Bordeneuve Châteaux & Collections excited by "exceptional" new spirit

Armagnac producer Bordeneuve Châteaux & Collections has declared “exceptional quality” for its fresh eau-de-vie and expects distillation for 2018 to finish mid-December.

The domain announced a record harvest earlier this year, which means that distillation is taking longer than usual and commercial director Jérôme Castledine seems pleased with the early results.

“Initial reports from the distillery are truly positive: the eau-de-vie is flowing freely; crystal-clear and of exceptional quality,” said Castledine.

Based in the Gers region of southern France, Bordeneuve Châteaux & Collections uses two grape varieties to produce its range of Bas Armagnacs, which have listings in some of The World’s 50 Best Bars.

Castledine added: “We started distillation this year with the Ugni Blanc varietal and we will complete it with the Baco. We expect a long distillation period, thanks to the abundant harvest, which should run until mid-December.

“We always distill our two grape varieties separately, as this allows us to exert total control over the vintages from each year of production.

“The two varietals will also be aged separately, thus maintaining our mastery right until bottling.”