Definitive Armagnac - Darroze by any other name

History

The story begins with Jean Darroze’s restaurant in Villeneuve-de-Marsan in the Landes.  In love with his native Southwest France and its ancient traditions, this famous chef taught his son about gastronomy and fine wine – as well as introducing him to that excellent Gascon brandy, Armagnac. Indulging his taste for tradition and fine local products, Francis Darroze travelled throughout the famous Bas-Armagnac region with his father – an experienced and demanding taster – to discover treasures hidden in small, far-flung estates. In time, he became a true expert in selecting the region’s very best Armagnacs. He set up his own company in 1974 and his son Marc, a trained oenologist, followed his footsteps in 1996.  The father and son “treasure hunters” (as Martine Nouet described them in her book Eaux-de-vie: le guide), have scoured Armagnac for many years searching for liquid gold.  They do this not only for the thrill of the hunt, but also to satisfy their faithful clientele.

Marc Darroze now runs the business alone, since Francis retired and continues where his father left off, tracking down inimitable vintage Armagnacs.

Armagnac: a precious treasure
cultural and historic diversity…

Viticulture in Armagnac goes back to Roman times, as illustrated by mosaics discovered in the ruins of Gallo-Roman villas in the Gers. In the late 6th century, the Vascons invaded an area later named after them, becoming the Duchy of Gascony in 670.

“Armagnac” owes its name to the knight Herreman, a companion of Clovis, who received the region as a reward for his bravery.  Herreman latinised his name, which became Arminius and then Arminiacus. Gascons later transformed this into “Armagnac”, which first appears in writing in the 10th century. The first reference to Armagnac as a product goes back to a 1464 document regulating its sale. However, there is proof that Armagnac’s aqua ardente was already highly-esteemed – as a medicine - at the Vatican circa 1310.

Armagnac is the oldest grape brandy in France (Cognac did not put in an appearance until 1725).
In the 17th century, the Dutch bought most of the wines produced near the French Atlantic coast, except for Bordeaux, which was reserved for the English. So it was only normal that they should begin to buy wine from winegrowers in the Gers. However, fearing competition, authorities in Bordeaux all but put a stop to their shipments under the pretext that only Bordeaux wines were allowed to be transported via the Garonne river. This is referred to as the Grand Privilège de Bordeaux, which penalised wines from inland vineyard regions. However, grape brandy was allowed to be shipped on the river, even if wine was not.  Winegrowers in the Gers therefore began to distil their wine. It is believed that the Arabs invented the pot still, and known for a fact that they perfected the art of distillation and spread its use in the Western world. The Moors brought their ancient techniques with them when they crossed the Pyrenees.
Armagnac brandy became a commercial success. To build up a reserve stock to tide producers over in poor vintages, it began to be stored in wooden barrels that had already been used to store other products since Celtic times.

Armagnac became increasingly popular in the 18th and early 19th centuries. This popularity was unfortunately brutally interrupted circa 1870 when phylloxera struck, thrusting Armagnac into the bleakest period of its history.  Out of some 100,000 hectares of vines in existence at the time, only a quarter were replanted, and it took a long time for business to get back on its feet.  People in Armagnac decided to work together to improve the situation. 

Armagnac
Official recognition

Armagnac’s official legal existence goes back to 1909, when it was awarded an appellation contrôlée. The law dated May 25th 1909 (Décret Fallière) also defined the region of production and its three sub-appellations. A law dated August 6th 1936 definitively delimited the Appellation d’Origine Contrôlée and defined the production process.

Armagnac
Armagnac today

*Armagnac-producing vineyards now cover approximately 2,000 hectares, and annual production amounts to nearly 18,000 hectolitres of pure alcohol.
*There are approximately 5,000 producers, 1,000 stock holders, and 60 shippers (négociants) such as Les Armagnacs Francis Darroze.
*Armagnac is currently exported to over 132 countries.

Armagnac
Armagnac’s terroir

The Armagnac region covers parts of three French départements – mainly in the Gers and, to a lesser extent, the Landes and Lot-et-Garonne.
There are three distinct terroirs:
- Bas-Armagnac, the jewel of the appellation, is located in the Gers and part of the Landes. It represents 57% of the entire Armagnac appellation. Bas-Armagnac’s silty, sandy soil (called sable fauve, or fawn-coloured sand) produces fruity, light, delicate brandy of great finesse.
- The Ténarèze region is located in the north-west part of the Gers and the southern part of the Lot-et-Garonne. It accounts for 40% of the entire Armagnac appellation. Ténarèze’s clay-limestone soil produces rich, full-bodied brandy that takes a long time to reach maturity.
- Haut-Armagnac, is often called called “Armagnac Blanc” because of the chalky soil. This region is in the east of Le Gers and part of the Lot-et-Garonne.  The vineyards are very scattered.
Last, but not least, even if not officially acknowledged by the appellation laws, many connoisseurs consider that there is now a fourth area, “Grand Bas-Armagnac”. This encompasses several communes in the extreme northwest part of the appellation with sables fauves (fawn-coloured sand).

A number of the estates selected by Francis and Marc Darroze are located in this area.

Armagnac
Grape varieties and wines

Like Cognac, Armagnac is distilled white wine. 
The most frequently used grape varieties in Armagnac are:
Ugni Blanc (50% of the entire vineyard area)
Colombard (4%)
Folle Blanche, also known as Piquepoul or Picpoul (1%)

However, a 1936 law authorises up to eleven varieties, including Jurançon, Blanquette, Mauzac, and above all, Baco 22 A.
Baco accounts for 45% of all wine distilled in Armagnac, but 70% of all Bas-Armagnac.
Armagnac is produced the traditional way from white wines made with white grapes. These wines have good acidity and a low alcoholic degree of (8-9.5% by volume).  The grapes are directly pressed (without crushing) to avoid oxidation, and the wine is left on its lees until distillation.
This distillation procedure is as much responsible for the distinction between Cognac and Armagnac as are the different grape varieties.

