Grands Assemblages 12 ans d'age - Armagnac Darroze

Volume: 0.7 litres | Alcohol content: 43% | Chill filtration: No | Colouring: No

Special Features:

Darroze Grands Assemblages 12 Year Old marks the transition from lively fruit to a more pronounced influence of cask ageing. The age on the bottle refers to the youngest Armagnac in the blend. Ugni Blanc and Baco form the base; after more than a decade in contact with oak, the first classic maturation aromas emerge. For Les Grands Assemblages, Darroze blends Armagnacs from different terroirs, vintages and styles to maintain the flavour and balance of each age expression over the years.

Dried fruit and vanilla accompany the still-lively fruit core. Liquorice and cinnamon add a gentle spicy thread, while a hint of clove complements the slightly drying structure. A few minutes of air allow this still-spirited Armagnac to reveal greater complexity.

The Armagnac is offered at 43% in a 0.7-litre bottle with gift packaging. It is not chill-filtered and contains no added colouring.

Tasting Notes:

• Nose: On the nose, stewed prunes, dried apricots and orange peel mingle with subtle liquorice notes and gently toasted oak. Cinnamon adds to the expressive aroma.
• Palate: The lively opening develops into a rich, rounded palate. Ripe stone fruit, cinnamon and clove meet candied citrus fruit and gentle vanilla. Well-integrated, rounded tannins give the Armagnac structure.
• Finish: The long finish is warming. Dried fruit and sweet spice notes linger alongside delicate oak tannins.

Distillery/Bottler:

Around thirty estates now supply Armagnacs for the Darroze selection. Marc Darroze heads the family house and oversees the further ageing of the selected spirits in the cellars of Roquefort and Labastide-d'Armagnac. The Grands Assemblages are created by blending different Armagnacs; the twelve-year-old focuses on the early interplay of fruit, spice and oak.

The house has its roots in the culinary world of Gascony: chef Jean Darroze introduced his son Francis to the region's wines and spirits. In the late 1960s, Francis began selecting spirits in Bas-Armagnac, allowing them to mature further and bottling them. Alongside the Assemblages, Darroze preserves the provenance of individual estates in the Collection Unique through small, traceable bottlings without blending.

Facts: