THE STORY

The Darroze family has devoted itself to its 2 driving passions – cuisine and Armagnac – for 3 generations now. The story starts in 1960 with Jean Darroze and his famous restaurant in Villeneuve de Marsan, in the heart of Bas Armagnac.

His son, Francis, was in charge of the wine and Armagnac list.

Over the course of his visits to small properties here and there he amassed an extraordinary collection of eaux de vie from the different Bas Armagnac terroirs. In 1974, Francis decided to build his own cellar specifically dedicated to ageing, and began selling these precious armagnacs.

Over almost 40 years the Darroze collection has increased and today their cellars hold over 250 different armagnacs from 30 estates, covering over 45 vintages.

His son Marc, a trained oenologist, continues selecting and carefully supervising the ageing of his Armagnacs, which are now included in five ranges. Darroze armagnacs are considered by spirits lovers everywhere as some of the finest available.

THE TERROIR

Everything on Armagnac soil is what constitutes the quality of a great terroir :

The soil, dividing the region in three distinct territories. From the calcareous soil of Haut Armagnac to the tawny sands of Bas Armagnac, through the clay-limestone grounds of Ténarèze.

The climate, with its mild and sunny autumns, ideal for grape ripening.

The forest, which protects the vines from passing bad weather and, more importantly, for its oak, where Armagnac ages and metamorphoses. It isn’t rare to find domains where vines and oaks grow side by side before merging to offer incomparable eaux-de-vie.

The people, the Gascons, who – although they are nothing compared to the beauty and quality of the terroir – work passionately and with all of their heart for the production of this extraordinary product.

THE SPIRIT

All Armagnacs at Darroze are authentic :

No use of sugars, tannins or caramels to speed up the aging process.

Emphasis on local grape varieties, traditional continuous distillation in short column and trays stills, aging in local oaks… all the specificities that make Armagnac a unique product.