Vintage Armagnac – a truly exceptional product

Vintage Armagnacs are a speciality of the area, offering a whole library of different flavours that preserve the memory of times gone by. They are living products, still developing in the casks, and there is only a limited amount of each – in fact in some cases these amounts are confidential! As you can see, this is no standard, mass market product!

Vintage brandies must have aged for at least 10 years. Such rare products are highly sought after, whereas 75% of all Armagnac produced is sold before it is even 7 years old!

La Béroje offers a wide range of vintages, dating from 1946 to the present day, and we do not offer them for sale until they have matured for over 15 years. We take great care to respect the huge diversity of these unique products and the rate at which they mature, noting each one’s potential and when it is likely to reach its peak and be ready to be enjoyed. Imagine the delight of occasionally coming across a forgotten treasure amongst the piled up casks!

Each vintage has its own particular blend of aromas. The source of such diversity is, of course, partly the different wines, which develop grape and floral aromas as they boil in the stills; but the oak of the barrels and the work of the cellar-master also play their part. Colour, appearance, bouquet, length – the various combinations are much appreciated by connoisseurs, who have been known to write long dissertations in order to fully express the pleasure our vintage Armagnacs inspire.

Read what F. Lebel (head sommelier at the Hôtel Crillon and Le Pré Catelan) has to say about a superb Armagnac from La Béroje, vintage 1990, in his book ‘L’Esprit de l’armagnac’ Editions du Cherche-Midi, 2010).

“An amber brandy with beautiful green glints. The nose has a fragrance of vanilla from the aging barrels, with complex, slightly spicy notes and a lasting finish offering hints of candied orange peel. In the mouth, the attack is frank and the sensation of alcohol restrained. The brandy is beautifully mellow with great depth, revealing complex aromas when warmed between the hands for a few minutes – candied violet, a hint of cloves, and blond tobacco notes on the finish. This Grand Armagnac is still young and fresh, and shows that the spirit of the terroir is still there. We will enjoy trying it again and discovering its changing characteristics as it continues to mature.”

FIND OUR ARMAGNAC ?

Some restaurants and retailers :

Carré des Feuillants (Alain Dutournier) – Paris

Le Trou Gascon – Paris

Les Caves Marly – Marly-le-Roy

Apicius (Jean-Pierre Vigato) – Paris

Maison Rostang – Paris

Hôtels Esprit de France – Paris – Aix

Les caves Taillevent – Paris

Magnin vin & spiritueux – Cully, Suisse

Caves Jacquèmes – Aix-en-Provence

Le Vin devant soi – Avignon