Armagnac
The magic of distillation

The wines are mainly distilled using the Armagnac method, i.e. continuous distillation. This is done in winter, once the alcoholic fermentation is over, and must be completed before March 31st of the year following the vintage (although, for the last few years, this date has been brought forward to January 31st).
Distillation takes place either at the estate (often by mobile distilling units), at a distillery, by legally-approved home distillers, or at a cooperative cellar.

Armagnac
The mysteries of ageing

After distillation, Armagnac is aged in 400-litre oak casks. This is one of the most important stages in its production.
It entails three main phenomena:
- extraction of tannin from the barrels
- evaporation of some of the Armagnac (known as la part des anges or the “angels’ share") accompanied by a decrease in its alcoholic content
- development of complex aromas due to slow oxidation (minute quantities of air passing through the barrel).
Armagnac gradually absorbs tannin and colour from the barrel, while acquiring a characteristic oaky flavour and scent.  Once the Armagnac has spent an optimum time in new or little-used barrels, it is transferred to completely “neutral” barrels, where it will go on ageing for an extremely long time.

Darroze: a leading name in Armagnac –

Founded by Francis Darroze in 1974, the family business was established in the village of Roquefort.  Recently-constructed buildings include offices, a carefully-designed cellar, and a new visitor reception area devoted to promoting the Darroze selection of fine Bas-Armagnacs.
As traditional shippers, Francis and his son Marc buy Armagnac from some forty Bas-Armagnac estates. Thanks to their warm, straightforward manner, intuition, and patience, they have managed to convince small producers to entrust them with their treasures.
Armagnacs Darroze have remained a down-to-earth company, and their realistic attitude, in harmony with local winegrowers, helps them to offer highly individual Armagnacs of outstanding quality.

The Darroze philosophy is based on two fundamental principles laid down by Francis Darroze – quality and tradition.

Darroze: traditional Armagnac

Darroze Armagnac is made in the time-honoured, traditional way. The shipper’s art of blending does not come into play here. Armagnac from each terroir and each vintage is kept separate and it is never diluted to reduce the alcoholic degree.
Each Armagnac is sold under the name of the estate that produced it. No artificial colouring or water is added.  Armagnac usually has 53% alcohol by volume, occasionally 56% or 57%.
As a sign of respect for each producer, each Armagnac is bottled separately, estate by estate.
Darroze offers Armagnacs from twenty estates every year*.

Darroze: quality

The greatest Armagnacs come from fawn-coloured sandy terroir in Bas-Armagnac. Select estates here produce brandy appreciated by connoisseurs the world over.
Other than their terroir, the quality of Darroze Armagnacs is also due to careful monitoring of the distillation process at each estate by a travelling master distiller.
This ‘“wizard" manages to bring out the very best of the soil and the grape varieties.
However, a number of estates have their own pot still, and Marc Darroze makes sure to keep a watchful eye over the distillation there.

The Armagnacs are then aged at the company cellar in Roquefort.  This modern cellar, with very thick walls, holds some 1,800 hectolitres of stock in 500 casks. This is one of the largest collections of fine Armagnac in the world.
The young Armagnac is initially aged in a dry environment – the first floor of the cellar, with wooden beams – for two or three years in new black Gascon oak barrels. Once these new barrels have released all their tannin, the Armagnac is transferred to used barrels for ten to fifteen years. The partially-aged Armagnac is then moved to the ground floor with a beaten earth floor and greater humidity (70-75%).  Loss due to evaporation is less here, and the Armagnac softens. On average, Darroze Armagnacs are thus aged for a total of fifteen to twenty-five years in 400-litre casks.

These casks are made by the last surviving Landes cooper from local oaks.  Each cask is marked with the name of the estate, vintage, capacity and alcohol by volume. In the future, Marc Darroze will buy standing crops of this precious oak in the interest of traceability and to select oak that is best adapted to ageing his premium Armagnacs.

Marc Darroze, does his utmost to age his Armagnacs under the best possible conditions.  He tastes, monitors extraction from oak barrels, evaluates the “angels’ share”, homogenises, and moves casks around.  Above all, he is infinitely patient – because this is the key to attaining the subtle balance between oak and Armagnac.

Thanks to regular tasting, Marc Darroze keeps a close eye on all stages of the ageing process.  Once the Armagnacs have reached their peak, they are bottled and ready to be enjoyed. The ageing process is over – Armagnac does not change once in bottle.

All Darroze Armagnacs are sold at their natural alcohol level – no distilled water is added.

They are put in traditional Armagnac bottles with an attractive buff-coloured label. The calligraphy on the label reminds us that Armagnac is a handcrafted product. The vintage date on the main label and the bottling date on the back label.

Armagnacs Francis Darroze guarantee complete traceability, and all useful information is printed on the label to inform consumers and inspire brand loyalty.

Marc Darroze currently sells Armagnacs from forty different estates. Forty percent of his stock comes from the same estates every year, 40% from estates that no longer exist*, and 20% from estates where the owners age their own Armagnac. Monitoring quality and developments at all these estates requires a great deal of time, sensitivity, passion, and a willingness to share.

Marc Darroze does not consider himself just a simple merchant. His approach is totally different, largely based on building up close relationships based on mutual respect, recognition, and sharing with people who take pride in their work. Once the Armagnac has been distilled, Marc Darroze can be sure that it is worthy of ageing in his cellar. This ageing is done with the greatest of care to guarantee consumers a product that is not only excellent, but also ready to drink.  The optimum moment for bottling is so important because it represents the culmination of history, geography, and hard work by the people who produced it.