Domaine de Baraillon 1985

Tasting note

Nose

The aroma does not immediately remind you of Armagnac. We are talking about the full spicy character, slightly meaty even. Cigar leaf and cigar box are also mentioned, furniture wax and tasty oxidation notes familiar from sherry. We also hear a nice old flavour more often, nicely aged we'll call it.

Taste

Here we do have the sultanas and currants that are so characteristic of armagnac, but the meaty character is also definitely present in the flavour. Coffee, mocha cake, strong tea, hazelnuts, tobacco, our note-taker has a hard time getting everything tasted down on paper. This is clearly a glass that is talked about a lot. Impressive is actually the word that covers it all.

Finish

The finish is a nice reflection of what we have just tasted. Mid-long where the sweet fruit character and the dry wood character fight with each other for the longest time who is the strongest.

The distillery

The Domaine de Baraillon is located just outside Lannemaignan in the Bas-Armagnac. The pretty little estate is surrounded by sunflower, maize and wheat fields and, of course, vineyards. Driving past the Domaine, you wouldn't even know that Armagnac is produced here, were it not for a large barrel on the side of the road with their name written on it. 

Claverie's Armagnacs are a combination of two properties: 4 hectares owned by Patriach Paul's sister in Le Freche and 12 hectares around his house. All vineyards are full of the three major grape varieties, Baco, Colombard and Ugni Blanc. Until 2012 they used the Loubere distillery in Labastide d'Armagnac, but in 2012 they bought their own stills in which they now turn their wines into spirits. The fresh eau de vie normally goes into 5,000-litre casks before being transferred to smaller barrels. Both new and old barrels are used for this purpose. The barrels are regularly aerated to promote oxidation. The oldest stocks date back to the late 19th century and it occasionally seems as if time has stood still at Domaine de Baraillon. Tradition and quality are therefore highly valued by the family.  

What others say

On WhiskyFun.com, this Armagnac from Serge Valentin received 93 points.

Read Serge Valentin's tasting note here.