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| Hello, that is certainly one of our (nearly) each day tastings. Santé! |
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August 29, 2021
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Youthful ones, lighter ones, simpler ones… In principle! Summer time’s not over till Sept. 22
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Laballe ‘Résistance’ (43%, OB, Bas-Armagnac, +/-2018) 
That is 100% Baco (typically mistakenly spelled Bacco) 22A. Baco is an hybrid created by a sure Mr Baco to withstand the phylloxera and a cross between folle blanche and the horrible noah, performed round 1900. It’s stated that it’s the solely such hybrid that is allowed inside a French appellation contrôlée. On the label, a phylloxera, naturally! Color: gold. Nostril: noses quite agency and fairly younger, nearly boisterous, with touches of menthol and pine resin (new oak?) and sponge cake, Jaffa cake, marmalade, orange zests, pink apples and cinnamon. Slightly jasmine tea as properly, orange blossom water… It’s actually not an old-school armagnac. Mouth: excellent news, not a lot uncooked oak, quite all issues oranges, mirabelles, apricots and even quinces, with as soon as once more a little bit menthol. Chlorophyll. Tends to change into drier. End: certainly the end is drier, a little bit tea-ish, much less brilliant, however our pleasant oranges will put it aside within the aftertaste. Feedback: actually good, I feel, even when it is most likely a little bit younger.
SGP:551 – 83 factors. |
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Domaine de Baraillon 2001/2019 (47%, OB, Bas-Armagnac)
One of many favorite domaines amongst whisky-talkers. Many have been super, a couple of had been wonderful, and a pair simply ‘very excellent’. As they used to say earlier than Web boards and Fb, ‘purchase with confidence’. This is likely one of the youngest Baraillons I’ve ever had on our tasting desk. Color: full gold. Nostril: no, stewed bananas and sugarcane caramel? How is that doable? And extra jasmine, ylang-ylang, power-Sauternes? And liquorice and menthol? Who’s accountable with including all these aromas to those wee armagnacs? Mouth: a tad extra rustic and inexperienced at first (stems, stalks…), making me consider some marcs (Bourgogne, Jura…) Some melon skins too, peach pores and skin, a little bit sweet sugar, aniseed and mint… Certainly I discover this one a little bit rustic for Baraillon. End: quite lengthy, actually leafy. Orange zests within the aftertaste. Feedback: completely pretty, simply maybe a tad much less Baraillon-lovely than others, in my humblest opinion.
SGP:561 – 84 factors. |
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Dartigalongue 15 ans (40%, OB, Bas-Armagnac, 2020) 
It is a home that is obtained a wonderful fame in France. They’re situated in Nogaro, a -city that is additionally well-known to all sportscar lovers. Nonetheless, please by no means drink nice outdated armagnac and drive nice outdated Ferraris. I imply, concurrently. Color: full gold. Nostril: I wasn’t anticipating that this might be fruitier and more energizing than the Baraillon, with many extra peaches, pears, gooseberries and apples. It is fairly floral too, quite on yellow flowers (dandelions) and peonies, whereas it will then gear again in direction of ripe peaches of a number of sorts. I actually get pleasure from these extra ‘fashionable’ armagnacs that aren’t, as had been and nonetheless are many old-skool ‘gnacs, ridden with raisins and prunes. Mouth: goes the space regardless of the 40% vol. Peaches and apricots stewed in white wine, with some honey and recent vanilla thrown in. Just a bit cinnamon too, additionally herbs. I discover verbena notably apparent right here, whereas I cherish verbena. Minimal sucrosity, if any. End: medium, nonetheless going the space, with touches of crème brulée and candy liquorice, plus inexperienced tea within the aftertaste. Feedback: excellent, fairly simple and but not too simple. You possibly can name it a correct all-purpose armagnac, even when a barely increased voltage would have been welcome.
