Armagnac the Young & the Old-Presentation

ARMAGNAC: THE YOUNG AND THE OLD

TALES OF THE COCKTAILS 2015

WELCOME COCKTAIL: La boisson est Armagnac
(by Douglas Miller)
INGREDIENTS:
•  3/4 ounces white Armagnac
(Tariquet Blanche used here)
•  3/4 ounce Green Chartreuse
•  3/4 ounce Maraschino Liqueur
•  3/4 ounce lime juice
Combine all of the contents in a cocktail shaker
with ice, shake until cold. Pour the contents into
a rocks glass.

Armagnac’s place in
the world




A country
A region
A product




Distilled in the Heart of Gascony in Southwest France




An agricultural area
Fields of sunflowers, wheat, millet, barley and corn blanket the landscape




Traditional Apple and
Armagnac Croustade
Foie gras
products and
duck in all its
forms
Fruits (prunes, melon,
figs...) and vegetables
(garlic, Tarbais bean...)
A region famous for
its rich gastronomy




Maître Vital Dufour’s medical opus: «40 virtues» of Aygue Ardente, Armagnac
dated 1310, printed in 1531 & today preserved in the Archives of the Vatican library
France’s oldest spirit, … more than 700 years old!
Extract of the « forty virtues » from the oeuvre by Maître
Vital Dufour:
• it stop tears from running
• it heals hepatitis if one drinks it soberly
• it enlivens the spirit, partaken in moderation
• recalls the past to memory
• renders men joyous above all
• and when retained in the mouth, it loosens the tongue,
emboldens the wit, if someone timid from time to time
himself permits.




Briefly in history
• 17th Century: Export of Armagnac by the
Dutch through the port of Bayonne and Bordeaux
• 15th Century: Armagnac is commonplace at local markets
• 18th Century: Export sales increase as Colonial
citizens chose Armagnac over Cognac & Whisky.
Armaganc is brandy of choice for King Louis XV
and his court
• 19th Century: The Gers is the largest grape-growing
area in France. And then comes Phylloxera….



Key dates in the Appellation
Fallières Decree is signed: delimiting the 3 areas of production
and outlining the appellation zones.
Armagnac Appellation decree is signed.
Armagnac to be sold in bottles only
Creation of the BNIA (Bureau National Interprofessionnel de l’Armagnac)
Revisions to the AOC laws. AOC created for Blanche Armagnac
AOC decree revised with new
specifications for production.



Viticulture in the region
Armagnac = Vineyards covering 12,849 acres
(out of 37,065 acres of vineyards in the area)
800 winegrowers among them
500 Independents
300 that work with 6 Cooperatives
40 Trading Houses (Négotiants/Merchants)
An annual average production over 5 years
of 19,000 hl of pure alcohol
(equivalent about 6.8 million bottles)



In figures
Global SALES (2013): equivalent to 5.1 million bottles
Sales in bottles :
FRANCE………………………... 50 %
EXPORT (100 countries) ……. 50 %
1 – Russia
2 – China
3 – Germany
4 – United States
5 – Great Britain
Global STOCK (2013): equivalent to 56 million bottles



Still Artisanal today: ‘Roving Distillers’ are still commonly used in the area.



The Armagnac
Region has an
ideal climate
for viticulture
NEW as of Dec 2014:
1 appellation in the
AOC decree: Armagnac
Bas Armagnac
Haut Armagnac
Armagnac-Ténarèze
are now
Regional Classifications
Blanche Armagnac
is a Category



Armagnac
-Ténarèze
Bas Armagnac Haut Armagnac
Soil samples of each region



Grapes commonly used
Ugni-Blanc
55%
• Elegant & Fruity
• Ages very well
Baco Blanc Folle Blanche Colombard
35%
• Rich & Round
• Ages very well
5%
• Finesse & Floral
• Best Young
5%
• Spice & Grassy
• Best Young
10 Authorized: remaining 6 varieties: Plant de Graisse, Meslier St François, Blanc Dame, Jurançon blanc, Mauzac Blanc et Rosé



