Grape of the Art Danis 1988 Armagnac

What? Grape of the Art Danis 1988, Armagnac, 33 Years, 47.6%, 100% Folle Blanche

Who? Grape of the Art’s torrid pace continues! This time they are back with another Armagnac release - this time a high-pitched Folle Blanche stunner - bottled in direct collaboration with Domaine de Danis in the Ténarèze production zone. Victoire and Vincent Piquemal are the proprietors of Domaine de Danis in Gascony, a winery that specializes in white Côtes de Gascogne wines, with a small portion dedicated to Armagnac production. Victoire has a fondness for the Folle Blanche grape, which means that all available vintages since 1982 have been made with this variety - including this stunning 1988. Older vintages are a blend of Baco and Ugni Blanc. Victoire and Vincent’s parents, Victor and Aline, released their first own bottling in 1986, while Victoire’s grandfather also produced Armagnac, though not under the same Domaine de Danis label.

Where? Armagnac Ténarèze

How? The grape juice is pressed and then fermented without filtration for 8 to 10 days, to reach an alcohol content of 9-10%. Since the winery does not possess its own distillation apparatus, they work with Marc Saint-Martin and his mobile alambic, which he brings to the domaine on a tractor trailer. The Alambic Armagnacais is fired with wood and the Eau-de-Vie produced has an alcohol content of 52-54%. To age the Armagnac, Domaine de Danis has two cellars, a humid and a dry one; with around 120 barrels in total. The high humidity in the wet cellars helps with natural alcohol reduction, without any dilution. The Angels Share is 2-3% each year. The Armagnac is aged for at least a year in new barrels made by Bartholomo in Le Freche; then transferred to used barrels to control the maturation allowing only a small micro-oxygenation. Some of the barrels used are up to 45 years old. Victoire works with two sizes of barrels: Pièce (420 liters) and Tonneau (10,000 liters). All Armagnac produced is bottled at cask strength, without any additives.