Dining in the Five Departments of Old Aquitaine: the Dordogne, Gironde, Landes, Lot-et-Garonne, and the Pyrénées-Atlantiques.

from
Behind the French Menu
by
Bryan G. Newman
behindthefrenchmenu@gmail.com 

Old Aquitaine and its five departments
After the French Revolution.

From the French Revolution until 1-1-2016 Aquitaine included five modern French departments, the Dordogne, Gironde, Landes, Lot-et-Garonne, and the Pyrénées-Atlantiques.

 (N.B. This post is limited to the five departments of old Aquitaine, Nouvelle Aquitaine includes seven more departments:  Charente, Charente-Maritime, Corrèze, Creuse, Deux-Sèvres, Haute-Vienne, and Vienne).

Aquitaine 

The Duchy of Aquitaine covered the Roman provinces of Aquitania Prima and Secunda named when the Romans colonized a large part of France beginning in 58 BCE. Then, Julius Caesar invaded Gaul and France was ruled by Rome for almost five hundred years. Romans merged with the local population, and Rome’s rule ended in 476 CE when the Western Roman Empire collapsed.

Much later, in the Middle Ages, an enlarged Aquitaine became part of the Kingdom of England when Eleanor of Aquitaine married Prince Henry, later King Henry II of England. 

King Henry II of England was the son of Count Geoffrey of Anjou (the first Plantagenet) and Matilda (Maud) of Britain, a granddaughter of William the Conqueror. Eleanor and Henry ruled nearly 50% of France, and their claims began the Hundred Years War between England and France. Finally, in 1453, Aquitaine became part of the Kingdom of France again.

The French changed the name of Aquitaine to Guyenne when they kicked the English out of France at the end of the hundred-years war. Then, during the French revolution in 1790, the area officially became Aquitaine once again. Despite the official name change, when you travel in the area, the name Guyenne will still be seen as part of many local names. 

Nouvelle Aquitaine 

Nouvelle Aquitaine was created on 1-1-21 as part of a plan to reduce bureaucracy. On that date France reduced its 21 mainland regions to 13 and the old regions of Aquitaine, Poitou Charente, and Limousin were joined together to become Nouvelle Aquitaine. 

Nouvelle Aquitaine includes the departments of the Charente, Charente-Maritime, Corrèz, Creuse, Deux Sèvres,  Dordogne, Gironde, Haute-Vienne, Landes, Lot-et-Garonne, and the Pyrénées-Atlantiques.  

The department of Dordogne

The department of Dordogne (often called by its old name Périgord) is the third-largest department in France. Traveling in the Dordogne is an amazing journey as it includes hundreds of castles, the tourism information bureau claims one thousand, and some of the most beautiful villages in France. To the castles, add beautiful countryside, waterways and more.

The Dordogne is especially well known for its cuisine.  From here come the rare and expensive Perigord black truffles, its Noix du Périgord AOP, walnuts, its Sauce Périgueux, its Salade Périgourdine, its Duck Foie Gras, its Magret de Canard,duck’s breast, and its Cassoulet Périgourdine.  For wines, here is the home of the Bergerac AOP wines that include dry reds, roses, dry white wines, semi-dry and very sweet white wines, and the famous Monbazillac AOP sweet white wines.

The capital of the Dordogne is Périgueux, and the center of its famous cuisine. The second largest town in the Dordogne is Bergerac, made famous by Cyrano de Bergerac, the real one, and statues of his parody are found in the town..

Dishes from the Dordogne that may be on your menu:

Steak d’Espadon Poêlé Sauce Échalotes au Vin de Bergerac – Swordfish steak lightly fried in a shallot sauce flavored with Bergerac wine. The Bergerac appellations include 13 different AOP wines, including reds, rosé, and dry, medium-sweet, and sweet white wines.

A swordfish.
Photograph courtesy of Biodiversity Heritage Library
https://www.flickr.com/photos/biodivlibrary/7064433129/

Truffe Noire du Périgord en Feuilleté et sa Sauce Périgueux  - The black truffles of Périgord prepared between thin layers of pastry; this is a pastry similar to that used for croissants and here it is served with a sauce Périgueux. Sauce Périgueux is made with the Truffe Périgourdine, the Black Périgord Truffles, and Madeira Wine.