SGP:551 – 86 factors. |
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It’s all the time fascinating to do these items vertically, is it not. Even when these are quite the work of some expert blenders than simply that of time…
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Dartigalongue 25 ans (40%, OB, Bas-Armagnac, 2018) 
As I simply informed a very good good friend within the US, saying Dartigalongue is not any more durable than saying Bruichladdich or Bunnahabhain, is it? Anyway, in principle, this must be the 15 +10 years. Color: golden amber. Nostril: there, huge juicy sultanas, ripe figs, fudge and praline, nougat, acacia honey, and naturally peaches, in addition to honeysuckle and elderflowers. A non-criticisable nostril, with extra aromatics than within the 15, and quite much less (good) stress. Mouth: 25 is a good age with malt whisky (hey Springbank) and I consider it’s for brandy, even when good brandy, being richer and fuller, tends to age slower and go longer distances. Properly, in my e book. That is quite splendid, however it’s approaching the harmful zone of ueber-drinkability. See what I imply? Mead, apricot nectar, Sauternes, simply grapes, Wulong tea… It is all fantastically nested. And a little bit too simple… End: medium, grassier and leafier as standard, however with none gross and rustic aftertaste. It is all simple… Feedback: excellent nightcap armagnac, simple and but complicated.
SGP:551 – 88 factors. |
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That, at 46%… However let’s go on…
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Dartigalongue 30 ans (40%, OB, Bas-Armagnac, 2018)
Color: amber. Nostril: extra stewed pink fruits and teas in addition to extra tobacco (cigars), that are a few of the indicators of older age. Cedarwood, incense, balsa, then Spanish ham (hurray) and certainly peonies, that is all completely pretty and, would I add, poetic. Black nougat and a little bit chocolate and mocha latte. Correct mocha latte is a killer, let’s transfer on. Mouth: as soon as you progress previous a barely oaky-ish assault (grandma’s Darjeeling) you are in for a quite splendid stewed fruit – tender spices duet, peppered with, properly, err, peppermint and black liquorice. Some piney tannicity is beginning to combat you (pipe tobacco, cigar tip, cough medication) however this was the proper second, it is nonetheless all quite underneath management. However I for one would not have gone as much as 31… End: quite lengthy and with one thing we actually get pleasure from, bitter cherries and liquorice that convey again certainly one of armagnac’s lauded markers: some type of rusticity. Feedback: wonderful, if a wee bit on the limits (or I might have gone to 90).
SGP:461 – 89 factors. |
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Is not it a little bit silly that you may get a 12-case of Dartigalongue 30 for the value of 1 bottle of Macallan 30? Whereas the previous’s evidently higher? I say the worth of BS is just too excessive as of late on this planet of spirits. Anyway, we’ll have extra Dartigalongue subsequent time we’re doing armagnacs, within the meantime, a wee outdated one by Aurian earlier than we name this a tasting session…
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Aurian 1965 (43%, OB, armagnac, +/-2020) 
1965 was a horrible classic in Bordeaux and elsewhere, that is why you simply could not discover any of those wines as of late. Thoughts you, they’ve all been sinked and lots of châteaux have not even bothered making wine. Having stated that, wine that is made for distillation or, as in Jerez, fortifying is one thing else, typically the baddest vintages will present the best sherries, Madeiras, or certainly brandies. Let’s have a look at if that was the case right here… Color: pink amber. Nostril: oh, 3-star sangria, pink peaches and blood oranges, quince jelly and jam, some good caramel, rosehip, cedarwood, only a tiny contact of copper polish, then huge recent ceps and morels. Let me remind you that I might kill for ceps and morels, and that we have got an outdated Czechoslovakian machine gun in excellent working circumstances at WF Towers (we’re simply lacking the ammos). Mouth: it obtained a tad fragile on the palate, a tad shaky and wobbly, with notes of outdated carboard and off teas mingling with some in any other case pretty peaches and oranges. Nonetheless fairly beautiful right here and there, however in my view, nightfall is about to fall on this wee outdated armagnac. End: medium, natural and cardboardy. Its Götterdämmerung is close to… Feedback: with these oldies you must benefit from the good sides and simply ignore the remaining. The excellent news is that we have got another, quite excellent Aurians queuing within the line.
SGP:361 – 78 factors. |
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