Domaine du Tastet Hors d'Age Bas Armagnac

A ravishing Armagnac Brandy that heals.

In southwest France, a few miles from the town of Cazaubon, there's a family estate of Domaine de Guilhon d'Aze. Denis Tastet, the third-generation winemaker, manages 60 hectares of sustainable agriculture. This is the home of an amazing Armagnac, which is a special kind of Brandy, produced only in the Armagnac region. Armagnac is the oldest type of Brandy in France in it used to be considered a remedy that cures red eyes, hepatitis, gout and other maladies. We won't make such claims since we're not doctors, but we can guarantee this lovely potion makes men (and women) joyful, it loosens tongues and encourages the wit.

Armagnac is distilled from wine and is usually made from a blend of different grapes. Rather than pot stills, the distillers use column stills and age the Spirit in oak barrels. There are several classifications of Armagnac, mostly referring to its age: VS, VSOP, XO, and Hors d'âge. This bottle belongs to the latter category and it's just a fancy way of saying that the youngest component of the blend is at least a decade old. So, in other words... This is a pretty awesome bottle.