DOMAINE DE PAPOLLE
Domaine de Papolle was recently purchased by the Piffard family from a British businessman and today is run by the son Frederic. The estate on the property is very Gascogne, with dark wooden interiors, antique country furniture, and paintings with still-life fruit bowls, half glasses of wine, and a spreads of vegetables adorned with dead pheasants. It's quite a romantic domaine with a rustic gothic style. We loved their wonderful brandies, especially the older baco vintages from the late 70s and early 80s, but we also fell for some of the folle blanche expressions. Digging through the warehouse was one of the more exciting parts of this year’s trip. They had vast stocks and a number of delicious expressions. The Papolle Armagnacs are big, rich, powerful brandies. These are not delicate spirits, but they have balance which is what makes them unique.
The estate is set on rolling hills in the Gascogne countryside with rows and rows of beautiful folle blanche vineyards that have taken the place of some of the older baco holdings.