the bottle

Key facts

Vintage2003
ABV40.0 % vol.
Capacity70 cl
AppellationAOC Armagnac
RegionSouthwest
this bottle

clés des ducs Armagnac 2003

  • Ageing Vintage 2003, distilled at Panjas, unblended

In 2003, the August heatwave brought the harvest forward across France. The Gascon crop from that exceptional year was distilled at Panjas by Clés des Ducs, then aged in cask without blending. The cellar master selects the casks that yield a long, mellow Armagnac with measured oakiness. The house, whose history dates back to 1774 and which has been part of the Armanoir group since 2008, presents this vintage in its 70 cl Exception decanter at 40% vol., with a cardboard gift box.

the vintage

The 2003 vintage

Vintage exceptional

2003 will forever be remembered for the hottest summer France had seen in centuries, with a heatwave that pushed temperatures beyond 40°C across the South-West. These extreme conditions gave rise to grapes of a concentration and ripeness rarely achieved in Gascony. An exceptional vintage, whose spirits today display roundness and generosity, somewhere between candied fruit and honey.

the house

Clés des Ducs

  • Founded in 1774
  • Location Panjas, Gers
  • Appellation Armagnac (Bas-Armagnac and Ténarèze depending on the expression)
  • Grape varieties Traditional Gascon grape varieties, principally Ugni Blanc, along with Baco, Folle Blanche and Colombard
  • Distillation Continuous distillation at low temperature in a copper Armagnac still

The story of Clés des Ducs begins in 1774 in Panjas, in the Gers, with Paul Baylac, lord of the village, who distilled its first eaux-de-vie. Since 2008, the house has been owned by the Groupe Armanoir, which upholds a craft built on traditional Gascon grape varieties, with Ugni Blanc at the fore, alongside Baco, Folle Blanche …

All Clés des Ducs Armagnacs →

The record

Cellar notes

Appellation
AOC Armagnac
Size
70 cl
Department
Gers
Vintage
2003
Region
Southwest
ALCOHOL RATE
40.0 °
Type
Armagnac
Reference
CLESDDUCS2003

Armagnac specialist

A cellar devoted to the brandies of Gascony.

The year on the label

Authentic vintages, from 1888 to 2017.

Careful shipping

Bottles wedged and protected, tracked delivery in France and Europe.

Need advice?

A year, a budget, an occasion: write to us.

the cellar letter

The vintages
arriving in our cellar.

New houses, rare years found again, gift ideas: a few letters a year, no more.