Winemakers’ Voices
Carole Garreau
Château Garreau
What is your signature? I mean, what makes it possible to recognize your Armagnacs in blind tasting? We have a high proportion of Baco in our blends and vintages. It is a grape that we love and that on our soil really gives its full aromatic capacity. Historically, we have made a great contribution to preserving this grape variety, which almost disappeared in the 50’s. We still have vines that were planted in the 40s. They are therefore pre-crisis vines in regards to phylloxera and therefore not grafted. It’s rare !
The eaux-de-vie from this grape reveals aromas of candied fruit and ripe fruit. To this Armagnac we will add a touch of Ugni Blanc and a touch of Folle Blanche which will bring us additional aromatic complexity. Which wine would you recommend for the Christmas family meal? Can you recommend a food pairing with Armagnac? Yes, there are food and Armagnac pairings that can be very interesting to discover. Whether as an aperitif, dessert or main dish. There are many interesting pairings to make as an aperitif that it is on verrines, tapas…
I recommend going with a young Armagnac under 10 years old to consume with ice cubes or up. If it is over 10 years old I would recommend to consume up, of course. It would be a shame to put ice cubes in it!
In pairings with Armagnac for an entree there is an interesting marriage between foie gras and our ”Cuvée du Siècle”. The panfried foie gras with walnut or fig bread goes very well with it. Personally, I also love the pairing between Armagnac and chocolate! With a recipe based on chocolate (mellow, mousse, ice cream, fondant…) we can open a vintage Armagnac like the 2000 or the 1985. The 2000 vintage because it offers notes of vanilla and the 1985 vintage notes of cocoa, mocha… that can remind one of the main ingredient of the dessert. It’s really something very interesting!
Benoit Hillion
Maison Dartigalongue
What is your signature? I mean, what makes it possible to recognize your Armagnacs in blind tasting? Two words illustrate the style of our armagnac: freshness and gourmandise.
The freshness comes from the fact that we air our Armagnacs a lot during their ageing, in stainless steel tanks, to round them. These successive aerations give them a fresh side, minty, aerial, very pleasant especially after a nice meal.
Gourmandise? The choice of Baco - Ugni Blanc and Folle Blanche grape varieties, a continuous distillation of 58% Armagnac, which retains a maximum of aromas, and Gascons oak barrels with a strong heat, finally gives the confectionery and candied fruit flavors. caramelized, spices, sandalwood. Our Armagnacs are tasted like a dessert.
This very gourmand side illustrates well the spirit of the Maison Dartigalongue: the sharing is a happiness! Which wine would you recommend for the Christmas family meal? Can you recommend a food pairing for your Armagnac? For the Christmas meal, the Cuvée Louis-Philippe 180th anniversary 42° (a blend of 5 vintages, on average 35 years of age) will agree perfectly with a quail stuffed with foie gras and currants. The power of the Cuvée Louis-Philippe, combined with aromas of candied fruits, spices and tannins on the finish, will balance perfectly with the quail and reveal the aromas of foie gras, removing any feeling of heaviness.
You can leave your glass to aerate, and finish it on a lemon meringue pie, which will marry perfectly with the subtle candied orange aromas of the Cuvée Louis-Philippe.
“baco is a grape that we love and that on our soil really gives its full aromatic
capacity”
“The sharing is happiness”