Domaine Séailles 20 Year Old Tenareze Armagnac

A fun and light sipper – buy!

DISTILLERY	Domaine Séailles
Classification	Armagnac Tenareze
REGION	Mouchan, France
AGE	20 Years
STRENGTH	44% ABV (88 Proof)
MASHBILL	100% Ugni Blanc
MSRP	$69.99

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GLANCE

Clear with a rich toffee/caramel chocolate hue

NOSE

Clean with pronounced intensity. I got lots of dates, prunes and rum soaked raisins. Soft baking spices of nutmeg and clove. Vanillas follow in short pursuit. Tart strawberry dipped in simple syrup. Raspberry and cooked peaches.

PALATE

Medium sweetness and watery to mouth-feeling texture. Medium viscosity and overall medium flavor intensity. There is heft in the middle of the palate flavor wise but elsewhere it has a lighter flavor intensity. Raisins, crushed dates, figs, cashews (roasted), nutmeg and cinnamon with vanillas, caramel and butterscotch. The grape influence doesn’t shy away and there is some minerality present throughout.

FINISH

Medium to long with some complexity. Toffee, caramel, vanillas, candied raisins, some baking spices.

CLOSING REMARKS

From MFW Wine Co.

“Domaine Séailles has been a family-owned estate since 1961 and lies in the commune of Mouchan, located in the heart of Gascony.”

“The property was originally purchased as a country home by Toulouse-based lawyer Jean Labérenne, who had the vision to embrace a completely organic approach to growing and production. Jean originally hired local enologist Julien Franclet to manage the domaine, and many years later, Julien is now a full partner in the property, as well as the vineyard manager and winemaker for over 20 years.”

Background from K & L

“A small domain located in Tenareze, Domaine Séailles has been a pioneer in the region for organic viticulture and has been certified as such since 2002. Their estate consists of just 25 hectares, mostly dedicated to the production of wine. On the Armagnanc side of things, just 2.5 hectares are dedicated to a small yearly production of Ugni Blanc specifically for distillation. Grown on the clay limestone soils characteristic of Tenareze, the wine from these vineyards is distilled every January on an old, wood-fired continuous still.

The spirit is aged in 300-400L French oak barrels typically ranging between 44% and 48% ABV. The 20 year old expression is blended for roundness on the palate while retaining the bright fruit and punchiness of the limestone soils. While the majority of the brandy in this blend is right around 20 years old and was distilled from organically farmed grapes after 1998, there are older brandies going back to 1990 blended into it for richness and added depth of color.”

The blending definitely has worked well. The flavors are well balanced and nothing overshadows the other. The mouthfeel is smooth overall compared to other non-blended armagnacs and is an easy sipper. The minerality presence is indicative of the Ugni Blanc grown on the clay limestone soils. I recommend this Armagnac. A 20 year spirit for less than $100 and a very well balanced flavor profile. Cheers!

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