Tuesday, 12 August 2008

Baron de Sigognac 10 yo

I had a half measure of this armagnac at Mango Room. It was a little strange having brandy as a digestif to close an Afro-Caribbean meal, but it went very well with my dessert of Caribbean fruit cake. Not too sweet, slightly citrusy and refreshing. I really lucked out here.

Part of the pleasure of drinking brandy is that I've usually done no research beforehand When I drink whisky I usually know a little about the distillery style, the bottler and what to expect. With brandy it's a voyage of discovery - I just note down the name of the brandy and the colour, write the tasting note and fill in the details later using the internet. Quite often I discover new and interesting things - like the fact that this particular armagnac is sometimes a blend, and sometimes a single producer armagnac labelled as a blend. In all probability though, this one is blended.

Baron de Sigognac 10 yo
Blended armagnac - Bas Armagnac

40% ABV
Dark gold


Nose: Brown paper, vanilla, orange peel, orange blossom.
Mouthfeel: Medium body, watery around the edges.
Tasting: Sour. Lemon, grapefruit, vanilla, prunes, butter, cream.
Finish: Long. Vanilla, cream, walnut skins.

Baron de Sigognac is a blended brand sold by ADEX, a firm that also owns the producer Chateau de Bordeneuve. Some of the vintages under these brands are entirely from the Chateau de Bordeneuve vineyard. However, I believe (but can't confirm) that the 10 yo is a blend from more than one vineyard. Tasty nonetheless, although I think it suffers from being diluted to 40%.

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