The Optional Pleasures of Armagnac

“EVERYTHING IN ITS OWN TIME,” the adage goes. Alas, for me, the moment for Armagnac was a long time coming. For many aficionados, it’s the brandy of choice. But it was not mine until I encountered Sempe Armagnac one recent afternoon.

Armagnac is a “cousin” to cognac. In fact, it predates cognac by some 200 years, when 15th-Century alchemists, as early as 1411, were still trying to turn lead into gold, hovering over gleaming copper pots and stills. The name Armagnac comes from that early period, from the Latin Ars Magna, or great art. And the name Sempe evolved from the French “St. Pierre” (St. Peter), bearer of the keys to heaven.

This delicate brandy is produced in Gascony, from vineyards nestled just north of the Pyrenees in the southwestern corner of France, about 100 miles south of Bordeaux. Because this region is landlocked, Armagnac remained virtually unknown to outsiders for several hundred years.

All traditional brandies are produced, basically, from dry white wines, preferably those with sprightly acidity. Cognac and Armagnac are distilled from wines made mostly from the St. Emilion grape, known in Italy as Trebbiano. In lesser amounts, Colombard and Folle Blanche grapes also are grown and vinified for distillation. The sandy lime and calcareous clay soil of Gascony allows for a most gracious aging. The Sempe cellar master ages his brandy in Limousin oak.

At my tasting, in Newport, the first VSOP (very special old pale) Sempe Armagnac ($30), in its unique triangular, frosted bottle, was poured--a beautiful golden amber. I swirled my sample and sniffed, expecting a forceful affront to the nostrils from its 80-proof strength. But here was a gentleness that telegraphed a message of age. Silently, I took my first sip. It confirmed that it was not hot--the alcohol didn’t burn going down the throat. Murril Gash, the Sempe Western representative, suggested that was because low-temperature single-distillation allowed for more flavor and aroma.

Next, we tasted the 15-Year-Old ($40), then the Grande Reserve Prism Bottle ($150) and two vintage examples: Armagnac Sempe 1965 ($100) and Armagnac Sempe 1955 ($150).

The VSOP, blended from many aged examples, the youngest of which is 6 years old, is good. The Vielle Armagnac 15 Years Old has subtle tastes and scents suggesting plums, prunes and even peaches--but peaches as you never knew them. The 1955 is a treasure, and the amber brandy in the Grande Reserve Prism Bottle is as gentle as honey on the palate but has no sweetness. Best is the Armagnac Sempe 1965. Somehow, it summons memories of luscious desserts too exotic to describe--repas d’amour, a meal of love.

Armagnac is an optional pleasure, one that I regret not having discovered earlier.