Marie Duffau Vintage Bas Armagnac - 1979 Bottled 2009 (750ml)

Armagnac is the idiosyncratic style of Brandy made in the Gascony region in South West France. Although made from the same grape varieties as its better know and nearby relative Cognac, Armagnac is a distinctly different spirit. Armagnac's ability transmit its terroir, or sense of place is attributed to the fact that unlike Cognac it is only distilled once, as opposed to twice, and is made by small producers, not a few large producers. Therefor instead of being made from a blend of grapes from vineyards across the region, Armagnacs are often from grapes grown on the distillers own plot. While the region of Bas-Armagnac reputedly makes the finest (there is also Haut-Armagnac and Armagnac-Ténarèze), due to the range of styles finding the best is often down to personal preference.