Marquis de Montesquiou: A blueblooded Armagnac

Marquis de Montesquiou, which is a member of the Pernod Group, is one of France’s most illustrious Armagnac houses. As pedigrees go, you can’t get much more blueblood than this. The de Montesquious are one of the oldest families in France; its oldest members, the Counts of Fezensac (who ruled over much of historic Gascony, which included the Armagnac region) served under Clovis, King of the Franks in the late 5th century. The Montesquiou family has been making Armagnac since at least 1431. Before becoming a jewel in the Pernod Group crown, the present incarnation of Marquis de Montesquiou Armagnac was started 60 years ago by Pierre de Montesquiou, who was a direct descendant of the most famous de Montesquiou of all—the comte d’Artagnan, on whom the hero of Alexandre Dumas’s book The Three Musketeers was based.

Much like a Champagne house that buys grapes from growers under contract and then blends and ages the Champagne, Marquis de Montesquiou doesn’t have any vineyards. Instead, the spirit house has 20 grape growers under contract that deliver eau de vie to it. The Marquis de Montesquiou’s famous aging cellar, a vaulted-ceiling space with 1,800, 400L barrels dating back to the 19th century in it, is called “The Cathedral.” This is where the Armagnac is aged and blended.

Amazingly, two noses have been responsible for the company’s success over the past half a century. The current Cellar Master, Jean-Claude Dallas, has been sniffing and blending Armagnac here for the past 37 years. Before him, the primary proboscis belonged to his father-in-law, who taught him the trade. And Dallas is now training his son to take over from him. Buying eau de vie from 20 different growers, Dallas says, gives them the flexibility of blending Armagnac from different areas (the growers are located in both the Bas Armagnac and Ténarèze Armagnac regions, which have different soil types and climates) and from the four main grapes used in producing Armagnac—the Ugni Blanc, the Folle Blanche, the Bacco, and the Colombard.

Marquis de Montesquiou, like other Armagnac makers, is doing well despite the recession. The Bureau National Interprofessionnel de l’Armagnac says that Armagnac sales progressed by 15% in France and 9% in international markets in 2008. Bruno Gazaniol, CEO of Marguis de Montesquiou, attributes the majority of their sales growth to increased promotion in key markets. In the company’s major export market, the U.K., he explains, they are using tasting sessions and targeting key bartenders to increase awareness of Armagnac. Off-trade sales (outside of bars and restaurants) are also increasing, and, overall, sales in the U.K. market, which he calls the world’s most dynamic spirits market, were up 40% in 2009 for Marquis de Montesquiou. The other key export markets for them are the U.S., Russia and Asia.

In May of 2009, Marquis de Montesquiou held a dinner, featuring rare and aged Armagnacs, at Thomas Keller’s Michelin-starred Per Se restaurant in New York City. Jean-François Collobert, International Director of Pernod, hosted the event, and 2007 Sommelier of the World Andreas Larsson paired the seven-course menu with Montesquiou vintages dating from 1865 to 1967. As part of this event, a bottle of the 1865 vintage was auctioned for $8,400 (a record for a single bottle of Armagnac) by Christie’s North America, with the proceeds going to GoodPlanet, a non-profit organization dedicated to raising public awareness of environmental protection.

More such events will be happening in 2010, as Marquis de Montesquiou and other Armagnac producers celebrate the 700th anniversary of  Armagnac.

While at the Marquis de Montesquiou headquarters in Eauze, in the heart of the Armagnac region, I was given the unique opportunity to taste some of these rare vintages with Cellar Master Dallas. Alas, the 1865 vintage was not one of them. Here are some of my thoughts:

Marquis de Montesquiou VSOP—8-year-old Armagnac
A blend of vintages, with the youngest being at least eight years of age, produced mainly of Ugni Blanc, for its strength and balance, with the addition of some Folle Blanche grapes, which add fruitiness. Amber color with some honey and hints of white flowers, followed by vanilla overtones and a woody finish. A little too sweet for my taste. With its easy-to-enjoy, commercial taste this Armagnac is probably meant for the Asian market, which prefers sweeter alcoholic beverages.

Marquis de Montesquiou 1967 Vintage
Exceptional vintage, made from 100% Folle Blanche. Drier and less sweet than the previous Armagnac, as well as being slightly more woody. Golden, chocolate colored with amber highlights. There’s something very masculine, with its leather and prune aromas, about this Armagnac. There are also some delicate vanilla scents. Big and round, with an exceptional mouthfeel and noteworthy length.

Comte de Lauvia 1904 Vintage
Comte de Lauvia is another brand of Armagnac sold by the Maison Montesquiou. The 1904 vintage, made from 100% Bacco, is a deep coffee color with an amazing rancio character and honey and walnut tastes. A pleasing nose of cloves and prune aromas, with hints of vanilla. Unforgettable experience drinking an Armagnac of this age.

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