Bas Armagnac Chateau de Monbel 1997 42%

The wonderful old château at de Monbel dates back, in parts at least, to the 15th century and the same family have owned it since 1683. The latest in that line is the Comtesse Robert d’Agrain, great-niece of Raymond de Monbel and his wife Princess Camilla Borghese who did so much to give the château the character it displays so eccentrically today, including a stable block designed as a pagoda.

The estate is situated in Castex d’Armagnac in the Bas-Armagnac appellation, the best of the three Armagnac AOPs. 25 hectares of ugni blanc and colombard vines grow on acidic sandy soils rich in iron which are among the most highly regarded terroirs for the production of fine Armagnac. A single distillation is made in a traditional alembic before ageing at the château in locally made oak barrels called pieces. The minimum maturation period is five years for the VSOP and 10 years for the Hors d’Age, but many barrels are aged in the cellars for decades before release.