CHATEAU DE LA GRANGERIE
The first stop on today's outing was a producer called Chateau de la Grangerie, which was built in the 17th century right next to an old monastery. The church and the housing for its servants was actually built in the 11th and 12th centuries, so it's safe to say that the Armagnac we were tasting today was being aged on hallowed ground.
Like many Tenereze producers, Grangerie distills only ugni blanc for its brandies. However, the sandy and gravel-rich soils are much more like the terrain found in the Bas-Armagnac. They fill about ten barrels a year; two of which are used for Floc de Gascogne and one goes to Pruneau—a prune-flavored brandy made by macerating the Armagnac with the dried fruit also grown on the property. The Armagnacs from Grangerie are incredibly gentle in nature, with extended aging that never seems to overpower the pure flavors of the grape from which they are distilled. This is a tremendous producer with incredible stocks that we're very excited to be working with directly.