Dartigalongue 15 Year Old Armagnac (700ml)

Dartigalongue, in the Western part of Bas Armagnac, lays claim to being the oldest house in the appellation. The family began to distill in 1813. Their vineyards reside on soils that are more sandy than those in the East of Bas Armaganc. These sandy soils tend to produce grapes with higher acidity, which results in very round spirits with plenty of finesse. The house also employs mostly Gascogne oak (90%) which gives the eau de vie more spice than those aged in majority Limousin oak. It remains a family run operation with production around 60,000 bottles per year.

After tasting three expressions of quite disparate age, to generalise, the house style is fine, elegant and drier than most other Armagnacs we've encountered.

Tasting note: Deep burnished copper. A sumptuous bouquet exudes melted butter, roasted nuts and dates in the first pass. The aspect shifts to raisin and prune in the second inspection; still further aeration introduces creme caramel. A delicious, semi-sweet delivery offers flavours of vanilla wafer and fruit cake with a supple texture finishing vibrant and dry with attractive hints of rancio, caramel and hazelnut in the lengthy aftertaste. At 15 years, Dartigalongue has everything going for it. Borderline 95 points. 40% Alc./Vol.

Other reviews... 'Gold Medal' International Review of Spirits 2011.

'Best Buy'...Spirit Journal 2001.