Black truffles.
Photograph courtesy of Chris Pople.
https://www.flickr.com/photos/60173925@N06/32162819631/

Terrine de Fraises en Gelée Sauce Monbazillac – A dish of strawberries prepared with a jelly made with the area's famous Monbazillac wine; served in the terrine in which it is prepared. The Monbazillac AOC covers the renowned sweet white wine produced close to the village of Monbazillac on the left bank of the Dordogne River just across from the town of Bergerac.

A summer fruit terrine.
Photograph courtesy of Yvonne Lin.
https://www.flickr.com/photos/yvonnelin1/7065640351/ 

The department of Gironde

The department of Gironde is the largest department of mainland France; it is world-famous for the wines of Bordeaux and its cuisine, with many hundreds of dishes named after the city. The Bordeaux wines include Margaux, Saint-Emilion, Pauillac, Pomerol and Sauternes, St.-Julien and many, many others. From the Gironde come the Arcachon Bay oysters, outstanding freshwater and saltwater fish and shellfish, farm-raised caviar, and the Boeuf de Bazas. The Pauillac Agneau de Lait, milk-fed Baby Lamb, the cèpes of Bordeaux, the French Porcini mushrooms and the IGP Asperge du Blayais, asparagus come from here as do the original pralines.

Apart from the Gironde Estuary, there is almost 250 km (155 miles) of Atlantic coastline with superb beaches, including surfing hotspots. To the Atlantic, beaches add the freshwater lake and river water sports, beautiful villages, and the historic center of Bordeaux, which is a UN World Heritage site.

Bordeaux wines ready for tasting.
Photograph courtesy of dpotera
https://www.flickr.com/photos/e_calamar/5526212459/

Dishes from the Gironde that may be on your menu:

Croustade de Faisan aux Cèpes de Bordeaux -  In most of France a croustade is much like an Italian bruschetta with mushrooms or liver on toast. However, we are in the South-West of France, and a croustade is something else entirely. Here the croustade will be a pheasant roasted in a pie or similar base and served with the Cèpe de Bordeaux, a specific variety of Porcini mushrooms that grow wild in the forests and woods around Bordeaux.

Pheasant.
Photograph courtesy of Alistair Young  
https://www.flickr.com/photos/ajy/66551248/

Escalope de Poulet Poêlée aux Morilles au Vin Blanc de Bordeaux – Breast of chicken lightly fried with morel mushrooms and a white Bordeaux wine.

L’Entrecôte et Son Os à Moelle à la Bordelaise – An entrecote, a rib-eye steak prepared with bone marrow and Sauce Bordelaise, that fabulous Bordeaux wine sauce. For an entrecote, if it is well prepared, this is as good as it gets. Sauce Bordelaise is made with a veal stock, a Bordeaux red wine, butter, shallots, and herbs. The sauce on this menu listing is made with the addition of moelle, bone marrow.

Entrecôte À La Bordelaise.
Photograph courtesy of Radio DKL.

The department of Landes

The department of Landes is famous for its excellent Asperge des Sables, white asparagus, its unique Label Rouge, red label, Volailles des Landes which include, chickens, capons, turkeys, as well as quail, Guinea fowl along with its famous ducks and duck foie gras. Beef on local menus will come from locally farmed Bœuf de Chalosse, and the Bœuf Blond d'Aquitaine, IGP, Label Rouge.   While from the spa town of Dax comes Dacquoise or the Biscuit Dacquoise cake that will be on menus all over France. 

Landes is also Armagnac country and shares with the department of Gers the Bas Armagnac, considered the best of the Armagnac appellations. Their AOP Tursan wine is available in red, rosé, and white. While for the traveler, the pine forests planted over 100 years ago offer many beautiful walks and rest areas. The Landes Réserve Naturelle Nationale du Marais d'Or, National, theNature reserve of Marais d'Orx is an important stopover for migratory birds with tours and nature centric activities.

