Armaganc zones
There are three zones, each with characteristic features of different soil types. In the west is Bas-Armagnac (clay and sand), the middle zone is Ténarèze (calcareous clay soil) and in the east is Haut-Armagnac (limestone). The best distillates with a specific flavour come from Bas-Armagnac (Armagnac Noir), which accounts for 55% of production. Strict regulations apply to these Armagnacs. The elite is distilled in the small "Terre de Bouc" (goat country) area, these products may be called "Grand Bas-Armagnac". The "Haut-Armagnac" (Blanche Armagnac) area accounts for only 5% of production. Sparkling base wines are predominantly produced there, a good proportion of which is exported to Germany.
Grape varieties
Until the appearance of phylloxera around 1878, the white variety Piquepoul Blanc was predominantly cultivated. Today, 80% of the approximately 12,000 hectares of vineyards are planted with Ugni Blanc (Trebbiano Toscano), the clearly dominant Armagnac grape. A total of eleven white varieties are authorised for Armagnac, but apart from Ugni Blanc, only the three varieties Baco Blanc, Colombard and Clairette are of any noteworthy importance. All of these varieties produce low-alcohol, acidic-tasting wines that are ideal for distillation. Natural spontaneous fermentation takes place without the addition of yeast, sulphur or sugar. After around ten to 17 days, a wine with a strong acidity and an alcohol content of 8 to 9.5% vol. is produced. Herbs, nuts and prunes (bouquetieres) may be added before distillation.
Distilling method
The major difference to Cognac is the distillation method and subsequent ageing. Until before the phylloxera catastrophe, the fractionated process (pot still) was used (as with cognac), but then the continuous process became established. This was perfected around 1830 by master distiller Coffey and in 1936 became the only authorised distilling process for Armagnac. In this mainly used "Méthode Armagnac" or the "Alambic Armagnacais" system, raw spirit and fine spirit are combined in a single distillation process. A rectification column is used for this, an apparatus for separating the vaporisable components, which liquefies the vaporised components again by cooling them down. This is located between the still and the condenser. Although the Armagnac is heated twice, it is only distilled once (compared to twice for Cognac).
The wine is strongly preheated and meets the alcohol vapours in the still. An ingenious system of perforated plates and tubes ensures that the Armagnac is free from harmful substances, but contains a lot of the wine's aromas and flavours (more vinosity). After distillation, Armagnac contains less alcohol (52 to 63% is prescribed) than Cognac (70%). Such distillates also require a longer ageing period. Freshly distilled Armagnac has a clear colour and tastes sharp. Unlike cognac, it is not immediately filled into barrels, but is usually blended first. Armagnac is matured in dark bog oak barrels (400 to 420 litres) from the region, but due to a lack of wood, material from other regions (e.g. Limousin) is increasingly being used. Faible (distilled water with a little alcohol) is added during the ageing period to reach a drinking strength of 40% alcohol by volume.
Armagnac types
The finished product is a "blend" from different regions of origin and years, the youngest distillate determines the quality. The quality designations are similar to Cognac (see there under Account). The age stated on the label says nothing about the ageing period. For the most part, Armagnac is bottled in bulbous bottles similar to Bocksbeutel, which are called Basquaise (Pot Gascon); only the rare vintage Armagnacs are marketed in the slim Charentais bottle. Around nine million bottles of Armagnac are produced every year, which is around 10% of the volume of Cognac. IGP wines are also produced under the names Côtes de Gascogne and Gers, as well as the sweet liqueur wine Floc de Gascogne.
Producers
The best-known Armagnac producers and trading houses include The best-known Armagnac producers and trading houses include Armadis (Chabot, Duc d'Ejas, Gerland and Marquis de Puysegur brands), Berger (Prince de Conde), Castarède, Château du Tariquet, Château-Paulet (Baron de Casterac), Darroze, Domaine d'Ognoas, Domaines Laberdolive, Gelas, Goudoulin, La Compagnie des Produits de Gascogne (de Montal), Janneau, Larrose (Comtal and Château de Hontambène), Marnier-Lapostolle (Lapostolle), Marquis de Montesquiou, Marquis de Sauval, Maxim's de Paris, Ryst-Dupeyron and Samalens. Some of these producers also produce wines and cognacs.
Further information
For the production of alcoholic beverages, see Champagne (sparkling wines), Distillation (distillates), Spirits (types), Winemaking (wines and wine types) and Wine law (wine law issues).
Picture left: By Rama - Own work, CC BY-SA 2.0 fr, Link
Image on the right: By Jibi44 - Own work, CC BY-SA 3.0, Link
