The Grape Varieties

Armagnac only exists because every year, on the slopes of beautiful Gascony, different grapes are grown that will eventually be vinified, distilled, and aged. While ten different varieties are permitted by decree, only the following three are playing in our band. Ladies and gentlemen…

On Drums, Ugni Blanc

The workhorse of grapes is very well adapted to clay and lime-stone soil and produces wines of high acidic concentration, which makes it very interesting for the production of brandy in general and Armagnac in particular.

On guitar, Folle blanche

This was once the traditional grape variety in Cognac and Armagnac production until it was replaced by its hybrid offspring, Baco 22A, due to phylloxera damage. It requires an enormous amount of care and treatment and is very receptive to black and grey rot.

On bass, Baco 22A

A French-American hybrid grape variety bred by François Baco in 1898 shortly after the disaster caused by phylloxera, Baco 22A is the only hybrid variety still used in an AOC area. It is only authorized for use in the production of Armagnac.

Start me up

Armagnac

It's only rock ’n’ roll

Just like rock ’n’ roll, Armagnac is an attitude about life: maladjusted, passionate, unashamed, and soulful at the same time. Brazenly resisting the passage of time, this spirit remains not only the oldest, but also arguably the most authentic in the world. Armagnac is a very distinctive and seductive brandy.

Savoir-Faire

Complicated

We might have no sympathy for the devil, but we’d rather live in the memory motel than in a yellow submarine. And as with any band, quality requires continuity. Since 1955, there have only been three maîtres de chai who have ensured that the house’s savoir-faire in the production of Armagnacs has been passed down from generation to generation.

Our House

Good times, bad times

The Société Produits d’Armagnac, home of Marquis de Montesquiou and Comte de Lauvia, was founded in 1936 by Pierre de Montesquiou, a politically ambitious Armagnac merchant and co-founder of the Confrérie des Mousquetaires de l’Armagnac.