A camping site in a pine forest in Landes.
Photograph courtesy of Flower camping

Dishes from Landes that may be on your menu:

Duo d' Asperges Blanches et Vertes des Landes à la Vinaigrette de Framboise – A matched serving of white and green asparagus from Landes served with a raspberry vinaigrette sauce.

Green asparagus
Photograph courtesy of Isabelle Hurbain-Palatin
https://www.flickr.com/photos/ipalatin/2920876013/

Pastis Landais – No, not the alcoholic drink flavored with anise. The pastis Landais on your menu is a dessert pastry; a traditional brioche flavored with orange, vanilla, rum, or anise. (Pastís is a Gascon and Occitan word which can mean cake or mixture, and as a mixture, the word is linked to the pastis, anise-flavored, alcoholic beverage).

Poulet Landes Rôti aux Cèpes – The much appreciated Poulet Landaise IGP, the Landes chicken, roasted with cèpes, porcini, mushrooms. These golden feathered free-range chickens come from the region of Landes; they are mostly corn fed and let free in the forests for most of their lives. The farmers have a unique chicken house called a Marensine that they move to keep up with their chickens to insure that have plenty of fresh lands to find their own bugs, worms, and more. As they move these mobile chicken houses keep them safe at night

A Cèpe mushroom
Photograph courtesy of jacme31
https://www.flickr.com/photos/jacme31/286202250/

Ravioles au Foie Gras de Canard des Landes – Ravioli filled with Landes' fattened duck's liver.

The department of Lot-et-Garonne

The department of Lot-et-Garonne is famous for its fruit, especially its prunes and strawberries. The prunes of Agen are the gold standard in prunes around the world, and there is a unique Route du Pruneau, a prune road, an innovation seen nowhere else. The Label Rouge, red label, strawberries of Lot-et-Garonne supply close to 20% of France's strawberries. The town of Marmande gave its name to the AOP Marmande tomato; this is the only tomato awarded an AOC/AOP.    

During the various strawberry seasons in Lot-et-Garonne, you will be offered many different fruits. One special strawberry is the Mara des Bois strawberry; the Mara des Bois strawberry is a cultivated strawberry that tastes reasonably close to a natural wild strawberry. Lot-et-Garonne is also the kiwi-fruit center of France, and in season, they will also be on the menu.

Local menus also offer much freshwater fish from the 300 km (190 miles) of navigable waterways with many freshwater fish farms, so consider one of the excellent local freshwater fish-soups. If you want meat, choose your steaks from the local breeds, including the Bœuf Blond d'Aquitaine, the Bœuf de Bazas, and the Bœuf de Chalosse.

Nearly half of the Armagnac produced in France comes from Lot-et-Garonne and so your choice from among local producers will not be limited. Most Armagnacs sold are vintage brandies, which indicates they come from a particular year and are not blended with eau-de-vies from other years. Unlike blended Armagnacs and Cognacs, which have two distillations, the long aging is the source of the particular Armagnac taste. Vintage Armagnacs are often aged in a barrel for 15 years or more, with a minimum of ten, and consequently are more expensive than blended Armagnacs. The year of the vintage defines Armagnac; the cognoscenti know which years are the best. After 10,15, 20 years in a barrel (at the most 40 years), the brandy is transferred to glass containers called demijohns until bottled. Armagnacs, like whiskeys, would deteriorate if they were in a barrel for more than forty years, and most will be in a barrel for less than twenty years.

 Armagnac.
Photograph courtesy of Pierre L.
https://www.flickr.com/photos/titounet/49087174902/

The menus include products and cuisine from the old Province of Quercy, which was divided between the departments of Lot and Lot-en-Garonne during the French revolution. For your digestif, you will drink Armagnac, but for your aperitif, try the Floc de Gascogne, a fortified wine made with Armagnac and offered in rose (red) and white versions. 

Dishes from Lot-et-Garonne that may be on your menu:

Magret de Canard Grillé aux Fruits Rouge de Lot-et-Garonne – Grilled duck breast served with a sauce made from the berries, including the strawberries from Lot-et-Garonne.

Crêpes Flambées à l’Armagnac – Crêpes flambéed with Armagnac.

