Domaine de Charron (23 yr) 1995 Bas-Armagnac 750ml

Domaine de Charron began in Perquie, in the Landes, on vines first planted by the great-grandmother of brothers Jacques and Claude Lartigue. For decades the grapes went mostly to a local cooperative, with only the occasional barrel of Armagnac produced on the side, until 1985, when the brothers bought the plots outright and revived full-scale Armagnac production with the help of a neighboring winemaker known for exceptional natural wine from the estate's sandy Fauves soil.

This 1995 vintage is made entirely from Baco, a hardy grape grown almost exclusively for Armagnac and valued for how it interacts with oak over long aging. The wine was distilled in the traditional column still, heated by wood fire in the customary Armagnac method, then aged twenty-three years in new oak barrels crafted by one of the region's last traditional coopers. As with all Charron vintages, it is bottled by hand without any dilution, preserving the natural strength and character it reached in the cask.

The color is a bright amber. The nose is elegant and expressive, offering fresh apricot and Mirabelle plum alongside subtler notes of stewed fruit and toasted almond. On the palate, vanilla and cinnamon build alongside that same stone fruit character, finishing long and finely spiced with a warm, persistent close. It's an ideal choice for slow, contemplative sipping after a meal.