A long journey begins for this grape...

Vinification

The secret of the straightforward taste of Armagnac...
Armagnac is produced through the distillation of white grapes harvested from an appellation estate. These wines are then traditionally made. They receive no oenological treatment in order to gaurantee the frankness of the taste, a low alcohol content (8° to 9° proof) and an important overall acidity...

Distillation

The secrets of the cellars...
Distillation must be carried out before 31st March. According to the tradition, the wine is distilled continuously through an Armagnac still. Repeated distillation is practised by a small part of production.
Afte the still, the spirit is colourless and between 52° and 72° proof.

Ageing

Oak for the best flavour...
As soon as it leaves the still, the Armagnac is stored in oak casks called "pièces armagnacaises" which contain between 400 and 420 litres. The oak used comes in particular from the forest region of Armagnac.
The oak refines the ageing for the spirit. It also enriches it because of complex reactions during which the tannic and aromatic substances in the wood dissolve into the alcohol.
Throughout the ageing process, these "pièces" are stored in shady cellars at a constant temperature. The young spirits stay in new casks until the wooden substances have dissolved as much as possible. Then they are transfered to older casks where the transformation continues.

Blending

Using the best to make the best...
When the cellar-master believes the spirit has aged enough, he begins blending several spirits of different ages and origins. At this stage, the Armagnac can be bottled and sold.

Duration of cask ageing.

Brandies ready for tasting...
Bottled Armagnac does not age: it is ready to be tasted and sold.
To extend its lifetime, the bottle must stored standing in a cellar with an aideal temperature of 12 degrees.
The ageing is mentioned on the label of a bottle of Armagnac and indicates the age of the youngest spirit in the blend. For example: "Trois Etoiles" concerns Armagnacs at least 1 year aged in wooden cask, "V.O.", "V.S.O.P." or"Réserve" concern Armagnacs aged at least 4 years in wooden casks and "Extra", "Napoléon", "X.O.", "Vieille Réserve" are all brandies with at least 6 years in wooden casks.
Blends of older brandies are common too.