Francis Darroze 1995 Domaine de Salie 28 yr Bas-Armagnac 750ml

Francis Darroze spent his career treating Armagnac the way a winemaker treats a single vineyard, seeking out small, distinctive estates across Bas-Armagnac and bottling their eaux-de-vie without blending across properties or vintages. This dedication to place gave rise to his Unique Collection, in which each barrel is aged and released separately so that the terroir of a single estate, along with its harvest year and bottling date, remains fully traceable. His son Marc now oversees the house, continuing to work directly with small growers who tend their own vines.

This bottling comes from Domaine de Salié, an estate in the village of Le Frêche within the Grand Bas-Armagnac, near noted terroirs such as Pinas and Coquillon. Gilles Sarraute has tended the vineyard for decades, transitioning it to organic farming in 2008. The eau-de-vie is distilled entirely from Baco grapes and spent twenty-eight years resting in oak, developing a shining golden color with fiery highlights.

The nose offers candied apricot and quince alongside fig jam, licorice, clove, and black pepper, a complex profile that carries through to the palate with honey, roasted almond, and warm spice. The tannins are round and silky, leading into a very long finish.