Crêpes Flambées
Photograph courtesy of Marcela Escandell
https://www.flickr.com/photos/buscavientos/8298085144/

Grenadins de Porc aux Pruneaux D’Agen – Small cuts of filet of pork prepared with Agen prunes. 

     

The department of the Pyrénées-Atlantiques

The department of Pyrénées-Atlantiques is the heart of France’s Basque country, the Pays Basque. From here comes Jambon de Bayonne, Bayonne Ham IGP, Piment d’Espelette, Espelette peppers AOP,   L'Agneau de Lait des Pyrénées, the milk fed lamb of the Pays Basques IGP, and Ossau-Iraty, their AOP sheep’s cheese, among the many products and produce seen on tables all over France. The department is also famous for its fish and seafood dishes, especially those made with the Northern Bluefin Tuna and Cod. For most visitors, the unique Basque cider is also a special treat.

Jambon de Bayonne 
Photograph courtesy of Carrefour

The French Basque country also has its own variety of tapas called pintxos, and they will be accompanied by wines, cider, and other alcoholic drinks. The most well-known wines of the Pyrénées-Atlantiques include the Béarn AOP with red, rosé and white wines, the Madiran AOP red wine, the Pacherenc du Vic-Bilh AOP white wine and the Irouléguy AOP red, white, and rosé wines, the Jurançon AOP dry white wine, and the famous Jurançon AOP moelleux, sweet white wine. Locally Izarra, a Basque liqueur with two versions (both with an Armagnac base), will be the digestif of choice. 

Basque Cider

In the Basque country, their cider is called sidra or sagarno in the Basque language. Their traditional ciders have very different tastes to the ciders from the North, with the best considered those with the sharpest taste. The original Basque ciders are dry flat ciders, none of them sparkling; however, public demand has created a place for a brut, semi-dry, lightly sparkling version. The Basques claim that the Pays Basque is the home of the original cider apple, with all other cider apples in the world being the descendants of their Basque apple. The Basque Country has a Route Gourmande des Pays Basques, the Basque country gourmand’s road, and the Route du Fromage AOP Ossau-Iraty, the Pays Basque cheese road. Enjoy Basque cider and traditional Basque dishes; sample fine Basque wines and in the evening try the new Basque cuisine.

Basque Cider Barrels in a cider bar, a sagardotegi, in the Pyrénées-Atlantiques
Photograph courtesy of Jonny Hunter
https://www.flickr.com/photos/jonnyhunter/378228158/

The City of Bayonne

The City of Bayonne is the center of Basque culture, but the prefecture, the regional capital, is the city of Pau, just 113.0 km (70 miles) away. The Atlantic seaside town of Biarritz is 8.2 km (5 miles) away from Bayonne, which is an inland port. Biarritz is famous as one of the earliest coastal resorts that saw the arrival of English tourists in the late 1880s, and it remains an important resort and spa. Just over the border from Pau, just 46 km (29 miles) away, in the neighboring department of Hautes-Pyrénées, is the pilgrimage town of Lourdes. j

The resort town of Biarritz.
Photograph courtesy of Marc Kjerland
https://www.flickr.com/photos/marckjerland/7273587452/

Dishes from the Pyrénées-Atlantiques that may be on your menu:

Chorizo au Cidre au Pays Basques – Spicy Chorizo pork sausages cooked in Basque cider. Chorizos are mostly cured, smoked pork sausages, but some use fresh pork and are cooked before being served.

Gigolettes de Caille au Piment d'Espelette – Quail legs prepared with the famous AOP red pepper from the town of Espelette.

Magret de Canard à la Planxa - Duck breast cooked on the planxa. The planxa or plancha is at least two centimeters (6/8”) thick and claimed as their own by the Basques, the French, and the Spanish. This traditional and very even cooking method uses very little oil and results in a taste somewhere between frying and grilling.

Magret de Canard au Poivre Vert, Pommes de Terre Sautées

Duck breast with green peppercorns, and lightly fried potatoes.

