Who hasn't heard of the chef Jean Darroze? An emblematic figure of Landes gastronomy, this south-western chef has passed on his passion for cooking, fine wine, and local spirits to his son Francis Darroze. The latter quickly developed a sophisticated palate and, from the 1950s, began searching for lesser well-known Armagnacs. This project went so well that, in the 1970s, he had a cellar dedicated to ageing built. Next in line was his son, Marc, who continued this tradition of seeking liquid gold – this collection is now available at iDealwine.

A Darroze Armagnac distilled in 1942 and bottled in 1989 after ageing in oak casks. It was produced at the Lusson estate in in the heart of Bas-Armagnac, which is known for its tawny sands (sables fauves), a typical soil type for this area of the appellation. The 42-hectare estate has 15 hectares of vines, with the rest composed of forest or land for growing grains, corn in particular.