Castarede VS (Dominant Folle Blanche) 2-3yrs 42.5% 500ml

Castarède was founded in 1832 by Jules Nismes and his wife Elisabeth Delclou as Jules Nismes Delclou & Cie. The Castarède family was already a distinguished name — ennobled by Louis XVIII in 1818 — and provided the trading house with its current name and coat of arms. Baron Haussmann (later famous for his redesign of Paris but at the time sub-prefect of Nérac, 1832–1839) encouraged the family to enter the Armagnac trade. The first commercial cellars were established at Pont-de-Bordes in Lavardac, by the Baïse — a tributary of the Garonne — and remain in use today.

In 1979 the family acquired the historic Château de Maniban in Mauléon-d'Armagnac, deep in the Bas-Armagnac sub-appellation. The Castarède eaux-de-vie are matured slowly in wooden casks and demijohns across the two cellars — Pont-de-Bordes for shorter ageing and finishing, Maniban for the long-aged stocks. The current commercial range spans vintages from 1893 (the longest-aged Castarède available) to recent years, plus age-tier blends. Florence Castarède, the sixth generation, leads the house today.