Six notable Ténarèze and quite a few Bas-Armagnacs


December 21, 2025

A word of caution
Let me please remind you that my humble assessments of any spirits are done from the point of view of a malt whisky enthusiast who, what's more, is aboslutely not an expert in rum, brandy, tequila, vodka, gin or any other spirits. Thank you – and peace!

Six notable Ténarèze and quite a few Bas-Armagnacs

If, a few years ago, someone had told the old men of Gers and Landes that malt whisky enthusiasts would one day take a very serious interest in their old-fashioned eaux-de-vie, they would have had a good laugh, shrugging their shoulders, berets pushed back on their heads. And yet…

Domaine de Séailles 2001/2025 (51.8%, Swell de Spirits, Wild Card Series, Ténarèze, cask #69)

We’re slotting in this baby at the last minute, do forgive us. Please note that Domaine de Séailles and Domaine Séailles are one and the same. Also worth noting that we shall have a sister cask coming up next. Colour: deep amber. Nose: high-end Nescafé and roasted hazelnuts and walnuts, plus chestnut honey opening the path to baked fruits, mostly the usual peaches and apricots, whilst a rather tarry background begins to creep in as well, which we shall also find in the sister cask. With water: a few touches of incense, cedarwood, then fresh walnuts complete with their skins. Mouth (neat): bitter citrus zests and Italian bitters rule the roost at first, all very punchy and assertive, but once again the fruits come charging through behind, led by poached peaches. Loads of pepper too, and a definite note of walnut husk. With water: candied oranges and fresh walnuts, perhaps even green ones. Finish: long, rooty, with a great deal of liquorice wood. Comments: both casks are really very close in their no-compromise, almost trade unionist character.
SGP:562 - 88 points.

Domaine Séailles 23 yo 2001/2025 (53.4%, armagnac.de, Ténarèze, cask #70)

100% Ugni Blanc. They also make both red and white wine under the Côtes de Gascogne appellation, though I’ve yet to try any. A Séailles 2000/2021 had been very good in our opinion (WF 87). Colour: deep amber. Nose: light tar to start, rather typical, then quite a pronounced toastiness, toasted wood, roasted peanuts, pecans and proper local walnuts. Lovely power. With water: more towards green walnut, nocino… Mouth (neat): really very flavourful, with lovely bitters mingling with lemon and zests, and a clear thread of black pepper in the background. With water: the local walnuts take over entirely, joined by wee oranges and an unexpected saltiness. Finish: long, with very fine bitterness. Comments: certainly different, but this baby wouldn’t feel out of place in a tasting of top-drawer malts from sherry casks.
SGP:562 - 88 points.

Hontambère (Pouchégu) 25 yo 2000/2025 (55.6%, Hontambère for RAC Spirits, Ténarèze, cask #D10, 100 bottles)

Just a reminder that the legendary Domaine de Pouchégu no longer exists, so what we’re tasting here is a lost Ténarèze, courtesy of Hontambère. Colour: deep gold. Nose: gentler than the Séailles, less immediate but perhaps a little more refined, more herbaceous, more on melon skin, fresh figs, then Viennese coffee. It’s all very lovely, especially once the roasted peanuts—which we’re rather fond of at WF Towers—begin to show up. With water: retreats slightly into herbs, shrubs, and tiny berries… Mouth (neat): this one’s a touch creamier, yet the Ténarèze DNA remains intact, with a kind of rustic liveliness (shall we say) and candied, peppered citrus. The grassy side emerges next. With water: still very terroiry, to borrow a thoroughly untranslatable bit of French jargon. Finish: long, more on orange zest and honey. Comments: another excellent Ténarèze, and no question of choosing between them, unless we started using half-points or tenths, which we absolutely refuse to do. Excellent.
SGP:561 - 88 points.

Bas-Armagnac Colombard 34 yo 1991/2025 (58.9%, Landier & Vingtier for C. Dully Selection, 150 bottles)

As you know, Colombard is a grape variety, not a domaine, so we’re in the presence of a mystery producer here, but one presented by people we trust implicitly. Colour: amber. Nose: far more polished than the Ténarèze, much closer to a Cognac in style, with peach compote, various honeys, sultanas, dried apricots, papaya, yellow and white blossoms… With water: the more rustic side begins to emerge now, while truckloads of dates and prunes appear, all stuffed with marzipan. Mouth (neat): lively and earthy, on candied citron and gentian liqueur, so considerably more tense than the nose suggested. And we do enjoy that, especially with the papaya making a comeback. Even a few drops of raspberry eau-de-vie, quite unexpected in this context. With water: tobacco and leather, plus two drops of rose liqueur and three of muscat, and even hints of pineapple liqueur. How fun is that? And delicious, of course… Finish: long, creamy, more honeyed. Comments: I regret to inform you that I see no reason why we should give this magnificent Colombard a different score.
SGP:661 - 88 points.

