The Scoop on de Montal Armagnac #
Region: Gascony, France
Alcohol Content: 40%
For my birthday last year, my husband bought me a flight of vintage Bas-Armagnac de Montal. Armagnac is a brandy, better understood as a grape-based spirit, made from the Armagnac region. Bas-Armagnac is the most westerly subregion of Armagnac. The de Montal vineyards reside on the subregion’s borderlands.
Cognac is the other brandy produced in France, from a neighboring region. Armagnacs are often distilled from single varieties of white wine grapes, whereas Cognacs tend to be blends. Both are aged in oak barrels with particular specifications that I don’t particularly care to recite. Suffice it to say that chopping wood in a neighboring forest is likely to be part of the barrel-making process.
That these are “vintage” Bas-Armagnacs means they are made of grapes all from the same harvest year. This is not typical of most brandies, and it implies that they are a higher quality than any V.S., V.S.O.P., or X.O. designation for ones that are made from multiple vintages.
I’ve wanted to try Armagnac for a long-time, and I was thrilled my husband remembered, presenting me with this pretty trio of vintages from de Montal. Nothing is better than a flight for exploring the differences that age can bring to eau-de-vie produced from the same fields.
My Take on Bas-Armagnac de Montal #
These are my tasting notes from the 1970, 1980, and 1990 vintages:
Bas-Armagnac de Montal 1990: This vintage has the thinnest body of the three, understandable as it’s the youngest. It tastes of butterscotch, black pepper, vanilla, and aloe vera.
Bas-Armagnac de Montal 1980: You might think the eldest vintage would be the best, but my favorite is the middle child! It’s much richer than the 1990 with a medium-body and notes of light apricot, butterscotch creme brulée, whipped cream, and mild pepper, like red chili flakes in an Italian veggie side dish.
Bas-Armagnac de Montal 1970: This vintage boasts the richest color with burnt caramel, white pepper, and candied cinnamon apple notes. It's good . . . but the 1980 is better.
Would I purchase these for $118–$230 each? Oh, I’d be tempted, but I am a cheapskate about buying myself fancy bottles. Let’s hope another nice birthday gift, maybe a full bottle of that 1980 vintage, is in my future.
Reviewed Spring 2023.
