Creation of Armagnac :
The creation of Armagnac remains a traditional craft comprising of three stages : the vinification, the distillation and the ageing.
The vinification : The grapes harvested during the month of October are immediately vinified in the natural way :the grapes are gently pressed, squeezed and put into tanks where the fermentation takes place without addition of any products. The wines are made in general quite quickly and are left on their lees until distillation.
The distillation takes place in the winter once the fermentation has finished and is obligatory in the few months that follow the harvest. The distillation is a major phase in the creation of an authentic armagnac. It takes place in an alambic designed specifically for this eau-de-vie, an Alambic armagnacais known as a « simple chauffe » (single heating) or « chauffe continue ». The double chauffe distillation used for example in the production of cognac is practiced for a small part of the production. In general, the armagnacaise method is preferred for it is gentler and conserves more elements of the grape according a more exceptional taste. This skilful and complex art demands great vigilance by the distiller, this is when the Gascon genius comes in.
The process of distillation consists of separating and collecting the alcohol and the aromas contained in the wine.
The armagnacais alambic, a copper apparatus, is fed by cold wine that cools the alcohol vapours contained in the « serpentine » (coil). The wine starts to heat up in the « chauffe-vin » (wine heater), which contains the coil. Next, the wine crosses to an intermediate condenser where it passes down through the plates in the column into which the alcohol vapours rise from the boiler filling it with its aromas. It reaches the boiler where the alcohol and the volatile esters that will give it its character are separated and in turn rise again in the column. This procedure in additon to providing an eau-de-vie of great finesse, is particularly clever from the point of thermal efficiency, since the wine has been preheated while serving as a cooler for the vapours that condense. This method as sanctified by a royal decree in 1818 by Louis XVIII. The eaux-de-vies obtained are between 52% vol and 72% vol and totally colourless when they leave the alambic though already revealing their aromas the quality will be heightened by ageing.
The ageing : Once it has left the alambic, the eau-de-vie is transferred into 400 or 420 litre oak barrels. The oak is French, generally coming from the forests of Gascony. The wood will give the Armagnac its tannins and aromatic substances which, in time will fuse in the eau-de-vie. Through a chain of complex reactions in ageing, the eau-de-vie will take on the subtle aromas of vailla at the same time as its wonderful amber colour. The Armagnac will stay in new barrels until the maître de chai (cellar master) transfers it into older barrels to perfect and balance its ageing without overdoing it. With the passing of years, the alcoholic degree slowly diminishes by natural evaporation, known as « la part des anges » (the angel's share).
Once the Armagnac has aged sufficiently (in general after thirty years), it is then transfered into glass demi-johns called « dame-jeanne » in order to conserve its quality. The young armagnacs are sold for blending to those who are practiced in this area, in other words, creating a harmonious blend of several eaux-de-vies that can be from different origins and different ages.