I don’t think we’ve ever had a tasting session where all the spirits scored the same, but there’s no reason it couldn’t happen. Of course, we’re not talking about the ‘little duos’…
Now then, about Colombard…

Château de Laubade 35 yo 1989/2025 ‘Early Landed Bas Armagnac’ (59.1%, Milroy’s of Soho, Colombard Reserve)

We don’t really know when exactly this one “landed early”—was it from the moment the cask was filled? Colour: amber. Nose: there are indeed similarities with the C. Dully, though this is even more classical, with chocolate and cigars, polished wood, ground coffee, and quite simply ‘oak’. And it works. With water: a curious meaty side appears, even… truffled foie gras. Well, it is the region after all. Mouth (neat): much more rustic, with pine needles, dried porcini, chocolate, tobacco, leather, varnish… But it’s lovely, just very traditional. You’ll tell me that’s expected, as it was early-landed in the UK (insert God Save the King here). With water: it wakes up, becomes a little more resinous, even faintly phenolic, with some truly lovely pepper. Finish: long, on fir honey and resin. A moist forest-floor note in the aftertaste. Comments: this one got off to a slow start but in the end, it caught up with the others. Mad and excellent.
SGP:561 - 88 points.

Quite frankly, at this point it’s easy to see why some malt whisky lovers have become so fond of these Armagnacs.

Château de Campagne d’Armagnac 1988/2025 (50.4%, Marquis de Montesquiou, Oxygène, Bas-armagnac)

From pure Ugni Blanc, sourced from a sizeable estate that once belonged to Pernod Ricard and was closed down in 2011, only to be brought back to life by a new group of majority shareholders. A word of warning, Campagne d’Armagnac isn’t exactly bustling, just 212 residents, according to Wikipedia. Colour: deep gold. Nose: immediately more varnishy and fruity, yet with a touch of earthiness too, all layered atop very classic aromas of stewed Agen plums and prune purée, with a few dabs of lavender and violet over a base that’s heavily liquorice-laced, and a rather pronounced oakiness that leans towards cocoa and cinnamon. With water: it’s chiefly the tobacco that rises now, like an old pack of unfiltered Gauloises left behind in the pocket of a worn velvet jacket belonging to a dearly departed grandfather from the Gers. You see what I mean. Mouth (neat): fruity to start (oranges and peaches), but swiftly shifting to pepper and bitterness, with a prominent oak influence that remains elegant. With water: this is where it truly comes into its own, as the oak melts into the citrus and assertive honeys. Finish: long, quite candied, yet still fresh. Orange zest and prunes, then chocolate. Comments: all of this displays absolute coherence at present.
SGP:561 - 88 points.

Aurian 36 yo 1988/2024 (42.6%, The Roots, Bas-armagnac, barrique #19)

A word of caution, it's well known that old Armagnacs brought down, the natural way, to more modest strengths can gain a certain advantage, often coming across as more seductive and less rustic... Colour: amber. Nose: just as expected, we’re firmly in the realm of elegance and complexity now, with floral touches, spices, dried fruits, tiny flecks of tar and wax, plus slightly mentholated raisins... Mouth: indeed, it’s certainly easier, but all the more beautiful for it, with rather striking complexity, English tobacco, figs, cedar and sandalwood, vanilla, crème caramel, and that same verbena we’d already come across... Finish: fairly long, more matte, focusing on liquorice, coffee beans and dark chocolate, although in the end, it’s the candied orange that carries the day. Comments: truth be told, we do enjoy the more rustic, countryside character of some of the earlier bottlings, but this one is more approachable, and that matters. Bang, one extra point. At last!
SGP:651 - 89 points.

