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 1984 at Domaine aux Ducs and bottled by Francis Darroze in 2001. The estate is owned by the Deloi family, who have produced Armagnac for generations. Located in Grand Bas-Armagnac, in the heart of Bas-Armagnac, it spans some six hectares of tawny sands planted with Baco grapes. The spirit is aged in new oak casks for the first five years, then in re-coopered barrels, and finally in older casks.