Tasting note

Nose

Particularly delicate and you notice that the armagnac changes quickly in the glass. Oxygen brings her back to life, but it's very brittle all around. Very floral, but not the exuberant blooms, but more of a field bouquet. Also a hint of honey, but more in the vein of mead than the sweet honey in such a jar. The sultanas are there too, but very much in the background and provide more character than oozing out of the glass.

Taste

This is very special. A distillate almost 100 years old is something unique. It is a grape distillate, so the grapes are definitely found in the glass, but we find many more beautiful flavours: apples that have been on the fruit bowl for too long, dessert wine, calvados, tobacco leaves, cocoa, chocolate, sultanas, student oats and we could go on and on, but we also enjoy the moment when we have something very special in the glass.

Finish

The mild wood character lasts nicely long. The finish is not mega-long, but what we taste is unique.

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 received 90 points from Serge Valentin.

Read Serge Valentin's tasting note here.