The right word

Appreciating an Armagnac requires that you pay particular attention to the characteristics of this complex eau-de-vie and the senses it awakens.  But tasting is not just a question of senses… it’s also a matter of words!

Armagnac is tasted in three parts and three parts of your body take part :  eyes[1], nose[2] and mouth[3].  From top to bottom… Each step is crucial in the assessment of a glass of Armagnac, guiding and guaranteeing the appreciation of the next.

A keen eye, a sharp nose and the taste buds awake: all of your senses are working without forgetting a key knowledge in the tasting of Armagnac, that of expression. Sometimes, the sensations are strong but the necessary words are missing in order to express what you are feeling.  Any good taster should therefore have a tasting vocabulary according to their sensory journeys.

How to describe the colour of an Armagnac?

With your eyes fixed on the colour of the Armagnac, you turn it gently in the glass that already unveils a part of its personality.  If you gently pivot your glass and the colour is a subtle golden hue, it is probably an eau-de-vie that has only been aged for a short time in oak barrels.  Gradually, its extended stay in barrels will bring amber highlights or later still, mahogany.

How to smell the perfumes of Armagnac?

First rule: Do not bring the glass too close to your nose !

On the nose, Armagnac is discovered like a bouquet of flowers.  The floral aromas are the first to rise from the glass: violet, lime flower, acacia, hawthorn or honey.  These aromas predominate in young Armagnac, then evolve the longer the ageing lasts towards aromas of ripe and candied fruits : plum, quince, apricot, mirabelle.  Very old Armagnacs meanwhile reveal woody notes, toasted perfumes and sometimes rancio (typical notes of ageing): from oak to walnut, from smokiness to roasted notes, Armagnac gains in complexity over the years.

How to taste the aromas in an Armagnac?

If the wood and rancio notes reveal themselves more comfortably in the mouth than on the nose, the aromatic variety stays the same.  Vigorous and strong as soon as it is in the mouth, the « montant » (rising) of the Armagnac sets the tone!  Other characteristics are found in the mouth: roundness, smoothness and fullness of the eau-de-vie accompany a multiplicity of aromas coating them with supplementary complexity.  A guarantee of the quality of the Armagnac is the aromatic persistence allowing you to savour its richness for longer and to postpone the limits of its evanescence.

As many elements as it is necessary to have in mind when you take the curved glass to your nose and coat your palate with the precious nectar.  By using the « right word » you can express a whole palette of sensations and buried memories awakened by the tasting!