Now, we do love high-strength cask strength spirits, just as we do in whisky, but beware of the marketing spin that goes, ‘we’re selling it to you at full strength so you can dilute it to your preferred level.’ Well, it’s absolutely not the same thing, because in your glass, there’s no time for proper integration. Especially since skilled producers, at least in France, dilute progressively before bottling, sometimes two degrees at a time, like any great liquorist. I even know some who go one degree at a time, with long resting periods in between. The result is nothing like a quick splash of water in your glass, mixed in ten seconds flat, with no resting time. Right, let’s carry on and return to Ténarèze…

Pébérère 1985/2025 (46.7%, Le Passeur, Ténarèze, cask #208)

We’re in Condom, one of the capitals of Armagnac and a small town whose name has already caused a fair bit of laughter among foreign friends. We shall say no more and remain cloaked in a dignified and everlasting indifference (shall we?). In any case, I rather like these very simple labels, meaningful, free from any AI fluff or flashy visuals trying to dazzle the eye. We tasted one of their Pébérère 1973s last year and it was superb (WF 90). Colour: full gold. Nose: soft and elegant for a Ténarèze, leaning more towards beeswax and mirabelle tart (and plum tart), with a rather opulent honeyed quality that’s never ever vulgar, quite the opposite. I know the Armagnac purists would probably shoot me on sight for saying this, but to me this leans slightly towards fins bois Cognac. Avec mes excuses. Mouth: a pronounced oakiness, but handled with elegance, honeyed fruitiness and a lovely smooth touch. Oak honeydew, if you like, plus tobacco and lemon zest, with a hint of salt and plenty of black pepper. As they say, it speaks volumes. Finish: the tobacco steps forward now, with peach skins joining in. Comments: I was only joking about the Cognac, the finish here is 100% Armagnac, no question.
SGP:561 - 89 points.

Bas-Armagnac 45 yo (43.4%, Decadent Drams, Decadent Drinks, 179 bottles, 2025)

Whether using the very Scottish word ‘dram’ for an Armagnac is truly allowed remains unclear, but I doubt the good people at Decadent and so forth need to fear a volley of birdshot or rock salt in the backside next time they stroll through the Gers or the Landes. In any case, the old hunting rifles were handed in to the gendarmerie ages ago, weren’t they (but of course). Colour: deep gold. Nose: I haven’t checked whether this is a blend, but either way it’s fairly rounded, civilised, loyal and commercial, rather Cognac-like again this time, with honeys, stewed yellow fruits, juicy sultanas, all sorts of waxes and a few drops of sweet wines from the South-West—Jurançon, Monbazillac, sweet Gaillac and of course Bordeaux. I’m thinking especially of Cérons—are you familiar with Cérons? Mouth: pure sin in the glass, with an incredible duet of stewed and dried fruits, citrus and apricots, honeys and sweet wines. Finish: not particularly long, but that’s down to the very genteel bottling strength. Lovely slightly fruity soils in the aftertaste. Comments: I’m a little embarrassed, most of the recent releases from Mr Decadent and his team seem to score 90, which could start to look a bit fishy. And yet, not at all. At all. At all. A superb Armagnac that manages to feel both joyously fresh and older than its ‘mere’ 45 years. Just be careful, it slips down far too easily; you’ll want a lock with a timer on that cork.
SGP:641 - 90 points.

We’ll finish with three from 1976. Remember that in Armagnac and Cognac, the vintage refers to the year of the harvest, not the distillation, and 1976 was an exceptionally hot year in France, so much so that the French government introduced a ‘drought tax’ that year. They were always good at that.

Dartigalongue 1976/2025 (45.3%, OB, for Festival de l’Armagnac 2026)

Here it is, the official bottle (or one of them) of the upcoming Festival de l’Armagnac, to be held in Bordeaux on 7 March. It ought to be a stunner. Colour: amber. Nose: I don’t wish to be misunderstood, this is a more traditional style, more ‘commercial’, but in this context that’s high praise indeed, meaning everything is absolutely spot on. Fir buds, yellow Chartreuse, heather honey, a touch of potting soil and pipe tobacco, a little furniture wax, then a whole cavalcade of flowers, nectars and pollens. And we nearly forgot to mention the obligatory apricots and vineyard peaches. Mouth: a mirror of the nose, word for word, which is rather rare. Still those buds, along with precious woods, beeswax polish, quince jelly, apricot jam, acacia and mullein blossom syrup, Seville orange marmalade… and a whole host of other things too, including cracked peppercorns and dark tobacco. Finish: long, and now much more focused on the tobacco, which is quite spectacular, though the orange marmalade returns in the aftertaste to shake things up. Comments: well then, let’s hope both the Bordeaux festival organisers and the venerable house of Dartigalongue have prepared a very big batch of this splendid—and rather heatwave-y—1976.
SGP:661 - 91 points.

