Domaine de Charron (27 yr) 1996 Barrel #4 Bas-Armagnac 750ml

Domaine de Charron traces back to a small plot in Perquie, in the Landes, originally farmed by the great-grandmother of current owners Jacques and Claude Lartigue. The family later expanded the property acre by acre to revive serious Armagnac production, and today the estate is known for small-batch, single-vintage bottlings made entirely from Baco grapes grown on the region's sandy, iron-rich soils. Every eau-de-vie is aged in new oak from Gilles Bartholomo, one of the last traditional coopers in the area, and bottled by hand to order at full natural strength.

This release comes from barrel four of the 1996 vintage, distilled from 100 percent Baco and matured for twenty-seven years without any addition of water, sugar, or coloring. Because Domaine de Charron ages exclusively in new barrels rather than neutral or used wood, the spirit picks up unusually direct oak influence over its long maturation, a hallmark of the estate's style.

The nose is fine and elegant, opening with stewed fruit and moving into apricot preserve. The palate arrives bold and intense, with toasted bread and clove giving way to a rich, textured body. The finish is long and dominated by rancio, with notes of dried fruit and warm spice lingering well after the last sip.