Michael O
Partaker of the Grape

Jay

Ten grape varieties are mentioned in the Armagnac Appellation Contrôlée being permitted for distillation, including, Ugni Blanc, Colombard, Folle Blanche, Baco Blanc, and to a lesser extent, other traditional and local grape varieties, such as, Clairette Gascogne, Plante de Graisse, Jurançon Blanc, Mauzac white and rosé and Meslier Saint François.

BACO 22A is a hybrid that was named after a Landais teacher, François Baco who developed this clone of the vinifera grape Folle Blanche and an American labrusca grape called Noah in 1898, following the devastating phylloxera disease that destroyed the French vineyards towards the end of the 19th Century. The Baco created sturdier wines than either of its parents and was more resistant to vine diseases. The results were so outstanding that it became the only vinifera/labrusca hybrid allowed in the French AOC vineyards.

This robust variety of grape is more ecological and economical, being less susceptible to mildew and other diseases, it has a tough skin and needs very little maintenance or chemical treatment. It does however, prefer to grow on the sandy soils of the Bas-Armagnac area and will not be found in the other Armagnac areas of Armagnac-Ténarèze or Haut Armangac. Bas-Armagnac producers swear by its value in the production of their Armagnacs, particularly those that are destined for lengthy ageing when its distinguishable qualities become apparent. New plantations of young Baco vines are already underway in the region.

It is the originality of this grape variety that contributes to the wonderful diversity that is to be found in armagnac as opposed to other brandies. The typical Baco characteristics give a powerful, rich and complex roundness with aromas of ripe fruit to the eaux de vie. The variety represents nearly 40% of the volume of Armagnac produced.

The original Armagnac grape variety Folle Blanche is also popular here, though, contrary to Baco, it is a very fragile variety to grow as it is prone to disease and therefore needs much tender loving care and attention. It does however give extreme finesse and floral aromas to the spirit.

I hope that I have answered some of your questions and whetted your appetite for more!
Best wishes
Amanda

Thanks for writing again. Your point about the Baco 22A hybrid seems to echo my comments, which makes sense to me.

If you know some people responsible for the promotion of Armagnac, have them contact me. I would love to explore Armagnac in detail.

Your James Beard comment floored me. That is a very flattering statement. Just getting nominated is HUGE. With so much out there, it hard to get noticed. To win back to back awards, well even my inflated ego would find that hard to believe possible.

Jay

Jay

It’s not a question of whether Cognac or Armagnac is better — they’re just different. We at GrapeRadio would be happy to profile the Armagnac producers — so far though, no one has invited us out there…yet.

One thing, however, that does puzzle me about Armagnac is the widespread use of a French-American hybrid (Baco 22A). In 2010 the EU will forbid Armagnac producers from using this variety, but why did they ever use it in the first place?

Mark

Your statement about “a single distillation process (unlike Cognac’s double distillation), which leaves in more of the aromatic compounds that give brandy its complexity and floral odors ” is rather interesting. Would you consider this a statement of fact or opinion?

I have not had many Armagnacs. Any suggestions?

Jay

I will need to check my notes, but I seem to remember one producer toying with the idea of “going back” to Folle Blanche. There are people replanting FB

Folle Blanche is clearly perceived as superior, but Phylloxera and the temperamental nature were too much to overcome.

Jay

Mark

Ugni Blanc is the primary grape used to produce Cognac, though a couple of others are also allowed by the AOC. All of our vineyard shots featured Ugni Blanc vineyards. I’ll post some pix here in the next day or two.

Eric

What grape varieties do they use in Cognac?