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- Suggested retail price: $279
- Thursday, March 31 (for as long as it lasts), we're pouring one ounce for $8
Regular readers will recognize that we have been offering multiple vintages of Castarède Armagnac. This is no accident. I think these folks represent an extremely classic style and make consistently excellent brandy year on year. I have had the great good fortune to taste dozens of older vintage Armagnac from them and I am a consistent cheerleader. Some of the older vintages are not cheap but I am consistently amazed at the price-to-value relationship.
The Castarède family began making brandy in Armagnac more than 175 years ago. Their deep roots in the region result in the ability to select the best possible Bas Armagnac products then distill to perfection and mature the resulting brandy. Armagnac is still a region where small estates grow grapes and various others distill these grapes into the signature brandy of the region. It's a place where history and family ties often matter as much as the hard work in the vineyard and at the still.
Castarede possesses two cellars, each more than one hundred years old. One is located on the banks of the Baïse River at Pont de Bordes, the historical center of wine trading when waterway was the primary means of transport. It is exceptional for aging Armagnac, as the proximity of river creates unique isothermic conditions. This is the cellar of choice for the oldest vintages. The other cellar, in Mauléon d'Armagnac, is situated in the Grand Bas Armagnac region. We've drunk many vintages from Castarede and have been uniformly impressed.
We will open one bottle at 6:30 precisely. When it's gone, it's gone.