Terroir
We then began our search for a vineyard in earnest — a property
that had just the right combination of soil and climate to produce
the very best Armagnac. As our knowledge increased, the focus of
our search sharpened. Somewhat wistfully we surrendered our dreams
of an eye-stopping chateau and studied the soils and microclimate.
Our search slowly narrowed to a small area of land that is historically
known as the “Grand Bas Armagnac” for the high quality
of its Armagnacs. We celebrated the millennium by purchasing
Domaine Loujan
Given our goal, it is not surprising that we chose a property
close to the legendary St. Aubin. Formerly owned by Anatole Saint-Jean,
a wealthy racehorse breeder, St. Aubin was once home to the greatest
cache of unblended, non-reduced Grand Bas Armagnacs in the world.
Shortly before his death, Saint-Jean, concerned that his children
did not share his passion for Armagnac, arranged for all of his
barrels of great Bas Armagnac, distilled between 1958 and 1982,
to be transferred to Francis Darroze. Spectacular fruit, finesse
and a full-blown style make it a favorite in the world’s
greatest restaurants. Unfortunately, when the Darroze barrels
from St. Aubin are gone, that’s the end — following
the owner’s death his children uprooted the vines and planted
corn in their place.
From the earth to the sky, everything is perfect at Domaine Loujan
for the production of high quality Armagnac. The temperate, oceanic
climate provides mild, but vigorous, winters, rainy springs, hot,
dry summers and sunny falls that are perfect for the ripening grapes.
The retreating ocean left a marine alluvial sand, called “tawny
sand,” that is acidic, rich, light and easy to work. A perfect
climate and soil for producing fine brandy.
The rolling countryside of Gascony has been referred to as the “French
Tuscany” and reflects the diverse nature of its agricultural
heritage. Vineyards and grain fields share the landside with forests
of oak and ducks and geese outnumber people. On a clear day the
Pyrenees mountains are visible to the south, while ancient fortified
bastide towns dot the hilltops unchanged by the passage of time.
Domaine Loujan is on the edge of the village of Mormes and benefits
from the nearby Landes forests which moderate the weather moving
east from the Atlantic coast creating a unique microclimate that
has for centuries been recognized as the perfect environment to
produce the very best Armagnac.
Loujan Today
While the soil and climate at Domaine Loujan are perfect, for
nearly two decades before we purchased the Domaine the grapes had
been sold to a local cooperative and the outbuildings had fallen
into disrepair. To take advantage of the superior terroir, it was
critical to assure that the vines were properly nurtured, the vinification
done to the highest standards, just the right alambic chosen to
distill the wine, an experienced distiller enlisted in the effort
and the best oak barrels selected in which to age the Armagnac
under optimal conditions.
Fortunately, we have been able to enlist an extraordinary group
of dedicated and talented neighbors in our efforts and our success
at Domaine Loujan is largely due to their passionate craftsmanship.
The Vines
Serge Valdennaire, a neighbor who also raises his own grapes for
a local cooperative, cares for the vines. Each year, a specific
plan is prepared to assure the best possible care for the vines.
In addition to improving the quality of the care for the vines,
we have increased the portion of the vines producing Bacco and
we have added a modest quantity of Folle Blanche through new plantings
and by grafting a portion of the existing Ugni Blanc vines.
 At the time we decided to increase the portion of the vineyard
dedicated to Bacco there was a French decree banning Bacco as of
2010 due to the fact that it was a non-native hybrid mix, one part
of which was the American grape Noah that had initially been introduced
for its resistance to phylloxera. Loving the rich qualities
Bacco brings to the finished bottle, at the same time many of our
neighbors were tearing out their Bacco vines we were planting new
ones, reasoning that at worst we would have a few final years of
production from the spectacular, but increasingly rare, Bacco
and at best the French government would relent. To our great
relief, a few years later the French government, recognizing the
quality of Armagnac produced from Bacco grapes, relented and rescinded
the decree. Thus, Bacco continues to be used to produce some
of the very finest Armagnacs, albeit in smaller quantities.
As soon as possible we began reducing the reliance on the use
of chemicals in the vineyard. By 2006 we were comfortable
that we could eliminate the use of all chemicals except for the
classic Bordeaux mixture which is permitted under the organic standards. More
recently we have applied to be certified as an organic producer
and are currently in the three year waiting period for official
certification.
The Vinification
Making Armagnac is labor intensive, but it is a labor of love.
Our first task after purchasing Domaine Loujan was to update the
vinification facilities. While the vinification has remained
traditional, the modernized facilities make possible a level of
hygiene previously unattainable. The wine now ferments in newly
lined concrete tanks with stainless steel doors and other modern
features. Early on, we made the decision that we would ferment
using only the yeasts naturally found in the Domaine’s grapes.
It brings a degree of uncertainty into the fermentation process,
but it rewards us with a very unique and flavorful product.
The Alambic
All Armagnac from Domaine Loujan is produced in the traditional
fashion — which means using an alambic armagnacais, an ancient
copper apparatus that displays its own energy efficient genius
by distilling the wine within a single continuous process, unlike
the double distillation stills used to produce essentially every
other brandy.
Before the very first drop of Armagnac was produced at Domaine
Loujan, we undertook a methodical search of literally dozens of
these wonderful and ancient contraptions. The goal was to choose
just the right alambic to bring out the very best in the fruit
from the Domaine. It is in the alambic, after all, that Armagnac
is born. While old and slow, the alambic we chose produces a wonderfully
pure eau de vie.
