Armagnac the Young & the Old-Presentation

ARMAGNAC: THE YOUNG AND THE OLD

TALES OF THE COCKTAILS 2015

WELCOME COCKTAIL: La boisson est Armagnac (by Douglas Miller)

INGREDIENTS: •  3/4 ounces white Armagnac

(Tariquet Blanche used here)

•  3/4 ounce Green Chartreuse

•  3/4 ounce Maraschino Liqueur

•  3/4 ounce lime juice Combine all of the contents in a cocktail shaker with ice, shake until cold. Pour the contents into a rocks glass.

Stereotype

versus

Reality.

Armagnac’s place in the world




A country A region

A product




Distilled in the Heart of Gascony in Southwest France




An agricultural area Fields of sunflowers, wheat, millet, barley and corn blanket the landscape




Traditional Apple and Armagnac Croustade

Foie gras products and duck in all its forms

Fruits (prunes, melon, figs...) and vegetables (garlic, Tarbais bean...)

A region famous for its rich gastronomy




Maître Vital Dufour’s medical opus: «40 virtues» of Aygue Ardente, Armagnac dated 1310, printed in 1531 & today preserved in the Archives of the Vatican library

France’s oldest spirit, … more than 700 years old!

Extract of the « forty virtues » from the oeuvre by Maître Vital Dufour: • it stop tears from running • it heals hepatitis if one drinks it soberly • it enlivens the spirit, partaken in moderation • recalls the past to memory • renders men joyous above all • and when retained in the mouth, it loosens the tongue, emboldens the wit, if someone timid from time to time himself permits.




Briefly in history

• 17th Century: Export of Armagnac by the Dutch through the port of Bayonne and Bordeaux

• 15th Century: Armagnac is commonplace at local markets

• 18th Century: Export sales increase as Colonial citizens chose Armagnac over Cognac & Whisky. Armaganc is brandy of choice for King Louis XV and his court

• 19th Century: The Gers is the largest grape-growing area in France. And then comes Phylloxera….



Key dates in the Appellation

Fallières Decree is signed: delimiting the 3 areas of production and outlining the appellation zones.

Armagnac Appellation decree is signed.

Armagnac to be sold in bottles only

Creation of the BNIA (Bureau National Interprofessionnel de l’Armagnac)

Revisions to the AOC laws. AOC created for Blanche Armagnac

AOC decree revised with new specifications for production.



Viticulture in the region

Armagnac = Vineyards covering 12,849 acres (out of 37,065 acres of vineyards in the area)

800 winegrowers among them 500 Independents

300 that work with 6 Cooperatives

40 Trading Houses (Négotiants/Merchants)

An annual average production over 5 years

of 19,000 hl of pure alcohol (equivalent about 6.8 million bottles)



In figures

Global SALES (2013): equivalent to 5.1 million bottles Sales in bottles :

FRANCE………………………... 50 %

EXPORT (100 countries) ……. 50 %

1 – Russia 2 – China 3 – Germany 4 – United States 5 – Great Britain

Global STOCK (2013): equivalent to 56 million bottles



Still Artisanal today: ‘Roving Distillers’ are still commonly used in the area.

Some Basics



The Armagnac Region has an ideal climate for viticulture

NEW as of Dec 2014: 1 appellation in the

AOC decree: Armagnac

Bas Armagnac Haut Armagnac

Armagnac-Ténarèze are now

Regional Classifications

Blanche Armagnac is a Category



Armagnac -Ténarèze Bas Armagnac Haut Armagnac

Soil samples of each region



Grapes commonly used

Ugni-Blanc

55% • Elegant & Fruity • Ages very well

Baco Blanc Folle Blanche Colombard

35% • Rich & Round • Ages very well

5% • Finesse & Floral • Best Young

5% • Spice & Grassy • Best Young

10 Authorized: remaining 6 varieties: Plant de Graisse, Meslier St François, Blanc Dame, Jurançon blanc, Mauzac Blanc et Rosé



