Darroze is family owned négociant in the Bas-Armagnac region, known for their celebrated stock of armagnac. Négociants are French houses that buy and age distillates and wines from smaller producers and take them to market under their own labels. They often blend from multiple vineyards, as is the case with the Les Grands Assemblages (simply, "the great blends") series from Darroze. The 12 year bottling is next step above the 8 year offering, sourced from a number of vintners in the area. As with whiskey, the age on the bottle is that of the youngest spirit in the blend. Bottled at 43% ABV.
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In actuality, I opened a bottle (to share) of Francis Darroze Bas-Armagnac that was distilled in 1966 and remained unsealed until opened in 2019. 99 proof. Domaine de Saint-Aubin Le Houga (Yers) is also on the label. A cognac loving friend who also tasted it thought it was excellent. To me, palette was spicy up front; a bit of a grape finish possibly, but I had to seek it out over the warmth on the tongue.
A delicate 12-year-old Brandy by Darroze in Armagnac, France. It has an aromatic birth with notes of tree & stewed fruits, wood, herbs & spices; while a rich & spicy life adds notes of cinnamon, licorice, beer, grape & biscuit; that led to a tannic & leathered death of medium length with notes of oak & caramel. August 2017
Same style and price bracket, best rated first.
