Marquis de Puysegur 1966
Brandy: Armagnac
From: Gerland
House: Cave Cooperative de Villeneuve de Marsan
Style: Single vintage
Colour: Pale amber
ABV: 40%
N: White pepper, chocolate, raspberry jam, orange peel.
M: Medium body, watery, smooth
T: Sweet sour. Butter, oranges, oak, white pepper, cinnamon, cherries.
F: Medium, astringent, orange peel, peanuts.
Comments:
This is another blast from the past, an old tasting note that I wrote about 10 years ago. At that time I was a fairly green spirits drinker, and this was the oldest spirit I'd ever tasted up to that point. I reckon it's still top 10 oldest, maybe even top 5. At the time, I remember thinking it was the mutt's nuts, but with hindsight it was perhaps less impressive than its age would suggest.
It's from a Cave, or a cooperative that allows growers to club together and pool wines from a particular area, then distil and raise them to make great armagnac. This marque is normally sold in the USA, and I had it in a restaurant that must have had some contacts to obtain a bottle, particularly one this old.
It was spicy and jammy and sweet, with the usual prune notes mellowing out to cherries. I did wonder about the buttery, savoury notes, perhaps more of a mouthfeel than a taste. It may have been the first time I tasted what's known as rancio. Not that I've had it that often since then.
Verdict:
I like this a lot.
