Maison Gélas
46-48 Av. Edmond Bergès
32190 VIC-FEZENSAC
(Gers) France
Tel: +33 (0)5 62 06 30 11
E-mail: contact@gelas.fr
 
 
 
 
Tasting is the examination of Armagnacs by the senses.
This tasting method is more like perfume analysis
than wine tasting.
 
 

The glass:

The Armagnac glass must help to contain and then give expression to the aromas. The balloon glass is not the best suited, although it is the type most often proposed for a tasting. The ideal glass is of the “Tulip” type, as shown opposite.
 
Glass warming and the addition of water:


A few decades ago our predecessors presented Armagnacs with a high degree of alcohol under the “Fine Armagnac” name. They then advised reducing the “fire” of the alcohol by warming the glass in the palm of the hand to permit the evaporation of the primary alcohols, or alternatively by adding a few centilitres of water.

Nowadays, we make sure to present armagnacs ready for tasting and it should be certain that the eau de vie is at room temperature.
 
  Now the tasting can begin
   
Phase 1: visual examination
   
This focuses on the colour, limpidity
and viscosity of the glass’s contents
 
Colour:
 
0 5 years 10 years 25 years 40 years 60 years
Pale yellow colourless Straw yellow Golden yellow Amber Mahogany Fire red
 
Limpidity: “the fingerprint test”
Position your thumb behind the glass. See if the thumb print is clear: perfect limpidity.

Viscosity: “the ‘legs’ test”
Tip the glass and give it a half-turn. The thicker the ‘jambe’ or ‘legs’, and the slower they descend, the more fat/oily elements the Armagnac has, these being crucial for ageing.
 
 
Phase 2: smell
   
Armagnac’s four noses:
  - 1st nose: glass still, nose an inch or two away
- 2nd nose: raise the glass towards the left nostril,
                     then to the right nostril
- 3rd nose: lower the nose into the glass
After turning the glass, 4th nose: lower the nose into the glass again
 
Phase 3: taste
   
Always have a good mouthful of water before tasting Armagnac, then put a little Armagnac in your mouth, mixing it with saliva, and swallow. In this way your taste buds are given information about the nature of the product, and you won’t suffer from the alcohol level in your subsequent samplings.

Appreciating a great Armagnac is one thing, but describing the sensations experienced is quite another.

The table below will help you to decipher the aromas and their developments throughout the ageing process:
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Maison Gélas - 46-48 Av. Edmond Bergès - 32190 VIC-FEZENSAC - France -  Tel: +33 (0)5 62 06 30 11  -  E-mail:  contact@gelas.fr
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