Photograph courtesy of Frédérique Voisin-Demery

https://www.flickr.com/photos/vialbost/4429028606/  

Roulées au Jambon de Bayonne au Ardi Gasna et sa Confiture de Figues – Rolls of thin, cured, Bayonne Ham served with one of the regions sheep’s cheeses accompanied by a fig jam.

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Armagnac one of France’s two fabulous AOP grape brandies.

from
Behind the French Menu
by
Bryan G. Newman
behindthefrenchmenu@gmail.com

 

The Armagnac tulip-shaped glass.

Locally, it is preferred to a snifter.

Photograph courtesy of Tourism Landes

   

Armagnac is South of Bordeaux, Cognac is North of Bordeaux.  

Many people expect that Armagnac and Cognac to have similar tastes; however, these brandies have palpable differences. They are indeed both grape brandies, and both come from France; however, more or less, there their similarities end. The grapes used are different, and the taste and aroma are different. To add to the arguments the residents of both areas are very unhappy when someone shows their ignorance and treats the two brandies as the same.

The grapes used in Armagnac come from vineyards to the southeast of Bordeaux; the area covers part of the old province of Gascogne, Gascony. The other famous French grape brandy is Cognac and comes from northeast of Bordeaux. (Calvados is an AOP apple Brandy). 

A Baron de Lustrac collection of vintage Armagnacs.
Vintage Armagnacs must be at least ten years in the barrel before being bottled.
Photograph courtesy of Dominic Lockyer
www.flickr.com/photos/farehamwine/11750514696/  

My understanding of Armagnac and Cognac differences were reinforced when we traveled from Angouleme, 50 km (31 miles) from the town of Cognac to a well-recommended hotel and restaurant to the southeast of Bordeaux in the Armagnac region. 

At the end of an excellent meal, with my coffee, in the land of Armagnac, without thinking I requested a Cognac! My request brought a very sniffy response from an otherwise friendly, knowledgeable, and helpful sommelier, the wine steward. "We only serve Armagnacs," he said and continued, "this area is the home of Armagnac; you will find no Cognac here." 

Now the backers of the superiority of Armagnac to Cognac and vice versa all claim that "their" brandy is far superior. The other brandy is forever doomed to a distant second place. With a withering look, the sommelier let me know how low I had dropped in his daily visitor's rankings. Now for really certified Armagnac supporters, no Cognac may ever be acceptable; however, I have learned that that can also be their loss. However, I took the knowledgeable sommelier's (wine steward’s) advice and ordered a not-too-expensive Armagnac....it was excellent. While the arguments over Armagnac and Cognac never end in France, I follow my taste buds and enjoy them both.

Baron de Sigognac
1974 Vintage Armagnac, Bas Armagnac.
The label may be going on fifty,
but the Armagnac will only be as old as it was when it was bottled.
Probably twenty years.
Photograph courtesy of Dominic Lockyer
www.flickr.com/photos/farehamwine/13241934645/

There are three Armagnac appellations with different soils that are graded for the wines produced there:

 

Bas-Armagnac - Considered by many to be the best.

 

Armagnac-Ténarèze – Just below Bas-Armagnac.

 

Haut-Armagnac - Today, very little Armagnac is produced in this appellation, so it is unlikely to be on many labels.

 

Blanche Armagnac

 

Blanche Armagnac - A colorless Armagnac made with an eau-de-vie from any appellation or blend sold after aging for at least three months in stainless steel containers. The Blanche Armagnac is nearest to a 40% alcohol Marc (Grappa) and is most usually seen in cocktails. The Blanche Armagnac can be made from the grapes of any Armagnac appellation or blend. No appellation will appear on the label.

The Armagnac Appellations
Photograph courtesy of France Today   

Ten different grapes may be used to produce the wines that will become Armagnac. These are not grown for table wines, they are grown only for Armagnac, and today only four of the ten grapes are generally used: Colombard, Folle Blanche, Baco, and Ugni Blanc. 

Each Armagnac house may blend wines from within the same appellation and then decide if they will use only that eau-de-vie from a single year. Then the appellation will be noted on the label, correctly along with the year of bottling. Today, to the label is added the number of years in the barrel. If the producer uses eau-de-vie combinations from different appellations or distills the Armagnac outside the appellation, no appellation may be noted. 

