Domaine de Charron (17 yr) 2001 Bas-Armagnac 750ml

Domaine de Charron began in Perquie, in the Landes region, on vineyards first planted by the great-grandmother of brothers Jacques and Charles Lartigue. For decades the family sold their grapes to a local cooperative, with only the occasional barrel of eau-de-vie kept for the household cellar. When their father considered pulling out the vines in 1985, the brothers instead bought the plots themselves and built Domaine de Charron into a small-batch armagnac house in its own right.

The estate farms Baco exclusively, a grape suited to the sandy Landes soil and a signature of the house style. Distilled in a traditional copper Armagnac still heated over wood, this 2001 vintage was aged in new oak barrels for seventeen years and bottled at the natural strength of the cask, without dilution, preserving its full character.

The nose is fine and refined, opening with crème brûlée and cane juice alongside a touch of sloe fruit. On the palate it turns soft and round, with gingerbread, fig, and plum joined by a hint of clove, finishing long on notes of roasted fruit. An original, surprising vintage marked by real finesse, best enjoyed neat after dinner.