FiGee Brandy Selection

The Castarède 1960 is the flagship vintage of the maison's current release programme: and rested in French oak for six full decades. 40% volume, Limited release.

ÉLEVAGE: distilled from the four classic Bas-Armagnac varietals, Baco, Ugni Blanc, Folle Blanche, Colombard, through a continuous Armagnac alembic, then placed into new Gascon oak for the first phase of extraction. Transferred over the decades into older wood for slow integration; the final years are spent in glass demijohns to halt the cellar evolution at peak. The result is the classic vintage Armagnac signature: rancio, depth, integrated power.

SERVING: a tulip glass at room temperature, neat. The bottle is a meditation pour, intended for the rare evening rather than the regular shelf. At the table it pairs with bittersweet dark chocolate, candied chestnut, blue cheese with quince paste, or a long-aged Dominican corojo cigar where the wrapper's tobacco depth meets the spirit's rancio. A single drop of cool water can lift the candied-fruit dimension, but this Armagnac was suited to stillness and time, not adjustment.

The Castarède 1980 is the maison's most approachable mature vintage, finesse over power, in the words of the house. Four decades of French oak rest, the classic Bas-Armagnac four-grape blend, 40% volume.

ÉLEVAGE: Baco, Ugni Blanc, Folle Blanche and Colombard, distilled together and staged through the Castarède cellar from new oak to older wood. The 1980 vintage was light from the start, a high-yield year with a softer style, and the maison has chosen to preserve that delicacy through a careful élevage rather than push for additional weight. The result is an Armagnac that opens immediately, without the tannic gate of more concentrated vintages.

SERVING: a tulip glass, room temperature. The accessibility makes this an excellent introduction to vintage Armagnac for a new collector or a serving bottle for a dinner table where guests bring varied palates. Pairs with apple tarte Tatin, salted caramel, blue cheese, or a Connecticut-shade cigar where the gentle wrapper meets the soft spirit profile without force.

The Castarède 1981 is the round and supple vintage in the maison's current release range, almost four decades in French oak, the classic Bas-Armagnac four-grape blend, 40% volume.

ÉLEVAGE: Baco, Ugni Blanc, Folle Blanche and Colombard distilled together and staged through the Castarède cellar, new oak first, older wood for the long settle. The 1981 vintage delivers harmonious progression: the tannins fully melted into the spirit's frame after thirty-nine years, the fruit still alive. A reference for buyers who want the depth of a long-aged Armagnac without the more brooding rancio of the older vintages.

SERVING: a tulip glass at room temperature, neat. The harmony of this vintage suits an after-dinner pour with cheese, aged Manchego, Roquefort with walnut bread, or a slice of pear tart. With a cigar, reach for a mid-bodied Dominican where the wrapper's earth complements rather than overwhelms the spirit.