Pampero Aniversario

Pampero Aniversario

Single distillery rum - Venezuela
40% ABV
Dark muddy brown

Nose: Brown paper, raisins, honey, butter, golden syrup, rubber bands.
Mouthfeel: Light body, watery, loosens, cool.
Tasting: Sweet. Brown paper, raisins, honey, orange peel, rubber bands, chillies, hints of dried apricots.
Finish: Medium. Chillies, rubber bands, brown paper, honey.

Comments:

Lovely. Sweet, light, but very brandy-like. Also quite spicy, actually burning the tongue, despite the lowish ABV.

Verdict:

I like this a lot.

This rum, blended from spirit aged between 2 to 8 years in oak casks, is distilled by Industrias Pampero, a distillery in Venezuela. The distillery was founded in 1938, by one Alejandro Hernandez. It is located on Hacienda La Guadalupe, a 19th century farm in Miranda state, on the llanos of Venezuela.

Other expressions include Pampero Especial, Pampero Selección 1938, and Pampero Oro. In addition to these aged rums (añejo), there's also a white rum, Pampero Blanco.

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 Lassalle Hors d'Age

Chateau de Lassalle Hors d'Age

Single distillery armagnac - Ténarèze (Gondrin)
44% ABV
Amber rose

Nose: Mint, rose, white grape, brown paper, hints of white wine.
Mouthfeel: Light body, slightly oily.
Tasting: Sweet salty. Vanilla, caramel, toffee, butter, smoked ham, hints of apple.
Finish: Short. Caramel, earl grey tea, chocolate.

Comments:

Light and a little drying on the tongue, with intense meaty, oily notes. This armagnac is in no way heavy, but it's got some strong, robust flavours. All this merges into a light finish which is slightly citrusy.

Verdict:

I like this a lot

This one gave me a little bit of trouble, and I'm not sure if I've correctly identified the producer. In Armagnac, by Charles Neal, the property Marquisat, run by the Mao family, is identified as owning the Lassalle distillery and distilling under the name Lassalle of Gondrin. This is as close as I can get - there isn't a producer listed as Chateau de Lassalle. Anyway, Marquisat is located in the town of Gondrin, as is the Domaine des Cassagnoles, and the current proprietor, Corentin Mao, has been bottling his own armagnacs since 1969.

There isn't a great deal of information about this producer. Besides the Hors d'Age (minimum age is 10 years old for this designation), they also produce several vintages. There's definitely a 1979, and my reference books say that there's also 1977, 1976 and 1972.

Vineyard size: 50 hectares
Chai: Organised, cement floor, dry.
Soil: sables, boulbenes (sand, sand with clay pieces).
Barrels: Gascon.
Grapes: Ugni Blanc (60%), Columbard (40%).

- from Armagnac by Charles Neal

Excerpt and revision of a post on an old blog.

Domaine des Cassagnoles 5 yo

Domaine des Cassagnoles 5 yo

Single distillery armagnac - Ténarèze (Gondrin)
41% ABV
Red brown

Nose: Chocolate cake, white grape, salt caramel.
Mouthfeel: Medium bodied, clingy like a good port.
Tasting: Sweet. Limes, green tea, prunes, apricots.
Finish: Medium length. Lime peel, orange blossom.

Comments:

Smells great, with strong chocolatey, slightly savoury, very sweet notes. But it's a whole different story in the mouth. The brandy is tart and slightly astringent, a little mouth-puckering. Not as sweet on the tongue as some other armagnacs, but fragrant, with strong floral notes and a great mouthfeel. This is really quite enjoyable, with some surprises to boot.

Verdict:

I like this a lot.

Producer

My trusty reference book (Armagnac, by Charles Neal) rates Domaine des Cassagnoles as a "average producer", and their 5 year old expression as "commercially correct". Talk about damning with faint praise. I suppose that this could well be true when rating it in comparison to great armagnacs, but on its own merits it's quite enjoyable.

The producer, Domaine des Cassagnoles, is in a small town called Gondrin in the Ténarèze producing region. It's run by Janine and Gilles Baumann, who've been making armagnac since 1974. The sole grape used is Ugni Blanc, the same grape they use to make Cotes des Gascogne white wine, their vineyard's main produce. On their website, they list 4 armagnacs available - 5 years, 10 years, Hors d'Age (20 years) and a "blanche" eau de vie, for cocktails.

Vineyard size: 65 hectares
Chai: Organised, cement and dirt floor, humid.
Soil: argilo-calcaires (clay with a high proportion of limestone).
Barrels: Gascon, Vosges, Limousin.
Grapes: Ugni Blanc (100%)

- from Armagnac, by Charles Neal.

Extract and revision of a post from an old blog.