Château de Salles: winegrowers and producers of Armagnac

In the North West of the Gers (in Salles d'Armagnac), the Château de Salles is a wine estate in a beautiful architectural ensemble of the 18th century. The 32 hectares of vines, maintained with passion by Dominique and Benoît, have been in their family for 3 generations. A know-how that should be appreciated, just as much as their eaux-de-vie, Bas armagnacs and Flocs de Gascogne of high quality. I am taking you with me for a wine tourism discovery in the vineyard and cellar of Château de Salles!

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An estate around a castle

The Château de Salles wine estate extends around the property. This consists of a central house surrounded by buildings. This is the whole which is called the Castle. Prior to this construction, surely was a stately stronghold. We notice it in particular by the means of the moats which form a slope of the ground all around the constructions. The central part of the building, which is now the Armagnac aging cellar, is built in these old moats and the cellar thus benefits from an environment very conducive to the development of Armagnac.

The estate, seen from above

One of the wings of the building

The vines benefit from a beautiful sunshine and a land made up of tawny sand: old marine deposits, a very fine shortbread and orange / red color, characteristic of the presence of oxidized iron mixed with the earth.

Dominique and Benoît maintain this area as simply as possible, using natural techniques that are sometimes surprising (but effective) such as genodic to overcome certain diseases of the wood of vines. Most of the vines cultivated are for the elaboration of the wine through a cooperative, but Dominique and Benoît manage the harvest themselves and keep part of it for the elaboration of their own Armagnacs and Flocs. of Gascony.

A wine estate in the Gerçoise nature

Vines maintained simply

Genodic box that broadcasts a series of specific sound frequencies, at certain times to strengthen the wood (it works very well!) And reduce the use of treatments.

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Armagnac from Château de Salles

We are here in the region of Bas Armagnac (there are 2 others: Haut Armagnac and Ténarèze), it is the most northerly production region and at the same time the lowest in terms of altitude. The Armagnacs from this region are considered to be very fine and aromatic.

Armagnac is above all an eau-de-vie, which is distilled from a white wine of the Ugni-Blanc and Bacco grape variety (at Château de Salles). After the harvest, the grapes are pressed, a classic vinification is carried out and the resulting wine is passed through a still. For Armagnac, it is a continuous distillation with a single heating. We obtain brandy, "Aygue Ardente" for the elders. It can be tasted like a classic, pure brandy. It can also be used for making cocktails, or cooking.

Brandy with Armagnac

Visit of the cellar which is semi-underground

To make Armagnac, you then need 2 elements:

An oak barrel called "piece": The quality of this depends on the expertise of the cooper (whose name is written on the barrel) on the quality of the wood and its preparation. It is burnt so that it gives aromas and colors to the eau-de-vie which will stay for several months in this new cask. Then the Armagnac is transferred to an older barrel where it will slowly finish aging, thanks to the regular care provided by the winegrower.
Time: Time is an essential element, the longer we wait, the more Armagnac is enriched with all the scents of wood, vanilla, candied fruits, prunes, in contact with the barrel. Its alcohol level decreases by evaporation, it is the mysterious "part of the angels". It takes on a beautiful color that evolves from golden to mahogany and the aromas are transformed.

The barrels, called parts, are of paramount importance

Old bottles used in the past.

Nothing is lost, everything is recycled: here Martson Mats perforated sheets, used during the Second World War to create floors suitable for vehicles. We now use openwork partitions, practical and useful!

At the Château de Salles, the rooms are installed in the best possible environment. The cellar is semi-underground, it is made up of fresh and porous stones, which absorb excess humidity and give the cellar an ideal and natural temperature and humidity. Armagnac also benefits from a semi-darkness favorable to its aging. Through the small windows at the top of the cellar, you can see the vines: the loop is complete ...

At the Château de Salles, you can also taste and buy Floc de Gascogne. It is a mixture of 1/3 of young Armagnac and 2/3 of grape juice. A “ bouquet of flowers ”, as we can translate it from Gascon, aromatic, light, subtle and perfect for an aperitif or to accompany a summer meal (melon, cold meats, foie gras, fruit tart…).

The semi-underground cellar

The Floc de Gascogne

Visit of the estate, wine tourism tours

You can phone the Château de Salles estate and go there for a pleasant visit. You will discover the vines, as well as the cellar but also the surroundings: this very pretty Romanesque church from the 12th century which has many secrets to reveal to you ...

You will be offered a tasting if you want to choose the Armagnac you like best. For my part, I brought back 1 bottle of Floc Blanc (you can combine it in summer with sparkling water), 1 bottle of Floc Rouge (which you can taste fresh pure or with tonic, humm) , 1 bottle of young Armagnac as well as a bottle of Armagnac from 1993 that we keep to end exceptional evenings ...