Baron De Sigognac Carafe 25 Ans (700 ml)

At Château de Bordeneuve near Eauze, father-and-son Jean-Claude and Thomas Guasch operate one of Armagnac's last fully vertically integrated estates — vineyard, 1921 copper alembic, ageing cellars, and bottling line under a single roof, a configuration that has become genuinely rare in the appellation. The estate sits on sables fauves, the tawny sandy soils exclusive to Bas-Armagnac, which drain rapidly and stress the vine into producing low-yield, aromatic fruit rather than bulk. That soil signature translates directly into the distillate: lighter mineral structure, earlier aromatic development, and a fruit persistence that distinguishes Bas-Armagnac from the heavier, clay-dominant Ténarèze sub-appellation. The 25 Ans Carafe is built on a 50/50 blend of Ugni Blanc and Baco — the latter a hybrid variety now largely restricted to Armagnac, deliberately retained by the Guasch family for the richness and dark-fruit depth it contributes. Distillation runs through the traditional alembic armagnacais (continuous column still) to approximately 56% ABV, a single-pass method that preserves far more congeners than Cognac's double distillation. After a quarter-century in French oak (Limousin and Vosges forest), the spirit develops the prized rancio character — oxidative, walnut-skin depth — while Baco's fruit core remains intact. The Carafe format signals a deliberate presentation choice: a blended, age-statement expression rather than a single vintage, allowing the cellar master to maintain stylistic consistency across releases. Drink now through the next decade.