Janneau 1987 Vintage Armagnac 43% 70cl

Description

Janneau 1987 Vintage Armagnac is 30 years old this year and will make a fantastic 30th birthday or anniversary present in 2017.

Janneau is one of the top Armagnac houses and lead the field in terms of quality and innovation. It was founded by Pierre Etienne Janneau in 1851. Janneau Armagnac has been through some ownership changes since then – it was bought by Cognac Martell in the 1970s, which was eventually bought out by Seagram, before the Giovinetti family bought it in 1993 with the intention of returning the business to a family-run concern. Today the business is run by Fabio Giovinetti.

Janneau 1987 Vintage Armagnac is produced from grapes harvested, vinified and distilled in 1987. It is produced using the double distillation method using pot stills at the Janneau distillery at Condom, Gers in the south western department of Gascony. Only the heart of the distillation, the best part left after the heads and tails are discarded, are used to produce this brandy which gives it great finesse with concentrated, fruity flavours. After distillation the vintage Armagnac is carefully aged in French Limousine oak barrels until it is ready to be bottled.  In barrel, the Armagnac leaches vanillins and tannins from the toasted oak which lend the spirit colour and flavours – without barrel ageing the spirit is just a colourless liquid. The depth of colour and complexity of flavours increase all the time the spirit is aged in cask and the colour becomes darker with age ranging from pale straw to rich amber. As well as becoming darker in colour as Armagnac ages it also becomes softer,  smoother and more elegant on the palate whilst aromas and flavours of prunes, violets, fig, honey, butterscotch and rancio develop.

Janneau 1987 Vintage Armagnac is bottled at 43% abv and is presented in an individual wooden box.