ARMAGNAC MONLUC VSOP TENAREZE 40 degrees – 70cl

ARMAGNAC VSOP MONLUC TENAREZE 40 degrees – 70 cl

Grape varieties: Ugni Blanc & Baco 22-A
Harvest years: 2017 / 2015 / 2014 / 2013
Ageing in French
oak barrels 40 % VOL · 700 ML · Product of France

Visual: Transparent / Amber
Nose: Candied Citrus / Mint / Clove / Vanilla Sugar / Sandalwood
Palate: Candied Citrus / Chocolate / Vanilla Sugar / Sandalwood / Espelette
Pepper Tasting Note: Round with a very nice length of sandalwood and Espelette pepper

Saint-Puy, the vine and the Gascons
In Saint-Puy, a small Gascon village, perched on its hill, there is a castle whose origin dates back more than ten centuries. Already in Neolithic times, several thousand years ago, men chose to settle on this promontory covered with oaks. The polished stone axes and arrowheads that have been found on the terrace attest to their industry and early trade. A few decades later, the Romans developed the cultivation of vines, thus bringing wealth to the region that was to become Gascony. In medieval times, the Saracens passed by and introduced the still. In addition, the English, the postponed occupants of the Gascon country in the 14th century, took a very dim view of the trade of the Dutch merchants. Indeed, Dutch ships were only allowed to cross the stage of Bordeaux – a city under the possession of the English – and to go up the Garonne to load the wines of the Gascon Haut-Pays from the spring following the harvest. It was already too late for many wines of that time, which, more or less well stored, did not have the patience to wait for many months and were damaged by the arrival of the Dutch merchants. They then had the idea of distilling some of these wines to incorporate the alcohol obtained into the remaining wines. This vinage had the effect of guaranteeing a good conservation of the wines.

From this time on, Armagnac began to distil wine to produce an alcohol for the palate. In the 15th century, it was a great originality, since until then, alcohol was reserved for doctors, perfumers and alchemists. The juxtaposition of the inventive spirit of the Gascons and their admirable eau-de-vie must, one imagines, have led to the proliferation of family recipes, some of which were quite original.