Armagnac VI - Domaine d'Esperance

We visited the Domaine d'Esperance on a bleak and grey winter day. The photos are not doing justice to this place, full of charm and beauty, set on a high with a view over the vineyards around. Here they make armagnac and wine, both with several medals. The proprietor, Duchess Claire de Montesquiou, was not there for our visit. One of her family ancestors was the wife of d"Artagnan, the famous young man in Dumas book ‘The three musketeers’.

It was her experienced oenologue Sylvie who showed us the propriety, explained how they work and let us taste some Floc de Gascogne and an armagnac from 1941... Awesome!

Floc de Gascogne is a traditional aperitif where grape juice is mixed with young armagnac. Fruity and sweet, yet with character, is one of our favourite apéritifs in summer.