Boingneres 1981 Bas Armagnac

IMPORTER NOTES:

OVERVIEW: "Vintage Armagnac produced at Domaine Boingnères in Le Frêche, Landes; Appellation Bas-Armagnac Contrôlée; Cépage: 100% Folle Blanche; Distilled in 1981 on a gas-fueled copper alambic Armagnacais column still; Aged in 420-liter French oak casks; Bottled at a cask strength of 48% ABV"

ABOUT THE PRODUCER: "(With a history that dates back to 1807) the Boingnères estate vineyards cover 22 hectares, 13 of which are planted in folle blanche, 4.5 in colombard and 4.5 in ugni blanc, all on sables fauves (iron-rich sand). The winery has two Vaslin horizontal presses from which the arrives.  It is then pumped into the fermentation tanks where yeast is added and the juice is converted to wine.  The addition of sulfur is prohibited in armagnac (as it would give the distillate a bad taste): instead, the wine is aged sur lie (which gives more complexity), and then distilled early before any sort of oxidation can take place.

Distilling takes place during the month of November in a continuous Sier still purchased in 1975. This beautiful still, with 9 plates and spider leg exiting pipes, captures all the fine aromas of the wine. The alcohol comes out at 52%, after which it is entered into new oak barrels.  About twenty 420-liter barrels are produced a year.

The armagnacs of Domaine Boingnères are important because of their strict adherence to the region’s tradition, that is distillation at a low degree, aging using new oak, locally-made barrels from neighboring cooper Gilles Bartholomo, and releasing vintages at cask strength—many of them still are at 48 or 49% ABV even after 30 years in cask.  It has been said that it is a religion not to add water to the vintage casks! Finally, it is the intensity of their armagnacs, whose flavors weave from crystalized plum, to toffee, orange peel, and an intriguing mocha note before roaring to the finish with a finish that lasts for minutes. As many a professional taster has said, these are not just great armagnacs, these are some of the finest spirits in the world!"