The Armagnac producers come from the departments of Gers and Midi-Pyrénées in the region of Occitanie and the departments of Landes and Lot-et-Garonne in Nouvelle Aquitaine. The town of Eauze in the department of Gers is the economic capital of the Armagnac region. The English language website of their tourist information office is:

https://www.grand-armagnac.com/

Most Armagnacs sold are vintage brandies, which means they come from a particular year and are not blended with eau-de-vies from other years. Unlike blended Armagnacs and Cognacs, which have two distillations, the long aging is the source of the Armagnac taste. Vintage Armagnacs are often aged in a barrel for 15 years or more, with a minimum of ten, and consequently are more expensive than blended Armagnacs. The year of the vintage defines Armagnac; the cognoscenti know which years are the best. After 10,15 or 20 years in a barrel (at the most 40 years), the brandy is transferred to glass containers called demijohns until bottled. Armagnacs, like whiskeys, would deteriorate if they were in a barrel for more than forty years, and most would be in a barrel for less than twenty years. 

A V.S.O.P. Blended Armagnac.
Photograph courtesy of Pierre LANNES
https://www.flickr.com/photos/titounet/14822228277/sizes/l/

A younger Armagnac is paler in color than and not as smooth as an aged Armagnac. If you want a less expensive but, smooth Armagnac choose a blended Armagnac, it will have been double distilled. Select your blended Armagnac from among those where the youngest eau de vie, the brandy used, will be at least four years old, and then the brandy should be smooth. Blended Armagnacs are produced in much smaller quantities than vintage Armagnacs and have prices similar to Cognacs. It is the single-year vintage Armagnacs which are unique and expensive.

 

The ages of blended Armagnacs:

 

Blended Armagnacs show only the official markings that indicate the age of the youngest brandy in the blend.

 

V.S., (Very Special), or ***, three stars – On the label for an Armagnac where the youngest eau-de-vie in the blend was matured in oak barrels for at least one year.

 

 V.O., (Very Old); V.S.O.P. (V.S.O.P.), (Very Superior Old Pale) and Réserve – The youngest eau-de-vie in these Armagnacs will have been matured in oak barrels for at least four years.

 

Vielle Réserve, (Ancient Reserve); Extra; (Extra), and Napoléon – All the eau-de-vies in these Armagnacs will have been aged for at least six years in oak barrels.

 

X.O. (Extra Old). X.O., Hors d'Age - Too Old to Determine. This label may only be used when the youngest eau-de-vie in the blend is ten years old.  

 

XX0, X.X.0. and X0 Premium - This label may only be used when the youngest brandy in the blend is twenty years old. 

 

Napoleon Armagnac.

  

One of the names for a 6-year-old plus blended Armagnac is Napoléon. Now all of the various Napoleons in the history books had long gone before any of the Armagnacs bearing the name were in a barrel. So, unless the Napoleon you are thinking of is one of the family’s descendants, six years old and just a year out of kindergarten, this has no connection to Napoleon.

   

The job of choosing the wines and blending those that will be blended with other appellations or blended with different years and twice distilled blends is carried out by the Maitre de Chai’ (pronounced shay), the cellar master. His or her nose and taste buds, coupled with his or her knowledge over many years, make it a critical and highly paid profession.

 

Unlike wines, aged brandies in glass bottles do not change for better or for worse while in a bottle. Remember to check the label when paying for an old Armagnac; it may be a 45-year-old bottle, but you are just paying for a ten-year-old Armagnac inside?

  

After you have paid a small fortune for that excellent bottle of vintage Armagnac, note that, unlike wine, but like whiskey, the bottle must be stored upright as the liquor attacks the cork.

Armagnac Casks
Photograph courtesy of Armagnac 700   
 
Millésimes- Vintage Armagnacs
The year on the bottle indicates the year of the harvest.
The number of years in the barrel is not necessarily reflected on the label.

