Two or three or five armagnacs to celebrate the arrival of autumn


September 20, 2026

Two or three or five armagnacs to celebrate the arrival of autumn...

Laguille

Domaine Laguille (Laguille)

... And my own birthday alright. I should add that armagnac has always been, for me, the most gastronomic of spirits, the one we would most often enjoy at the table, even more so than cognac, which we would sometimes also serve as an apéritif, for example in the legendary ‘fine à l’eau’, cognac with water. In any case, armagnac also goes wonderfully well with ceps, duck, game, and of course after a glass or three of Madiran. In short…

Domaine Laguille 1987/2026 (43.4%, The Whisky Jury, Bas-armagnac, cask #21, 72 bottles)

Have you noticed how handwritten labels are suddenly all the rage again these days? So much for AI! Anyway, here's baco and ugni blanc from Laguille, whose excellent 1993 we tasted five or six years ago. We are here in Eauze in the Gers, one of the capitals of armagnac, if not the capital. Colour: rich amber. Nose: you can feel the age, through an old cigar box, beeswax, old furniture, furniture polish, an antiques shop, well, all of that is rather the same thing, is it not. Then come resinous woods, thuja, yew, and liquorice. This is quite beautiful, as everything remains in perfect balance. Mouth: a perfect mirror of the nose, with a pronounced yet very refined woodiness, fir buds, cigars, then a superb combination of bitter orange liqueur, black pepper and verbena. Finish: long for the strength, magnificently bitter. Comments: a very traditional armagnac, just the way my grandfather liked them, more dry than velvety (the opposite of my grandfather). The woodiness may slightly put off some whisky lovers, while profoundly delighting the other half.
SGP:361 - 89 points.

Château Garreau 1976/2026 (50.1%, OB, for Piacere Rinato, Bas-armagnac)

Here we are in Labastide d'Armagnac (another capital of armagnac). Colour: full amber. Nose: much softer and rounder, with toasted hazelnuts, vine peach jam, golden sultanas with honey, crème brûlée… It certainly does not feel like 50.1% on the nose, we shan’t even add any water, it is pretty perfect as it is. Mouth: still soft and round, but certainly not without backbone or muscle, rather on heather honey but still very much on very ripe vine peaches, the whole wrapped in black tea and some oakiness that is ultimately rather discreet. Touches of bitter orange marmalade and mango then come along to lift the whole thing even further. Finish: long, woodier now, with dark tobacco (an untipped Gauloise). The wonderful fully ripe vine peach returns to sign off the whole thing. Comments: very süfig, as we say in Alsace. All our friends living between the Moselle and at least the Sudetenland, as well as all the distinguished Germanists around the world, will have understood.
SGP:451 - 89 points.

Château de Gaube 51 yo 1972/2023 (42%, Gourmet Pool, Bas-armagnac, 235 bottles)

This time we are in Perquie, in the Landes. This is pure baco. Everything should go swimmingly. Colour: full gold. Nose: this time some varnish appears, almost malt, and I do mean ‘almost’, then very ripe apples, toasted pecans, followed by peaches in syrup which, to be fair, do rather evoke an old cognac. A few herbal teas too, including mint infusion. This nose is perfect. Mouth: a little more rustic, a little more ‘armagnac’, with orange and some fine oakiness, then rather peach skins and blond tobacco. Think English brands rather than the Gauloises mentioned above. Then comes quince jelly, quite a story… Finish: very good length for 42% vol. and very much on herbal teas, citrus zest, perhaps cinnamon, undoubtedly nutmeg… Comments: at these levels of pedigree and selection, we inevitably end up in roughly the same cluster in terms of quality. This is excellent, even more so for lovers of slightly more civilised armagnacs, I was about to say ‘urban’.
SGP:551 - 89 points.

