Domaine de Baraillon 1996

Tasting note

Nose

Sweet, delicate and fruity in a versatile way. The nose is indulged with fresh apple pie, grapes, kiwi and also the more sweet scents of mango, blueberries and passion fruit. We attribute the subtle vanilla notes to the wood maturation. Wonderful nose.

Taste

Juicy is the mouthfeel we experience. Like juicy oranges and sweet pears. The mouth is immediately filled with saliva when we take a sip of this. Dates and sultanas, as well as dried apple rings and some bitter notes of pomegranate seeds. Soft vanilla cream is also mentioned and the rest fully agrees.

Finish

Sweet, juicy and complex.

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.