Clos Martin 15 year old XO Armagnac, Bas Armagnac 40%

Description

Clos Martin 15 year old XO Armagnac far exceeds the ageing regulations for an XO Armagnac, the XO blend being bottled at between 15 and 20 years old. By law, the youngest component of the blend in an XO Armagnac has only to be 6 years old. This is bottled as an Appellation Bas Armagnac Controlee and is made from a blend of spirits produced from the (increasingly rare) Baco and Ugni Blanc grape varieties.

Clos Martin Armagnac is meticulously crafted by M&T, a well-known producer located near Nogaro in the heart of Bas-Armagnac, one of the most esteemed subregions of the Armagnac appellation. M&T owns and manages a network of domains that produce Armagnac across the Landes and Gers departments of southwestern France. The production process is expertly supervised by cellar master José Barbe, ensuring consistency and excellence in every bottle.

Armagnac is a traditional French brandy from the South-West made by distilling white wine and ageing it in oak barrels. It is protected by its Appellation d’Origine Contrôlée (AOC) status, which guarantees its origin and adherence to traditional methods. To qualify as Armagnac, the spirit must be bottled at a minimum of 40% ABV and come exclusively from designated regions. Distillation occurs only during the winter months, starting in November and concluding by March 31 of the year following the grape harvest.

The traditional stills employed by Clos Martin’s domains are exceptionally small and designed to allow a lot of the heavy, congener and fusel-rich vapours to pass over with the heart of the distillate. Therefore Clos Martin’s Armagnacs always have a rich, earthy character and are fine, flavoursome and well-balanced. Clos Martin Armagnac undergoes an extensive ageing process in oak barrels, where the spirit slowly evolves over time. Around the 10-year mark, the Armagnac reaches a point where its true quality begins to shine. By this stage, the continuous still distillation reveals its unique virtues, offering a spirit that is perfectly balanced, complex, and rounded.

Clos Martin’s Armagnacs are all bottled as Bas Armagnac. Bas Armagnac is one of the three main subregions within the Armagnac appellation in southwestern France, alongside Ténarèze and Haut-Armagnac. It lies to the west and northwest of the Armagnac region, covering parts of the Gers and Landes departments and is Renowned for producing some of the finest and most highly regarded Armagnacs. The region’s sandy, siliceous, and silt-rich soils, known locally as “boulbènes” and “sables fauves” (tawny sands), are particularly well-suited to grape cultivation. This unique terroir imparts lightness, finesse, and complexity to the resulting eaux-de-vie.

Clos Martin 15 year old XO Armagnac is superb value for money for a 15 year old brandy, a great example of a rich and spicy, yet smooth and mellow, Armagnac.