The brandies chosen to be vintage Armagnacs are selected by the cellar master and stored to age in above-ground buildings or caves called chais (pronounced shays). The way the barrels are stored, the space between the barrels, and the temperature and humidity will all affect the final taste. Every year nearly 3% of the contents are lost through the wood of the barrel; this 3% is called the angel's share.

Armagnacs, do not come out of the distillation and aging process with the same taste as when you open the bottle. The hand of man gently improves the product. In Armagnac, Cognac, and Calvados, plain water, sugar syrup, and or Boise, a liquid made from boiled oak chips, may be added for more of that "natural" aged oak flavor. That beautiful " warm color" we admire when holding our "snifter" or Armagnac tulip glass, up to the light may come from a touch of caramel that was added. Do not let these artificial additions put you off enjoying your Armagnac, 98% or more is Armagnac; I still enjoy sniffing and admiring the color of my favorite; however, it was made. Creating a great Armagnac is the work of great fruit, great land, weather, and a great man or woman in the cellar.

The Maitre de Chai follows and tests the barrels as they age, and as needed, the barrels may be moved to a different chai with different humidity and temperature. The Armagnac begins to mellow through the long aging period, and its color changes to darker amber. Here the experience, tongue, and nose of the cellar master are of the greatest importance. You will find cellar masters who have been with the same Armagnac house their whole life, and possibly he or she inherited the job.

Armagnac on French menus:

Terrine de Foie Gras à Armagnac Maison, Chutney Oignons Rouges – A pate of fattened duck liver prepared with Armagnac and served with sweetened red onion chutney.

Paupiettes de Veau aux Pruneaux et à l'Armagnac – Thin slices of veal, rolled and stuffed with prunes and flavored with Armagnac.

Rognons de Veau Flambés à l'Armagnac – Veal kidneys Flambed with Armagnac.

Tartelette Noix de Pécan, Crémeux Verjus, Caramel, Glace Armagnac et Raisin Croquants – A small pecan tart prepared with a creamy verjus flavored with caramel and served with Armagnac ice cream and crunchy grapes. 

Buying a bottle of vintage Armagnac.

To buy a bottle of vintage Armagnac, you need an expert with you or at least an up-to-date book on the different years available from the different producers. Armagnacs are, for the most part, made and sold by relatively small producers. If the Armagnac House you are visiting or the wine shops offer a taste of the Armagnacs from an opened bottle, take a taste and pay for it, and then taste another before you decide. Without an expert at your elbow, this is the only way that most of us should buy vintage Armagnacs.

For blended Armagnacs, you do not need an expert; you can travel in the area and taste as many Armagnacs as are on show for a small contribution to the local economy. The best buys are mainly four and six-year-old blends, but, caveat emptor, make sure you taste them before buying.    

Rue Armagnac
Photograph courtesy of Florian
www.flickr.com/photos/mectouzen/4916934480/
 
The bottling of vintage Armagnacs

When a vintage Armagnac has been aged long enough in a barrel, it is transferred to large glass bottles called demijohns; the larger of these bottles can hold 40 liters. When the Armagnac is transferred to a regular bottle the date of the vintage must also be on the label and the cork. The Armagnac may have been aged in the barrel for fifteen years, and the label should also show the date it was bottled. If the date indicates 1970, do not let anyone try and tell you that that was aged for fifty years. The Armagnac could be ten years old or twenty years old, and its taste, unlike wine, will not change once it is bottled. Old Armagnacs from great vintage years are costly.  If 1920 was a great year and the Armagnac was produced after it was aged for twenty years, you can still purchase a bottle of that beautiful brandy in 2021.  The cork is sound it will taste as it did in 1940.

 
Glass demijohn
Photograph courtesy of Jan Helebrant
www.flickr.com/photos/96541566@N06/49879754648/

Vintage Armagnacs show the year of the vintage and the appellation on the label. Other names, such as Millennium or Special, etc., may be added to the label. These are unofficial names; they are creations of the marketing department and signify the personal views of the Armagnac House.

I read about an Armagnac lover who tests an Armagnac by dipping his finger in the brandy and wiping it on his wrist like perfume. Then after allowing twenty to thirty seconds to pass, during which time the alcohol burns off, he slowly sniffs the aroma of the Armagnac without the alcohol. He claimed this test gave him an excellent idea of what the Armagnac will be like.  I have tried that method; unfortunately, I do not have enough tastings to create a memory store on Armagnac aromas.

