Marquis de Puységur Napoleon

Marquis de Puységur Napoleon

Blended armagnac - Bas Armagnac (Gerland)
40% ABV
Orange amber

Nose: Orange peel, lemons, raisins, black pepper, hints of roses.
Mouthfeel: Medium body, astringent, tingly.
Tasting: Sweet sour. Lemons, raisins, black pepper, limes, roses, hints of black tea.
Finish: Long. Black tea, black pepper, lemons, hints of roses.

Comments:

Spicy, festy and very, very lively. This armagnac woke my palate up, which was no small feat as I had already had a 3 course meal with lots of wine. Very memorable indeed, although I did think that an Islay whisky would have done the trick a little better.

Verdict:

I like this.

Another armagnac from the Cave Coopérative de Villeneuve de Marsan.

Chateau de Laubade 1992

Chateau de Laubade 1992

Single distillery armagnac - Bas Armagnac (Gers)
40% ABV
Amber red

Nose: Raisins, blueberries, strawberries, honey, peaches, vanilla, hints of cinnamon.
Mouthfeel: Light body, astringent, hot, thickens.
Tasting: Sweet sour. Raisins, blueberries, strawberries, peaches, honey, orange peel.
Finish: Medium. Walnuts, camphor, honey, blueberries.

Comments:

Sweet on the tongue, and very, very fruity. Lots of spice and honey in the nose. This is completely different from the Chateau de Laubade XO 15 ans, except for the wave of orange peel that hits the tongue. A sure sign that I haven't properly calibrated my armagnac palate!

Verdict:

I like this.

Marquis de Puységur 1966

Marquis de Puységur 1966

Blended armagnac - Bas Armagnac (Gerland)
40% ABV
Pale amber

Nose: White pepper, chocolate, raspberry jam, orange peel.
Mouthfeel: Medium body, watery, smooth.
Tasting: Sweet sour. Butter, oranges, oak, white pepper, cinnamon, cherries.
Finish: Medium, astringent, orange peel, peanuts.

Comments:

An old armagnac that did its duty as a digestif, but would have been so much better as an aperitif. There are certain spicy notes in here that make the mouth water - cinnamon, pepper, and orange peel. I would have loved this before the meal!

Verdict:

I like this.

This armagnac is distilled and bottled by a cooperative. Cooperatives generally do not grow their own grapes, but instead buy grapes from farmers in the region, making and aging armagnac from the purchased produce.

In this case, the cooperative is the Cave Coopérative de Villeneuve de Marsan, located in Gerland. Marquis de Puységur is the marque for all the armagnacs bottled by this cooperative. This armagnac is generally available in XO or VSOP expressions, with many vintages also available (though not every year). Apparently the quality of each vintage is somewhat variable. I guess that's only to be expected, since the provenance of the grapes varies from year to year, adding one more variable to the uncertain art of armagnac-making.

Chateau de Laubade XO 15 yo

Image from Au Panier Gourmand

Chateau de Laubade XO 15 yo

Single distillery armagnac - Bas Armagnac (Gers)
40% ABV
Amber red

Nose: Orange peel, soy sauce, strawberries, black pepper, roast ham, menthol.
Mouthfeel: Light body, thickens in the mouth, slightly oily.
Tasting: Sweet sour. Orange peel, strawberries, menthol, marmalade.
Finish: Medium. Strawberries, roses.

Comments:

Very salty and strong in the nose, with a sharp bite of menthol. Once tasted however, this armagnac becomes a different creature - sweet on the tongue, with a little teasing hint of mint as a reminder of the robust salty tangy nose. The finish is also quite gentle, although it would be hard to top that first whiff from the lip of the glass!

Verdict:

I like this a lot.

This is supposed to be a very good producer (3rd rank), and I certainly enjoyed the armagnac. I found it to be an experience full of surprises.

The chateau has been owned by Jean-Jacques Lesgourgues since 1974, and he makes a lot of armagnac. I mean, 9 warehouses?! In addition to the XO, there's a VSOP, an Hors d'Age, vintages and pure grape vintages (i.e. Bacco 1984, say). The last are bottled at a higher strength than 40%.

Vineyard size: 105 hectares
Chai: 9 warehouse shaped structures, organised, cement floors.
Soil: sables fauves, boulbenes (iron rich sand, sand with clay pieces).
Barrels: Gascon and Limousin.
Grapes: Ugni Blanc (50%), Bacco (25%), Columbard (17%), Folle Blanche (13%).

- from Armagnac by Charles Neal

Chateau de Lacquy "Reference" XO 15 yo

Chateau de Lacquy "Reference" XO 15 yo

Single distillery armagnac - Bas Armagnac (Lacquy)
42% ABV
Amber rose

Nose: Mint, prunes, Japanese ume, hints of coffee.
Mouthfeel: Light body, slightly syrupy.
Tasting: Bitter sweet. Oaky, white grapes, white pepper, raisins, chocolate, orange peel, hints of coffee.
Finish: Long. Honey, raisins, kiwi fruit.

Comments:

Complex and interesting. Although it is salty and sour on the nose, with great hints of preserved fruit (preserved several different ways!), there is a bitter punch on the tongue, albeit wreathed in the same salty fruity flavour spectrum. I enjoyed this.

Verdict:

I like this.

This is supposed to be a "great" producer, and the XO "Reference" expression is certainly very interesting and complex. There are quite a lot of flavours here, and I must say that it's a lot easier to find the fruit in armagnac than in whisky.

The vineyard is located in the town of Lacquy, in the Bas Armagnac producing region, and is run by the de Boisseson family. They do 4 main expressions, a VSOP 6 yo (which I couldn't try), a Hors d'Age 12 yo, this "Reference" XO 15 yo and a Reserve Exceptionelle (20-25 yo). This vineyard has been producing armagnac for centuries.

Vineyard size: 15 hectares
Chai: Well-organised, humid barn, dirt floor.
Soil: sables limoneux, sables fauves (sand and iron-rich sand, with some ocean sediment).
Barrels: Gascon, Limousin.
Grapes: Ugni Blanc (50%), Bacco (50%).

- from Armagnac, by Charles Neal.

Extract and revision of a post from an old blog.