Darroze Domaine de Monturon 1987 Bas-Armagnac

Darroze Domaine de Monturon 1987 Bas-Armagnac is a single-estate, single-vintage Armagnac from the Darroze family, distilled in 1987 at Domaine de Monturon and bottled at its natural strength of 42.5% ABV in a 700ml bottle. It was made from 100% Baco. The spirit spent about 35 years in oak before bottling. Its owner, Mr. Bachala, was a lion tamer with the Zavatta circus before taking up Armagnac in the late 1970s; his humid cellars tend to give lower-strength spirits. Darroze keeps every estate and vintage separate and does not reduce its Armagnacs with water, so each bottle reflects one property, one harvest and one cask selection. The label records the estate, the vintage and the bottling date, which together give the spirit's real age, since Armagnac stops ageing once it is in glass.

Nose: Fresh and peppery, with mint, liquorice, candied apricot and quince jam.

Palate: Prune, banana flambé and dried apricot with anise and liquorice.

Finish: Very long.

Serve: Neat in a tulip glass at room temperature, after a few minutes in the glass.