Pébérère 1976 ‘Le Gers Majeur’ (49.6%, Malternative Belgium, Ténarèze, cask #115, 120 bottles)

The Belgians again! By way of retaliation, I think we’ll set up an import company in France specialising in only the finest shrimp croquettes from their coasts, that’ll teach them. Colour: red amber. Nose: strike. Candied bananas, ultra-fruity rum in the TDL-from-Trinidad style, orange cream, and five kilos of golden sultanas soaked in sunlight. I don’t believe it’s humanly possible to resist this, and if it’s a bit pushy, it certainly is so with tremendous elegance. Mouth: on the palate it’s nearly identical to the Dartigalongue ’76, just a touch livelier. As we sometimes say, we could drink a double magnum of each in a head-to-head and still fail to declare a winner. Not that we lack the motivation, but we shall refrain… Finish: the same feeling again, though this one may be just a touch more citrusy and minty. Comments: sheer beauty. One could sip this alongside duck confit with ceps in a foie gras and truffle sauce—what do you say? Nutritionists and dieticians, this message was not for you.
SGP:661 - 91 points.

It’s time to wrap up this little vertical tasting, before sampling more Armagnacs next year.

Château Garreau 1976/2025 (50.1%, The Whisky Jury, Bas-armagnac, release #129, cask #24, 249 bottles)

A splendid return to handwritten labels, so fashionable twenty or thirty years ago. No need to introduce Garreau anymore—one of those houses recently and justly brought into the spotlight by the independent bottlers, including those from the whisky world. Colour: amber. Nose: a very lovely and very light touch of sulphur to start with, quite unusual for Armagnac but really charming here, as it adds an extra dimension. Then come mangos, papayas and fresh guavas—all three excessive in terms of aroma, in the best possible way. The overall effect is rather wild, in a good way, and frankly, you’d think you were in Jamaica. A gentler Jamaica, granted… Mouth: that sulphur returns, bringing added character, alongside those mangos, some small resinous and phenolic molecules, even a bit of mint, and quite frankly, three tonnes of papaya from who knows where. PS: we adore fresh papaya, even if we seem to be in the minority on this planet. Finish: the finish is less obvious, with a touch of bitter mint and even some artichoke notes. Comments: right, we absolutely love it, though those slightly alien notes do make one wonder whether there’s been a bit of ‘creative’ reracking somewhere along the line. Or not. But it’s magnificent.
SGP:662 - 89 points.

Bonus: This new Gaube reached us just before publication, and rather than waiting until next year, we decided to taste it in a very preliminary way, quickly, for the sake of the cause.

Château de Gaube 1963/2025 (44.1%, Darroze for Kirsch Import, Journal des Kirsch #12, Bas Armagnac, 164 bottles)

Château de Gaube 1963/2025 (44.1%, Domaine de Lassaubatju for Kirsch Import, Journal des Kirsch #12, Bas Armagnac, 164 bottles)

Pure baco from the Landes, right on the border with the Gers, in the famous tawny sands (sables fauves). Colour: dark amber with copper tones. Nose: pure prune cake served still warm and richly caramelised in its earthenware mould, the kind passed down from a great-grandmother, or perhaps even earlier. As it goes along, this little masterpiece from the Gascon countryside sends out wafts of black earth after the first rain, pine needles, forgotten vegetables (swede, Jerusalem artichoke) and tamarind jam enriched with eucalyptus and mint. It is very distinctive and very, very beautiful. Mouth: we find exactly the same profile as on the nose, with that superb earthy and very tertiary character, plus a little tar-and-liquorice duo that always works. Finish: long, with the same notes but also a saline touch, a bit of salmiak, pine sap and black olive. That magnificent earthy touch returns in the aftertaste. Comments: absolutely no fatigue in this rather explosive armagnac with a magnificent personality. Given the pedigree, it must be said, it’s not exactly a surprise, alas! (remember the French always need to complain).
SGP:572 - 93 points.

Check the index of all armagnacs we've tasted