Tasting individual grape variety distillates

1.  Folle Blanche (@55%ABV)

2.  Colombard (@54.5%ABV)

3.  Ugni Blanc (@57%ABV)

4.  Baco Blanc (@60.5%ABV)



Fermentation of base wine

• Traditional fermentation Addition of Sulphur Dioxide prohibited by law • Base Wines -Typically High in acidity and low in alcohol (9 – 10% vol) -No fining or filtering prior to distillation -Lees-contact contributes floral and fruity aromas



Distillation of base wine

First alambic patented in 1818

Distillation must be completed before March 31st of the year following the harvest

Armagnac still (“Alambic Armagnacais”)

Continuous Distillation (95% of production)

Pot Still Double Distillation (5% of production)



Some stills are wood fired…

…other use gas

The energy efficiency of the continuous alambic uses 4-5 times less propane than the double distillation method



15 is the max number of plates permitted in an

Armagnac alambic

Spirit Plates

Distillation between 52 - 72.4% abv 5 litres of wine = 1 litre of eau-de-vie @ 50% abv

(1.32 gallons of wine = 0.264 of a gallon @ 50% abv)



40 hectoliters (1056 gallons) of pure alcohol is the maximum daily volume permitted per alambic

Each

age

beauty.

has

it’s

Blanche: youthful energy



The Grassa Family



Aging takes place in ‘Pièces’ - 400 Liter barrels mostly sourced from the local Monlezun forest.



The first 6 months to 2 years are typically spent in new oak barrels. The Armagnac is then moved to seasoned barrels where it continues to mature.

The younger Armagnacs, VS or VSOP quality levels, are great for use in cocktails.



COCKTAIL: Velours Noir (by Douglas Miller)

INGREDIENTS: •  2 ounces VS or VSOP Armagnac

(Castarede Sélection used here)

•  1 ounce prune mixture

•  ½ ounce lemon juice

•  ½ ounce Capano Antica Sweet Vermouth

•  ½ ounce Cointreau

•  Dash of Fee Brothers Walnut bitters Combine all of the contents in a cocktail shaker with ice, shake until cold. Pour the contents into a rocks glass.

Prune Mixture (Yield: 3 cups) •  1 lb prunes

•  1 cup brown sugar

•  1 cup apple juice •  1 cup water

•  1/2 cup balsamic vinegar

•  1 vanilla bean split in half Place all of the contents in a pot and cook for 20 minutes. Puree the mixture in a blender and strain through a chinois.



Armagnac Nomenclature : For the blended brandies, the youngest brandy in the blend determines the age

VS, XXX Minimum 1 year in oak

VSOP Minimum 4 years in oak

NAPOLEON Minimum 6 years in oak

XO Minimum 6 years in oak

Hors d’Age Minimum 10 years in oak

Single Vintage Single Harvest from the year on the label (minimum 10 years old)

The Armagnac houses often go beyond these rules and bottle Armagnacs older than the minimum age.

Minimum age of the youngest eau-de-vie in the blend



During their time in the cellars, the Armagnacs are carefully monitored, aerated and blended. Some may undergo a gradual reduction in alcoholic-strength.

Early Adulthood brings an added dimension



Older Armagnacs are moved into glass ‘bonbonnes’ to stop any additional evaporation of alcohol

What’s in a year?



With time the primary aromas become more refined. The spirits gains aromas of vanilla and prunes. ‘Rancio’ begins to appear with its characteristic maderized aromas along with walnuts and truffles.



Le Paradis

From one Louis to another

The faces

the families.

Reality.

Thank you for coming to this Armagnac seminar! Share your thoughts on this session on the TOTC APP

Presented by May Matta-Aliah Armagnac Educational Ambassador | President, In the Grape

Douglass Miller Professor of Hospitality | The Culinary Institute of America

#Armagnac | #ComeToYourSenses @inthegrape | @liquidprofessor | @totc | #totc2015

Armagnac the Young & the Old-Presentation

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Transcript of Armagnac the Young & the Old-Presentation