Region & History

West of Eauze, the soil turns sandier, the air more humid, and pine trees of the Landes begin to appear between the vine rows. This is Bas-Armagnac, the westernmost of Armagnac's three subregions, alongside Ténarèze and Haut-Armagnac. It stretches from the communes of Gers around Eauze across into the Landes département, home to villages like Roquefort and Labastide d'Armagnac.

How old is Armagnac? A frequently cited piece of evidence dates back to 1310, when Maître Vital Dufour, Prior of Eauze, described the forty virtues of "aygue ardente," the burning water. It was used as medicine rather than enjoyed as a drink, but many consider this text the earliest written reference to a brandy in France.

The path to the sea was long blocked by Bordeaux: its privilege of 1373 only allowed wine from the hinterland to pass through after Christmas. Brandy was easier to store and ship than wine. During the 17th and 18th centuries, it was mainly the Dutch who bought up barrels from Gascony, and in the early 19th century the still that still defines the style today was developed.

The name gained protection step by step. A decree on May 25, 1909 defined the territory and divided it into three subregions. Today the Armagnac appellation covers 245 communes in Gers, 29 in the Landes, and 18 in Lot-et-Garonne, and the name is protected as a geographical indication within the EU.

Producers fall into two camps: in 2012, around 70 percent of the volume came from winegrowers and cooperatives, with 30 percent from merchants, totaling 19,000 hectoliters of pure alcohol. Well-known names in Bas-Armagnac include Darroze, founded in Roquefort by Francis Darroze in 1974, Château de Laubade in Sorbets, and Château du Tariquet near Eauze.