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.

An Armagnac distilled by Mr Roumat, a home distiller, in 1976 at Domaine de Monturon and bottled by Francis Darroze in 2000. The estate is owned by Mr Bachala, a former animal tamer for the Zavatta Circus, who moved to Gascony in the late 1970s. Located in Bas-Armagnac, it spans 1.1 hectares of tawny sands planted with Baco grapes. The spirit is aged in a very humid cellar.