1973 Domaine de Papolle 42 Year Old K&L Exclusive Armagnac (750ml)

Domaine de Papolle was recently purchased by the Piffard family from a British businessman and today is run by the son Frederic. The estate on the property is very Gascogne, with dark wooden interiors, antique country furniture, and paintings with still-life fruit bowls, half glasses of wine, and a spreads of vegetables adorned with dead pheasants. It's quite a romantic domaine with a rustic gothic style. We loved their wonderful brandies, especially the older baco vintages from the late 70s and early 80s. This 42 year old baco distillate is almost coffee black in color and is as brooding and dark as the inside of the Papolle manor. It's intensely rich, leathery in character, and unpolished as a rustic country brandy should be. Toffee, mocha, and dense caramel linger long on the finish. Considering the more than four decades spent in wood, the price is almost absurd.