Tasting note

Nose

Liquid history. What an honour to taste this. Full of fruit where melon and peach dominate, but certainly cherries and pear also emerge. We sit back and put our noses in the glass once more. Now the nutty aromas come through. Puffed chestnuts, raw hazelnuts and pistachio. Is there more to mention? Yes, because after five minutes, scents of honey and treacle emerge. Think a bit like baklava with pistachio. What a delight.

Taste

Ginger biscuits, dried figs and delicious black tea with an extra lump of sugar. Toffee, blackberry sauce with chocolate. On the second sip, the earthy tobacco notes are released. It then also becomes drier and goes a little towards aged madeira, marsala. Balsamic vinegar and age. Almost thick to say the least. 

Finish

You only taste something like this once or twice in your life, if you're lucky. This flavour stays with you forever.

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.