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.

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.