Tasting individual grape variety distillates
1.  Folle Blanche (@55%ABV)
2.  Colombard (@54.5%ABV)
3.  Ugni Blanc (@57%ABV)
4.  Baco Blanc (@60.5%ABV)



Fermentation of base wine
• Traditional fermentation
Addition of Sulphur Dioxide
prohibited by law
• Base Wines
-Typically High in acidity and
low in alcohol (9 – 10% vol)
-No fining or filtering prior
to distillation
-Lees-contact contributes
floral and fruity aromas



Distillation of base wine
First alambic patented in 1818
Distillation must be completed before
March 31st of the year following the harvest
Armagnac still
(“Alambic Armagnacais”)
Continuous Distillation
(95% of production)
Pot Still
Double Distillation
(5% of production)



Some stills are wood fired…
…other use gas
The energy efficiency of
the continuous alambic
uses 4-5 times less
propane than the double
distillation method



15 is the max
number of plates
permitted in an
Armagnac alambic
Spirit Plates
Distillation between 52 - 72.4% abv
5 litres of wine = 1 litre of eau-de-vie @ 50% abv
(1.32 gallons of wine = 0.264 of a gallon @ 50% abv)



40 hectoliters (1056 gallons) of pure alcohol is the
maximum daily volume permitted per alambic



The Grassa Family



Aging takes place in ‘Pièces’ - 400 Liter barrels mostly
sourced from the local Monlezun forest.



The first 6 months to 2 years are typically spent in new oak barrels.
The Armagnac is then moved to seasoned barrels where it continues to mature.
The younger Armagnacs, VS or VSOP quality levels, are great for use in cocktails.



COCKTAIL: Velours Noir (by Douglas Miller)
INGREDIENTS:
•  2 ounces VS or VSOP Armagnac
(Castarede Sélection used here)
•  1 ounce prune mixture
•  ½ ounce lemon juice
•  ½ ounce Capano Antica Sweet Vermouth
•  ½ ounce Cointreau
•  Dash of Fee Brothers Walnut bitters
Combine all of the contents in a cocktail shaker
with ice, shake until cold. Pour the contents into
a rocks glass.
Prune Mixture (Yield: 3 cups)
•  1 lb prunes
•  1 cup brown sugar
•  1 cup apple juice
•  1 cup water
•  1/2 cup balsamic vinegar
•  1 vanilla bean split in half
Place all of the contents in a pot and
cook for 20 minutes. Puree the mixture in
a blender and strain through a chinois.



Armagnac Nomenclature :
For the blended brandies, the youngest brandy in the
blend determines the age
VS, XXX Minimum 1 year in oak
VSOP Minimum 4 years in oak
NAPOLEON Minimum 6 years in oak
XO Minimum 6 years in oak
Hors d’Age Minimum 10 years in oak
Single Vintage Single Harvest from the year on
the label (minimum 10 years old)
The Armagnac houses often go beyond these rules and bottle Armagnacs older than the minimum age.
Minimum age of the youngest eau-de-vie in the blend



During their time in the cellars, the Armagnacs are carefully monitored, aerated and
blended. Some may undergo a gradual reduction in alcoholic-strength.

Early Adulthood brings an
added dimension



Older Armagnacs are moved into glass ‘bonbonnes’
to stop any additional evaporation of alcohol



With time the primary
aromas become more
refined.
The spirits gains aromas
of vanilla and prunes.
‘Rancio’ begins to appear
with its characteristic
maderized aromas along
with walnuts and truffles.



Le Paradis

The faces
the
families.
Reality.

Thank you for coming to this Armagnac seminar!
Share your thoughts on this session on the TOTC APP
Presented by May Matta-Aliah
Armagnac Educational Ambassador | President, In the Grape
Douglass Miller
Professor of Hospitality | The Culinary Institute of America
#Armagnac | #ComeToYourSenses
@inthegrape | @liquidprofessor | @totc | #totc2015

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