Marquis de Puységur Napoleon

Marquis de Puységur Napoleon

Brandy: Armagnac

From: Bas Armagnac

House: Cave Coopérative de Villeneuve de Marsan 

Style: Blend

Colour: Orange amber

ABV: 40%

N: Orange peel, lemons, raisins, black pepper, hints of roses. 

M: Medium body, astringent, tingly. 

T: Sweet sour. Lemons, raisins, black pepper, limes, roses, hints of black tea. 

F: Long. Black tea, black pepper, lemons, hints of roses. 

Comments: 

An old tasting note. Haven’t had any for a while. I had this maybe 12 or 13 years ago, and I remember it as being very spicy and lovely. I had it after a large multi course meal, although I can’t quite remember where. It was lovely. I do remember craving an Islay whisky right after though. 

Verdict:

I like this. 

Marquis de Puysegur 1966

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.