Domaine Laguille 1971/2026 (42.8%, The Whisky Jury, Bas-armagnac, casks #B1+B4, 144 bottles)

Pure baco here, from a demijohn into which this little armagnac had only been transferred one year earlier, in 2025. In short, that hardly counts and if this was meant to be a period during which the two casks could marry, well, it was barely the wedding night. Or, at any rate, the honeymoon. Right… Colour: dark amber. Nose: boom, this is going to be quick. Salted butter caramel, toasted sesame, honeyed pecans, walnut tart, ceps, Caesar’s mushrooms… In short, it is simply splendid in its compactness and coherence. Mouth: it is narrow and full, if you see what I mean. Some very fine oakiness, quince and apple eaux-de-vie, toasted walnuts and a top-class Darjeeling, then a little salty liquorice, salmiak-style. That is all, but it is more than enough for us. Finish: not eternal, but still on this slightly woody profile and all kinds of nuts. A touch of juniper right at the very end. Comments: the finish is a little less spectacular than the rest, as is the case with most great spirits, let’s face it, but this remains very high level. What’s more, I think putting it into demijohn was a good idea, all this could have tipped over into more pronounced oakiness. Timing is everything (that’s so 1990s, S.!)
SGP:451 - 90 points.

Come on, one more baco to finish…

Château de Gaube 61 yo 1962/2023 (43.4%, Gourmet Pool, Bas-armagnac, 235 bottles)

1962! Keith Richards had just acquired his pension rights from Her Most Gracious Majesty’s government, if I remember correctly. In short, this is very old… I should add that it is intriguing to see old age statements on armagnacs like this, it is not all that common. Vintages, yes, of course! Colour: full gold. Nose: we immediately return to that very classy antiques shop, where beeswax, fresh and old varnishes, oil paint and gum Arabic reign supreme. All you need to add is some mango soup and a few small, very ripe bananas. Mouth: it is a game of wood, almost as much as in the intro to Honky Tonk Women and its woodblocks. Or were those cowbells? Anyway, wood to begin with, plus black tea, tobacco and dark chocolate that surely derive from it, but the fruits promptly fight back and rebalance the whole thing in an almost, let’s say it, miraculous fashion. Peaches and apples at the controls, bravo. Of course, it remains woody, but the oakiness is now balanced. Finish: rather long, not drying, but mainly on teas, herbal teas and infusions, especially peppermint. Then, as if by magic, the fruits return in the aftertaste, with even some orange. It is almost another miracle. Comments: an old armagnac that has played with our nerves a little. We gladly admit defeat.
SGP:461 - 89 points.

Another cracking group effort today!
PS: it’s wonderful to taste spirits at such sensible strengths, it saves you water. And water is now a vital resource for three quarters of the planet, isn’t it? In any case, next time we’ll be venturing into rather rarer grape varieties, each vinified and distilled separately. Something to look forward to… Stay tuned!

Last minute! A much younger armagnac, so no doubt facing quite an ordeal after these little wonders, but we have complete confidence in L’Encantada’s stamina and panache. After all, they drive around in a 2cv (yes!)

Domaine del Cassou 2005/2026 (52.1%, L’Encantada, Bas-armagnac, Collection Social Club, cask #13, Champagne cask finish, 200 bottles)

Champagne casks are generally sourced from Burgundy (pièces) and are used to mature certain still wines before their second fermentation in bottle and subsequent ageing on racks. Colour: amber. Nose: lively, rather sharp, and much closer to the grapes and must, which is a quality, naturally. Rum-soaked sultanas, kirsch, whiffs of old cellar, walnut wine, then more and more walnut wine. Did you know that we adore walnut wine when it’s properly made? With water: funny, toasted buckwheat and a surprisingly tikka masala-like side. Mouth (neat): powerful, with the return of raisins soaked in… kirsch, bitter orange, touches of walnut husk (we don’t drink that, rest assured), dark tobacco… With water: it lands on orange biscuits and a little slightly bitter zest. Cherry-stalk herbal tea. Finish: lovely length, lovely orientalness (what?) Pretty bitters at the very end of the finish and a slight pomace-like side. Comments: it comes through extremely well, partly thanks to its slightly… Bollywood side. On the other hand, the Champagne influence is discreet. Very discreet…
SGP:561 - 87 points.

Check the index of all armagnacs we've tasted