DOMAINE DE MAOUHUM
Chateau Maouhum is today being completely run by Christelle Lasseignou, who began to take over for her parents more than a decade ago. Don't let her stylish clothes and her good looks fool you, she's a farmer through and through. She does everything at the chateau herself—from the vineyards to the distillation, to the management of the barrels. We were very excited to taste her stuff.
One of our favorite things about Chateau Maouhum is that the vineyards are just a few steps from the warehouse, so you can get a sense of the property while you taste. Christelle's grapes are all baco and she distills only a few barrels each year. We've tasted through vintages from 1983 to 2004, and even a few younger VS and XO expressions in are visits to Maouhum. They have all been outstanding, bringing an intensely woody flavor from the extended oak aging, plenty of spice, but with a delicacy that one might not expect from a brandy that old.