A few Armagnacs for this Sunday


October 25, 2026

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!

A few Armagnacs for this Sunday

Lovely houses, lovely grape varieties, lovely spirits… And since France is in a complete muddle at the moment, which we hope is merely a Schumpeterian phase, we shall taste all these armagnacs at random, in a glorious shambles… which we therefore hope will prove creative. Right then, we need cheering up, so we shall take absolutely no chances with today’s apéritif…

Bourvil and De Funès in 'Le Corniaud' (1965)

Darroze 40 yo ‘Les Grands Assemblages’ (43%, OB, Bas-Armagnac, +/-2026)

We tasted the entire Grands Assemblages range around 2015, and this light, bright and cheerful 40 yo impressed us quite a bit (WF 88). Here is a new bottling… Colour: amber. Nose: wafts of pine sap and menthol cigarettes, then a little propolis and myrtle, plenty of furniture polish, and ultimately rather little fruit on the nose. Mouth: the fruit turns up here (cooked peaches), but is soon overtaken by liquorice, pine sap, black pepper and dark tobacco. Nevertheless, everything remains beautifully balanced, almost miraculously so. Well, no, I’m sure they did it on purpose (ha!) Finish: medium in length, dry and rather woody, but since that takes us towards dark chocolate with a touch of salt and smoke, all is well. An amusing kirsch-like touch in the aftertaste. Comments: no desire whatsoever to change the score.
SGP:461 - 88 points.

Dartigalongue 14 yo 2011/2026 ‘N°1 Epilogue’ (46%, OB, Bas-Armagnac, cask #A12, 560 bottles)

Baco and ugni blanc. Colour: amber. Nose: lovely metallic touches to begin with (grandmother’s old coin purse), followed by dried herbs, notably hay and parsley, then chocolate, candied oranges, digestive herbal teas (armagnac is always a digestif) and raisins soaked in rum. Middle Eastern pastries flavoured with orange blossom seal the deal. Mouth: we are closer to the grapes here, but also to spices, notably ginger and pepper which, together with salted candied orange peel, give the whole thing quite a feisty character, ultimately closer to a marc than a fine. I would hardly have protested had you told me this was marc de Bourgogne or du Jura. Finish: long, still with that same feistiness. Marc, pear, and even old genever. Comments: a very surprising cask, far removed from classic armagnac, which is probably one of its main virtues. We like it very much.
SGP:462 - 86 points.

Pébérère 2012/2026 (50.3%, Le Barreur, Ténarèze, cask #215, 144 bottles)

Baco and ugni blanc again. We have already tasted some very fine Pébérère from the previous incarnation of ‘Le Barreur’, ‘Le Passeur’. Colour: amber. Nose: I promise you, this reminds me of wood-aged gewurz marc. At least to begin with, as this baby takes its time opening up, but if you enjoy Bergman’s films, you should like it. Sultanas, then herbal teas, then muscat-like touches, then orange blossom, then natural rubber (new wellies), then roasted peach… Etc. Mouth: it took its time on the nose, but it shoots across the palate like an arrow. Pink grapefruit, lemongrass, goji berries, a light latte, crushed black pepper. Finish: long, a little more rustic, earthy, tart and slightly spicier (pepper, very dark chocolate), but we like that country character. Comments: did someone say ‘terroir’?
SGP:461 - 87 points.

Another Ténarèze, please…

Hontambère 2012/2026 (54.1%, Les Tontons Maltés, Baco, Ténarèze, cask #N12, 100 bottles)

According to the label, pandas (!) seem to have been involved here. Chinese soft power at work again? Colour: amber. Nose: very clean and direct, on peanut butter, praline and apple tart drizzled with honey and sprinkled with cinnamon. With water: a little fresh rubber, angelica and pears. Mouth (neat): we find some very modern spices, almost a bourbon-like character, rye, ginger… And Williams pear. With water: little change, apart from the arrival of touches of cooked quince. Finish: medium in length, still spicy, nutmeg, cinnamon, ginger, chocolate… Comments: a very ‘American’ Ténarèze, we almost expect Bourvil and De Funès to turn up in a 1960s Cadillac. For those who know what all that means…
SGP:551 - 85 points.

