Baron de Sigognac 10 Year Old Bas Armagnac 70cl

Baron de Sigognac 10 year old Bas Armagnac is a blend of Armagnacs of varying ages, the youngest component of the blend being a minimum of 10 years old.

The Owners of Baron de Sigognac, The Guasch family, have been living in the Gascony region since the 12th century. They have owned Château Bordeneuve since 1974 and are one of the region’s largest courtier and negociant (broker and merchant) operations. Today the father-and-son team of Jean-Claude and Thomas look after viticulture, vinification and distillation. As well as Baron de Sigognac, they also bottle Chateau Bordeneuve Armagnacs and a range of liqueurs from the region. The estate has some 60 hectares of vineyards – 75 % are planted with Ugni Blanc and the rest with Baco 22A. The vineyards are superbly situated on very fine clay-sand soils, which are high in acidity and in some places mixed with iron, hence the local name “sables fauves” or tawny sands.

The Domaine is almost unique in the region as all its production is distilled into Armagnac instead of wine. Their vineyards are located in Bas Armagnac, which is considered by many to be where the best Armagnacs come from. There is one short column, alembic still at the Domaine (almost 100 years old), which produces up to 50 to 60 casks of new spirit annually. The wine is distilled on its lees, and drawn off at 55 to 58%, depending on the harvest. Distillation is continuous through day and night and manually controlled to account for temperature and humidity changes.

Once distilled the clear, colourless spirit is aged in new, toasted oak barrels for nearly a year. It is then transferred to older barrels for a longer, slower maturation. It is here, in barrel, that the Armagnac leaches vanillins and tannins from the toasted oak which lend the spirit colour and flavour. The depth of colour and complexity of flavour increase all the time the spirit is aged in cask, the colour can range from pale straw to rich amber. As Armagnac ages it becomes darker in colour and softer, smoother and more elegant on the palate whilst aromas and flavours of prunes, violets, fig, honey, butterscotch and rancio develop. Part of the alcohol evaporates naturally during the long years in cask – this is known as “la part des anges” (the angel’s share).

Baron de Sigognac 10 Year Old Bas Armagnac is bottled at 40% ABV.