Floc de Gascogne Blanc.
Photograph courtesy of Dominic Lockyer
www.flickr.com/photos/farehamwine/15752089559/
 
The Armagnac apéritif is called the Floc de Gascogne.

The famous Armagnac apéritifs, which you will be offered in the area and elsewhere, are the Floc de Gascogne Blanc and Rosé.  The white aperitif combines the juice of white grapes that would otherwise have been used for a regular white wine with a matured  Armagnac. The Floc de Gascogne Rosé is called a rosé, though it is red and made from the juice of grapes used in red wines mixed with an Armagnac.

Floc de Gascogne is a refreshing apéritif; it should always be served cool, even better when well-chilled, but never frozen or served with ice. It is pleasant and relatively easy to drink without realizing that it is very alcoholic. This refreshing apéritif has an alcohol content of over 16%! You have been warned: three or four of these easily quaffed aperitifs, and your head may spin with the wonders of Gascogne!  Officially, these wines are called Vins de Liqueur; they intentionally have the process of fermentation stopped before completion. The result is a wine with a high sugar content created by adding Armagnac, which stops the fermentation.

If you buy a bottle or two of Floc de Gascogne to take home, make sure that they are this year’s production. Floc de Gascogne is best when drunk very young, and it deteriorates quickly; in any case it is far too enjoyable to leave on the shelf. The apéritifs Pineaux de Charente from Cognac and the aperitif Pommeau from Calvados, are made using similar formulae. 

The Counts of Armagnac.

Armagnac is named after the Counts of Armagnac, who ruled over the area from about 960 CE. The counts remained theoretically under the rule of Eleanor of Aquitaine and King Henry II of England during the various English - French wars, but they pledged allegiance to France. Since the system of distillation used for liquor was only developed in the 13th century.  Probably the first brandy called Armagnac, named after the Counts, was made in the 14th century. The counts disappeared somewhere in the wars between France and England, but the brandy and its name remain.

La Bastide D'Armagnac
The town of Labastide-d'Armagnac in the department of Landes
and was founded in 1291 by Bernard VI, Count of Armagnac.
Photograph courtesy of Pierre_Bn
https://www.flickr.com/photos/91111169@N00/14900234628/     

Independent Armagnac estates will always show the domain’s address on the front label, along with the appellation (Bas-Armagnac, Ténarèze, Haut-Armagnac). If not, the spirit was bottled by a négociant ( a wholesaler) in another part of France, then they may have labels that only read "Armagnac."  The labels that just reads Armagnac are because the liquor is a blend of various appellations or because the grapes were grown in one appellation of Armagnac and distilled in another.

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Posts on other brandies:
 

Deciphering Cognac Labels and How to Tell the Age and Grade of a Cognac. 
 
The Aging and Blending of Cognac, France’s most Famous Brandy. Cognac II.
 
Pineau de Charentes; the Aperitif of France’s Cognac region. Cognac III.
 
Cognac the Town, and Visiting Cognac and Tasting the Product. Cognac IV.
 
Calvados – The Most Famous Apple Brandy in the World. Calvados on French Menus.

 
Other connected posts:
 

Agen in South-west France. Home to the Agen Prune, the Gold Standard in Prunes.
 
Foie Gras - Fattened Goose or Duck Liver. Foie Gras on French Menus. Foie Gras in French Cuisine.
 
Glace – Ice-cream. Ice-cream on French Menus. Glacé and Glacée are Desserts That are Frozen, Iced, Chilled or Glazed.
 
Pâtés and Terrines. An introduction to the meat, fish, vegetable and fruit pates on French menus.
 
Rognons - Kidneys on French menus.
 
Tastevin – A Sommelier's Odd Looking Cup, Worn on a Neck Chain Around the Neck. The Sign of Wines from Burgundy.
 
Vinegar, Vinaigrette and Verjus in French Cuisine.
 
What are the AOCs and AOPs on France's Foods and Wine labels?