Château de Pellehaut is located in the centre of Armagnac, where the terrain sees a slight rise in altitude as well as a shift from the sand of the Bas-Armagnac to clay and limestone of the Ténarèze. With additional nutrients and better water retention, the Ténarèze has soil much better adapted to the production of quality table wine.
This is the area from which Cotes de Gascogne wines, whose citrus fruit and zippy acidity have made them huge sellers around the world, hail. Because of the higher clay and limestone content, spirits in the Ténarèze tend to be more rigid at the beginning of their lives, unlike those in the Bas Armagnac which are softer and fruitier. Probably because of that very quality, Ténarèze spirits usually age better than those from the Bas Armagnac. Pellehaut’s Armagnacs defy this principle, however, namely because their Folle Banche is planted on sandier soils that help produce a round, supple spirit.
With excellent terroir, annual investment in new oak barrels, and someone in charge of monitoring and aerating barrels, it is no surprise that Pellehaut’s Armagnacs now stand as number one in the Ténarèze.
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WINERY
Domain de Pellehaut
REGION
Armagnac Ténarèze
COUNTRY
France
