Domaine Tariquet Bas-Armagnac (Folle Blanche) 8 years 51% 700ml

Château du Tariquet was built in 1683 in the Bas-Armagnac region of south-western France, and Armagnac has been distilled on the estate continuously since. The Grassa family — Pierre Grassa was born in France to Spanish parents from the Sierra de Guara — acquired the property in 1912 through marriage with the Artaud family, who had owned it previously. The estate sits in the Bas-Armagnac sub-appellation, recognised as the source of the most cellar-worthy Armagnac eaux-de-vie, with vineyards bordering the town of Eauze.

The Grassa family's distinguishing decision was to reintroduce the Folle Blanche grape at scale in the 1980s. Folle Blanche was historically the dominant Armagnac variety until phylloxera devastated it in the late nineteenth century; producers replanted predominantly with Ugni Blanc, which is hardier but less aromatic. Tariquet's 25-hectare Folle Blanche planting is now the largest in Armagnac. The house's headline range — Pure Folle Blanche at multiple ages (8, 12, 15 years and beyond) — works the variety in single-grape expression, distinct from the conventional Armagnac multi-grape blend.