LaRoche-Vacquié 1998/2025 (49%, OB, Haut-Armagnac, #63)

Here we are in Lectoure, with colombard and ugni blanc, in an appellation that had almost been forgotten but seems to be rising from the ashes, thanks to a few energetic and determined houses. Colour: amber. Nose: I love this! Very classic, very balanced, on double-cream milk chocolate with sultanas and praline pieces, plus hazelnut liqueur and, while we’re at it, a few drops of Bailey’s Irish Cream from a great vintage (eh?) It reminds me of that cocktail which was all the rage in my very recent youth, the Alexander. Mouth: everything is spot on, the balance, the oranges, the peaches, the liquorice, the violets, the coffee, the tobacco. To tell the truth, there isn’t all that much to say, it is so classic. Except that there is a little cognac-like side to it all the same. Finish: fairly long, with no major changes. Comments: almost an armagnac designed by AI, everything is so perfect and neatly in place. We are joking, of course, and almost ashamed of ourselves.
SGP:551 - 89 points.

Domaine Laoué 1985/2026 (48.6%, L’Encantada, The Silent Domains, for LMDW Les Anthologistes, Bas-Armagnac, cask #32)

Baco and ugni blanc, from an estate that has been silent since around 2010. Colour: amber gold. Nose: a superb nose, on varnish, morels, truffles and verjuice vinegar. Very distinctive, and it would probably be a star in a great chef’s kitchen, but we would rather drink it straight, wouldn’t we. Mouth: I love it. Those mushrooms and splendid vinegars are back, but also black garlic (!) and coffee. Superb oak. Finish: long and very balsamic. Comments: sometimes a spirit just ‘clicks’, not necessarily for any specific reason. This is one of those.
SGP:462 - 91 points.

Laterrade 20 yo (42.4%, Poh! Games, Spirits Adventure, Armagnac, 2026)

A blend of several casks. The bottle’s get-up is completely loco, and we love it (perhaps because we are sometimes rather a little loco ourselves). Colour: full gold. Nose: gentle yet lively, fruity yet balanced, woody but not too much, herbaceous but only a little, vinous but very moderately so… Above all, lovely, with some very ripe banana skin. Mouth: a mirror image of the nose, with an additional slightly acetic side that works perfectly. And is less dominant than in the magnificent Laoué. Finish: not very long, a little woody and increasingly wild and rustic, but what can we say, we are in Armagnac country. Comments: a lovely little creature.
SGP:551 - 87 points.

One last one, pre-war...

Marquis de Montesquiou 1934/2026 (41%, OB, Collection Paradis #2, Bas-Armagnac)

From the recently renovated Château Campagne d’Armagnac. 1934 was a great vintage in many French regions, as the forebears of many friends from abroad could have testified, having, let’s face it, rather emptied the cellars five to ten years later. We can hardly blame them for that. Colour: americano coffee. Nose: ultra-classic, currants, prunes, sweet wines, rancios, Rivesaltes, fig jam… Mouth: let’s be honest, many old armagnac vintages are only really of interest as birthday presents. But that is not the case here, certainly it is rounded and classic, but the little beast still has plenty to say, with fir needles, bud liqueur, currants, chocolate, and even a few dates stuffed with marzipan. Finish: this is obviously the slightly trickier part, but far from collapsing, it acquits itself with honours. We would happily have a second glass, so it has remained… moreish. Comments: well, we have to detach ourselves from all the mental images a spirit can conjure up, and in a case like this, that is a huge part of the whole experience. You understand?
SGP:341 - 86 points.

Check the index of all armagnacs we've tasted