The Armagnac Countryside

Gascony - A way of life

Of all French regions, Gascony is without a doubt the one affected latest and least by the march of time. Today, the people, the families, remain very individualistic, proud of what they own, but ready to join together to defend common values, a certain way of life.

The art of brandy tasting is part of this way of life, taking one's time, appreciating that special moment of encountering an Armagnac.

Faced with a glass of Armagnac, the whole Gascon environment is conjured up, the soil, the people, the legends. The qualities of a brandy, at the same time gentle and wild, an expression of the very personality and being of the peasants and craftsmen who produced it, all bring back many memories.

Conviviality, friendship, loyalty, all still have meaning in this part of France.

The natives can be hot-blooded, their faces marked by years of hard labour, but they all share a certain view of life, in which celebration and human relationships play an important part.

And Gascons often come together around the table.

For here the food reflects the people : generous, sincere and natural.

All the great qualities that give this land of Armagnac an exceptional terroir are here:

• The soil, that divides the region into three distinct areas. From the chalky ground of the Haut Armagnac to the tawny sands of the Bas Armagnac, and the alternating clay and limestone in the Ténarèze.
• The climate, with mild sunny autumns that are ideal for the best ripening of the grapes.
• The forest, that protects the vines from passing bad weather and that grows the mighty oak in which Armagnac ages and evolves with ultimate grace.It is quite frequent in Bas Armagnac that one finds properties where oak and vine grow side by side before being brought together to give us these unequalled Eaux-de-Vies.
• The men, the Gascons, who (even if they are not responsible for the beauty and the quality of the terroir), take part with great passion and with all their hearts in the creation of this unparalleled product.

Bas-Armagnac, the jewel of the appellation

Different geological, historic and climatic facts explain why the region of Bas-Armagnac produces and has always produced, the finest, the most complex and the most unpredictable eaux-de-vies. All tests and trials for classification purposes have noted the superiority of the Bas-Armagnac terroir. Why?

• The particularly undulating relief of the land allows for fluctuation of the vine and the forest.
• On the geology map, the ocean has played a predominant part in the the quality of Bas-Armagnac. The movement of the tides has left a deposit of tidal sands, known today as the 'tawny sands of Bas-Armagnac', wonderful land for the Armagnac vines.
• The Landes forest that is very close to the Bas-Armagnac vineyards, creates a natural barrier and therefore, a tremendous regulator of temperature, rainfall and other weather conditions.
• Finally, the men from Bas-Armagnac have chosen grapes varieties that are best adapted to the production of white wines destined for distillation, and those that are in perfect osmotic balance with the different soil types.