History and facts
Domaine de Baraillon is one of the oldest and most traditional houses in the Armagnac region. The domain became known as the favourite of Serge Valentin, the most famous whisky blogger in the world. He has tasted many Baraillon vintages and rated them very highly, including the 1985 vintage with 93 points and the 1918 vintage with 94 points.
The Claverie family moved to Lannemaignan in 1748 and a few years later, after buying vineyards, officially became wine and Armagnac producers. The management of the domain was traditionally handed down from father to son. In 1922, Maxime Claverie had 19 hectares of vineyards, but his son Paul expanded this to 370 hectares, of which around 40 hectares were used for the production of Armagnac. He expanded the business and under his management the domain found new markets, including the USA, Belgium, Andorra and the Netherlands.
In 2001, Laurence Claverie, Paul's daughter, took over the domain and has continued the tradition ever since. For the production of Baraillons Bas Armagnac, the grape varieties Folle Blanche, Ugni Blanc and Bacco 22A are used.
Approximately 55 hectolitres of Armagnac are produced per year. This corresponds to 14 barrels with a volume of 400 litres. The alcohol content during distillation fluctuates between 52 and 65 degrees, depending on the requirements. Maturation takes place in barrels made of local French oak. Currently, about 200 barrels are maturing on the estate. Distillation takes place in November and usually lasts a week.
All Armagnacs from the house of Baraillon are natural and at cask strength. No water, colour or sugar is added.
The oldest vintages of Domaine de Baraillon
The domain is known for having one of the most impressive Armagnac collections in the region. The oldest vintage sold is from 1900, but there are also vintages like 1929 or 1918 of which Serge Valentin says:
„Oh what a beauty… First some juicy red peaches, some black earth, some wild mushrooms (Caesar’s mushrooms, best in the world), some precious little sultanas, a little tamarind perhaps, artisan guignolet (bigarreau cherry liqueur)… Oh how subtle this is! Then we have anything herbal, old chartreuse perhaps, some old pipe tobacco, bits of bergamots, a little caraway and juniper, chestnuts and prunes, wee touches of chen-pi (sun-dried tangerine skin) and a little hoisin sauce (plums), something slightly miso-y (right, osmazôme), game, mint, liquorice… Oh wow oh wow oh wow! I really feel privileged, I don’t think there’s a more glorious way of celebrating the end of the worst war ever.„
Source: http://www.whiskyfun.com/2020/Armagnac-for-maniacs.html
Collaboration Domaine de Baraillon x The Whisky Kingdom
The Whisky Kingdom has been working with Domaine de Baraillon since 2020 and exclusively imports the great Armagnac to Germany.
It all started with a visit to Domaine de Baraillon, where we were able to taste our way through all the old vintages. We then bottled from the barrels that we found to be the best, and the Armagnac was presented as a Malternative to our clients in Germany.
Large selection of Vintages at The Whisky Kingdom
At our website you will find a huge selection of vintages. Many of them are particularly suitable as gifts for round birthdays in 2022, e.g. 1962, 1972 or 1982. 1962, 1972 oder 1982.
We have also selected special vintages produced 100% from the Folle Blanche grape variety.
You can find our selection from Domaine de Baraillon here:
