How is Armagnac aged?
Armagnac is aged in 420 liter barrels made of Gascon black oak, stored in a cellar. After about ten years, Armagnac has reached maturity. It is then blended or set apart as a vintage, and bottled. Once under glass, the aromas of the Armagnac are preserved and will only change slightly over time.
The Château Arton Armagnacs are first stored in a new barrel, where it takes on the color of the wood and feeds off its aromas, extracting the tannins present in its container. It is then transferred to an older barrel to slow down the extraction of the aromas and tannins from the wood, in order to avoid it overwhelming the fruit, and continues to mature slowly before attaining the perfect balance in flavors.
At Domaine d’Arton, the barrels are alternated from a dry cellar to a humid one. The passage from one cellar to another is done during the tasting period. The dry cellar enables the extraction of the various components existing naturally in the wooden barrels and allows water to evaporate, concentrating the alcohol content. The humid cellar, on the other hand then allows some of the alcohol to escape, reducing the alcohol. Regular tastings are essential in order to control the balance of aromas and determine the flavor.
The Armagnacs of Château Arton are first of all housed in new barrels. They take on the color of the wood and feed on its tannins. Then they are transferred to older barrels to slow down the extraction of the wood and avoid that it takes precedence over the fruit. At the Domaine d’Arton, the barrels are stored in a dry cellar and then in a wet cellar, the passage from one cellar to the other being done during the tasting. The dry cellar allows the extraction of the components present in the wood and the evaporation of water. The wet cellar allows the evaporation of the alcohol. The aging of our Armagnacs is made to measure. Regular tasting is essential to monitor the balance of the aromas and determine their flavor.