Grands Assemblages 30 ans d'age - Armagnac Darroze

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

Special Features:

The thirty-year-old blend from Les Grands Assemblages brings together Armagnacs from different terroirs, vintages and styles. Its age statement refers to the youngest Armagnac in the blend, so every component is at least thirty years old. The grape varieties used are Ugni Blanc and Baco. By blending complementary spirits, Darroze maintains the blend’s flavour and balance over the years.

After this long maturation, dried and candied fruits take centre stage in place of youthful freshness. Spice becomes more pronounced, the first rancio notes develop and the alcohol is fully integrated. Toffee, dry cocoa, espresso and dried orange peel complement the balanced profile. Noticeable tannins give it structure.

For Les Grands Assemblages, Darroze blends the selected spirits in stages and also reduces the alcohol strength gradually. This blend is bottled at 43% in a bottle containing 0.7 litres and comes in gift packaging. It is not chill-filtered and contains no added colouring.

Tasting Notes:

• Nose: On the nose, prunes and emerging rancio mingle with liquorice, cloves and white pepper. A note of furniture wax complements the mature aromas.
• Palate: On the palate, the Armagnac is powerful and full-bodied, yet silky and balanced. Candied fruits, dark chocolate and rancio define the flavour, with well-integrated alcohol.
• Finish: The long, warming finish reveals cocoa, spices and waxed wood. The tannins remain noticeable but have been refined by maturation.

Distillery/Bottler:

Marc Darroze now continues the work of his father Francis, who began selecting, ageing and bottling distinctive Bas-Armagnacs in the late 1960s. The house has its roots in the restaurant of Marc’s grandfather Jean in Villeneuve-de-Marsan, where Francis became acquainted with the wines and spirits of Gascony. Around thirty estates now contribute to the selection; the Armagnacs mature in the cellars of Roquefort and Labastide-d’Armagnac.

A trained oenologist, Marc Darroze has further developed distillation at the estates and cask maturation. The team uses a mobile column still to distil on site. Armagnacs are initially managed separately according to origin, vintage and grape variety. Alongside the origin-specific bottlings of Collection Unique, the house deliberately offers blends through Les Grands Assemblages, where the interplay between different spirits takes centre stage.

Facts: