Clos Martin VSOP 8 year old Armagnac, Bas Armagnac 40%

Description

Clos Martin VSOP 8 year old Armagnac is a blend of Armagnacs, the youngest component of which has been aged for a minimum of 8 years in oak barrels. By law the minimum age of brandy that can be used in a VSOP Armagnac only has to have a minimum age of 3 years old.

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 VSOP 8 year old Armagnac is bottled as an Appellation Bas Armagnac Controlee and is made from a blend of spirit made from the Baco and Ugni Blanc grape varieties.

Bottled at 40% ABV.