Following tradition, this same ungainly apparatus, lumbering awkwardly
behind its support truck, arrives at Domaine Loujan each fall to
begin its work. Philippe Gironi and his experienced distillateurs,
particularly Jerome Lacave, watch over the distillation process
24 hours a day from start to finish, as the alambic performs its
magic slowly producing at most 4 barrels of eau de vie per day.
In order to maximize the natural flavors and avoid any need to
dilute the Armagnac by the addition of water we distill to a very
low degree, approximately 53-54 percent alcohol. By distilling
to a low degree, more of the grapes’ natural flavors and
aromas — and soul — are preserved. To capture even
more of the flavors and aromas we distill early, while the lees
are still suspended in the wine. It is around the fire of the alambic
each fall that friends and neighbors gather at Domaine Loujan for
the traditional celebration of the year’s harvest.
The Barrels
The wonderfully aromatic and spirited eau de vie produced in this
centuries old process flows directly from the alambic into new
French oak barrels hand crafted only a few kilometers from Domaine
Loujan by Gilles Bartholomo, the grandson of a noted Armagnac producer.
These wonderful barrels are works of art, and people have been
known to stand in awe staring at a new group of barrels, sniffing
and rubbing them as one might a fine piece of aromatic furniture.
Each of these wonderful vessels is made by hand without any nails
or glue, from oak that has been patiently aged for years. Each
of the casks is then lightly charred by fire to bring out just
the right flavors before being rolled into its appointed place
in the chai at Domaine Loujan to wait until filled with eau de
vie.
Aging
From the moment the eau de vie arrives in its new home, the Armagnac’s
crafting truly begins. It is here that Marc Darroze most makes
his presence felt as he teaches us the wisdom that his father has
passed on to him from birth. Marc joins us in watching over the
evolution of the young brandy from the time it first arrives in
its new oak cask in a process that does not end until it leaves
its oaken home and take its place on the shelves of fine restaurants
and homes around the world. This is not a task for the impatient — quality
Armagnac must age for a minimum of 10 -15 years.
All eau de vie at Domain Loujan begins its journey in new oak.
The eau de vie attacks the new wood and it in turn yields its color
and tannins. As it ages, each barrel is individually monitored,
tasted and aerated on a regular basis. No two casks are treated
the same. Aging is an art and time is the main tool.
When the new oak has made just the right contribution, the adolescent
brandy is moved to older oak barrels to continue its maturation.
During this time, the wood breathes, the spirits evaporate, the
alcohol diminishes and the color deepens. Slowly the tannins lose
their aggressiveness. Fruit aromas like prune, quince and apricot
take on spicier notes. With time, just the right balance is achieved
between tannin, alcohol and aromas. All of this occurs naturally
at Domaine Loujan. There are never any additives of any kind and
no dilution is ever made.
Chai
Because we will always bottle the Armagnac at Domaine Loujan at
cask strength we rely on Mother Nature to reduce the alcohol to
the appropriate level. That requires a humid environment. Unfortunately,
the historic chai at Domaine Loujan was too dry to meet our needs
so we constructed a new aging chai using traditional Gascon carpentry. The
new aging chai is magnificent and with its earthen floor provides
just the right amount of humidity to allow the eau de vie to age
gracefully while slowly losing alcohol to the heavens—referred
to as “the angel’s share.” In fact, the
tile roof of the new chai is already prematurely blackening due
to the minute organisms that thrive on the evaporating alcohol.
Loujan Bas Armagnac
As we waited with varying degrees of patience for the Armagnac
we have produced at Domaine Loujan to age, Marc Darroze joined
us in searching the nearby rustic cellars to find aged Armagnacs
that would be consistent with the quality and style we expect to
achieve at Domaine Loujan. After a lengthy search, involving the
tasting of a very large number of wonderful old Armagnacs (it is
not unpleasant work and someone has to do it), we selected aged
Armagnac stocks from properties close to Domaine Loujan.
These stocks were produced from Bacco and Ugni Blanc grapes — the
two grape varieties historically grown at Domaine Loujan. To provide
a sense of the evolutionary process of aging Armagnacs, we acquired
stocks in different age ranges. And to more closely emulate
the style that we hope to produce from the Bacco and Ugni Blanc
grapes at Domain Loujan, we carefully blended these stocks and
then aged them further in the chai at Domaine Loujan to allow the
spirits to slowly marry before filling the first bottle.
Because these Armagnacs were not produced at Domaine Loujan, they
are labeled “Loujan Bas Armagnac,” with no reference
on the label to Domaine Loujan. However, these wonderful spirits
were produced in the Grand Bas Armagnac pursuant to the highest
possible standards, distilled in an alambic armagnacais and aged
in French oak. Equally importantly, they are totally pure,
with no additives and no dilution.
We hope you will enjoy Loujan Bas Armagnac as much as we do while
we wait for the Armagnacs produced at Domaine Loujan to mature. Our
success with these wonderful products has exceeded even our most
extravagant hopes. The first two bottlings, a 12 year
old and a 22 year old, received silver medals at the prestigious
San Francisco World Spirits Competition in 2004. However,
with patient care and additional aging our next two bottlings were
even more successful. A bottling of 17 year old Loujan Bas
Armagnac received a gold medal at the 2008 San Francisco World
Spirits Competition and our most unique effort, a 1979 Vintage,
received a double gold medal and was named “Best of Show
Brandy” at the 2008 San Francisco World Spirits Competition. |
