soils and is planted with usual varieties of Baco, Ugni Blanc, Colombard and Folle Blanche. Production is very small and is done by an Alambic Armagnacais fired by wood. Ageing is done in the traditional 400 ltr Gascon barrels and most of the wood used come from the Laberdolive estate. The estate is run by Pierre Laberdolive who is a very calm and patient man and seems to be in complete harmony with his land, his barrels and his Armagnac. His reputation as a Cellar Master has travelled all across France and has reached many fine Hotels around the world. His Armagnac is often referred to as the Gold of Armagnac so you can imagine how much I was looking forward to meeting him again. Here we tasted a large number of vintages which included 1982, 1976, 1970, 1964, and 1942. My favourites were the very fresh and fruity 1982. The very perfumed and smooth 1964 with hints of honey and caramel, and the incredibly rich 1942 with an unmistakable bouquet of apples and honey. Incidentally, Laberdolive's Armagnac is not called the gold of Armagnac for nothing. A tot of Laberdolive 1964 in the Hilton of London will cost you about LM50.00. The Boingneres estate The Boingneres estate might be difficult for me to pronounce but I certainly have no problem in enjoying it's Armagnac. These are what I call Eau de Vies of Terroir. The 19 hectare estate is the property of the Lafitte family. Leon Lafitte was an outstanding and outspoken personality in the area and his reputation as a hard worker and promoter for the whole of bas Armagnac is still very much respected today. Monsieur Lafitte's knowledge of Eau de Vie and brilliance as a Cellar Master lead him to radically change the varieties of vines in his vineyards. After many years of experimentation he concluded that the Folle Blanche, which was declining in popularity needed to be given the importance it deserves. and planted 10 out of the 19 hectares of his vineyards to it. The importance of Ugni Blanc and Colombard were not forgotten and the other 9 hectares are dedicated to these two varieties. These 3 vine varietals are distilled separately and besides the blends and single vintages the estate can boast the production, of single varietal, single vintage Armagnac. These Eau de Vies have brought great honours to the Boingneres estate and in 1996, the Colombard 1974 and the Folle Blanche 1978 won gold medals in the international spirits challenge held in London. Unfortunately Leon Lafitte passed away recently, so when we visited the estate we were welcomed by his daughter and present manager Martine Lafitte. I always emphasise the importance of terroir and the role of people when it comes to wine making or distilling and although I have never had the opportunity of meeting Monsieur Lafitte, I am told that he would have been very proud of the way his daughter runs the family estate. Martine is wonderful and warm, with a passion for Armagnac and good things in life. Just my kind of person. For lunch she arranged for some friends of hers to cook for us Deuxmoiselle. This is a great speciality of the region, and it consists of the bones of ducks that are grilled on vine stocks. It is eaten amongst friends, munched by hand in large amounts. Simple but great. Sitting down at lunch with us were various people and included Martine's mother, Madame Lafitte, Madame Consolaro from Chateau Bellevue and various people from the village. We were now all very good friends and had greasy hands to prove it!! After lunch we had a tasting of three Armagnacs. Folle Blanche 1985, rather young , fiery and concentrated with a ripe fruit fragrance. Folle Blanche 1979, well mature and delicate with hints of nuts and vanilla. Smooth and extremely enjoyable. To finish off we tasted Colombard 1974. A great Armagnac with a full fragrance of ripe fruit and hints of honey chocolate and vanilla. Domaine de Broustet If any of you are in south west France you must make it a point to visit Monsieur et Madame Dubourdieu in Tenareze. The Dubourdieus live on a small farm, and are more or less self sufficient, living off the production of Eau de Vie and Prunes preserved in Armagnac. Their small farm house looks like something out of the middle ages. It probably is, in fact I am sure that the last property maintenance bill that exists for Domaine de Broustet dates to that century. It would take me many pages to give you a full description of the scene upon arrival, but if any of you had the opportunity of visiting some of the old farms that still exist in some of our villages you are in the right direction. You know what I mean, ducks, chickens, geese, pigs, cats, dogs, corrigated iron , barrels in the sun, broken roofs, broken cars etc. I had visited the Dubourdieus a couple of years ago and although the state of the farm house and surroundings has somewhat deteriorated the quality of the Armagnac certainly did not. This is quite amazing especially when one considers the near primitive conditions that Monsieur Dubourdieu works under and the fact that distillation here is still carried out by a travelling Alambic. The style of Armagnac produced here is unmistakably typical of Tenareze and although one cannot describe it as a fine Eau de Vie , the ten or fifteen year old brandies are immensely enjoyable. Full bodied, sweet and very flowery. Hints of violets and chocolate, high in alcohol, heavy in texture and slightly rough round the edges. This is the equivalent of what in the wine world would be called farmers wine. These types of wines and Armagnacs are best enjoyed as part of an experience. It is unfortunate that unless you have a vivid imagination drinks like this do not travel very well and are best enjoyed on their own home soil. Georges Samalens once wrote ' To appreciate Armagnac you must close your eyes and let your nose communicate directly with your imagination. If you see flowers and fruit appearing, the Armagnac is a great spirit; if you see an orchard in spring, a forest in Autumn, a memory of hunting, your first love, you have before you a very great Armagnac.... or a vivid imagination.' I have just poured myself a drop of Domaine de Broustet 1980 and I 'm thinking of Monsieur and Madame Dubourdieu , prunes in Armagnac, ducks, cats , broken roofs, confit, civet, cassoulet, foie gras, Chateau Bellevue, etc.etc.etc.!!!!!
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