Think Delord Armagnac-The Perfect Holiday Gift For Wine Lovers by Philip S. Kampe

                                                                       

As you should know by now, I am a huge 'Armagnac' fan and quite, honestly, a rather new devotee to another level of the grape experience.

For all of you who are wine lovers, as I am, Armagnac is the next step after Port wines. Made with indigenous varietals and distilled only once, the end result heightens the grape experience, which all of us are following.

At holiday time, for me, it is hard to select what wine to give to whom as a present. So, the toss-up has always been to choose ether a Port or an Armagnac as a lasting gift for the enthusiast.

This year I chose Delord Armagnac, an Armagnac that is readily available thanks to Heavenly Spirits, an importer dedicated to high quality French spirits-of which one is Delord Armagnac.

A little history about Maison Delord:
+Founded in 1893 by Prosper Delord,
+Prosper Delord was an itinerant distiller who traveled with his pot still
+Delord is located the Bas Armagnac region of southwest France
+Lannepax was Delord's official home, unofficially until 1925
+Prosper deeded the 70 acre estate to his two sons, Gaston and George before his death in 1912
+Gaston and George later passed on the estate to their their two sons, Jacques and Pierre
+Today, great grandsons, Jerome and Sylvain manage Delord
+Colombard, Ugni Blanc, Baco and Folle Blanche grapes are used for Delord Armagnac
+Ugni Blanc creates a good foundation
+Colombard adds herbal aromas
+Baco adds roundness
+Folle Blanche adds floral notes
+No pesticides or fertilizers are used
+The soil is sandy and acidic with high mineral content
+After harvest, the grapes are pressed and fermented before distillation
+Antique Sier alembic stills are still used for distillation
+Only 30 liters are produced each hour from the antique stills
+Low temperature distillation is preferred, which preserves more of the flavors and fatty acids of the grapes
+The Armagnac is then put in wooden casks to age in the cellar
+The cellars contain Armagnacs dating back to 1904

Delord has several significant and highly rated Armagnacs that are easy to find-especially on the internet.
They range from the Armagnac, Blanche, which is wonderful on its own, but, can be used as a mixing ingredient for cocktails to the highly rated 25 year old that is complex with well blended tannins that make your palate sing with nuances of walnuts, white pepper, vanilla and cocoa.

Isn't this the time for wine lovers to treat yourself to a bottle of Armagnac if you don't choose to buy it for others?

Philip S. Kampe
philip.kampe@thewinehub.com