Armagnac 2004

Seven estates, one 2004 vintage

Seven houses, seven ways of interpreting the same harvest. Some publish a precise description of their 2004, others do not; here we use their own words, without adding anything.

Domaine de Danis, the award-winning 2004

In Castelnau-d'Auzan-Labarrère, on the edge of the Landes forest, Victoire and Vincent Piquemal have run since 1992 a family estate handed down for more than four centuries. Their wood-fired still is entrusted each winter to a travelling distiller. The Domaine de Danis 2004, brut de fût, is 100% folle blanche. Bright gold colour, a very fine nose of jasmine, grapefruit, plum and fresh grape lifted by pepper, a palate where plum comes before white pepper, a long and harmonious finish: this vintage received the Grand Jury Prize of the Talents de l'Armagnac, across all categories, as well as a gold medal at the same competition.

Château de Millet, from 70 cl to Gascon pot

The Dèche family, grower-producers in Eauze for five generations, distil their own baco and ugni blanc wines. The Château de Millet 2004, brought down to 42% ABV, comes in a 70 cl bottle, a 150 cl magnum and a 250 cl Gascon pot. The vineyard is certified HVE 3. For 2004, the estate does not publish a tasting note: we do not write one.

Delord, a pure vintage

At Armagnac Delord, in Lannepax since 1893, the 2004 ages in Gascon oak casks, with no blending of other years, then it is brought down to 40% ABV, like the whole of the house's range. No tasting comment is published for this year.

Dartigalongue, vanilla and brioche

The Nogaro house, founded in 1838, bottles its 2004 at 42% ABV. Dartigalongue describes vanilla, fresh wood and pastry aromas; the palate is intense, with caramel, brioche, cooked fruit and a floral touch, before a fairly long sandalwood finish.

Château de Bordeneuve, brut de fût

Also in Castelnau d'Auzan, the Guasch family distils on an almost century-old column still and ages each harvest separately in its cellar. The Château de Bordeneuve 2004, from ugni blanc and baco, is 49% ABV. The house describes a bright colour with golden highlights and a complex nose that opens on candied fruit and prune before moving towards nutmeg.

Clés des Ducs, true to the year

A house whose history goes back to 1774, in Panjas, Clés des Ducs offers a 2004 at 40% ABV, from a single harvest, never blended, with deliberately light oak ageing to preserve the fruit.

Jean Cavé, the most powerful

Based in Lannepax since 1883, the Jean Cavé family bottles its 2004 Bas-Armagnac brut de fût, at 54% ABV: the highest strength on this page, for a powerful armagnac.

Three grapes, three characters

Our 2004 selection allows a rare comparison. The Danis is 100% folle blanche, the historic grape of Gascony, known for its finesse and floral notes: the jasmine and grapefruit in its description bear witness to this. Millet and Bordeneuve combine baco, which brings roundness and softness on the tawny sands of Bas-Armagnac, and ugni, livelier and fruitier. The other houses do not specify the grape varieties of their 2004.

Reduced or brut de fût

Six bottles have been brought down to 40 or 42% by gradually adding water: the three Millet formats, Delord, Dartigalongue and the bottle from Panjas. Softer and more balanced, they suit those who want to discover armagnac, and even lend themselves to a cocktail. The other three, Bordeneuve, Danis and Jean Cavé, keep their natural strength, up to 54% for Jean Cavé: these are brut de fût armagnacs, more intense, to be tasted slowly, perhaps with a drop of water.

2004: from Facebook to the Millau viaduct

On 4 February 2004, a Harvard student, Mark Zuckerberg, launched the site that would become Facebook (source: Wikipedia, article "Facebook"). In December, closer to Gascony, the Millau viaduct was inaugurated above the Tarn (source: Wikipedia, article "Viaduc de Millau"). In the Gers, the wines of the 2004 harvest spent the winter at the still; the producers in our selection do not publish an assessment of this harvest, and we do not invent one.

From the vine to the bottle

A reminder of the principle: a 2004 vintage armagnac contains only wine from 2004. After the harvest and fermentation, the white wine, from ugni, baco, folle blanche or colombard depending on the terroir, waits for winter to be distilled. The tradition of the appellation calls for continuous distillation, in a single pass, in the armagnac still. The brandy then enters the cellar: the oak gradually gives it its colour, tannins and aromas, while the alcohol falls through evaporation. At a little over twenty years old, it is not yet an old armagnac in the collectors' sense, but it is already a mature and fully developed brandy.

The moment of bottling is the house's choice. After that, the armagnac no longer evolves. A VSOP or an XO blends brandies from several years to keep a consistent style; producing a vintage, on the contrary, highlights the age and character of a single harvest from the region.

Tasting a 22 year old armagnac

The estates' descriptions show two families of flavours for 2004: a floral and fresh register, with the folle blanche from Danis, and a more indulgent register, vanilla, caramel, brioche, candied fruit, at Dartigalongue and Bordeneuve. Two styles, two reflections of the same year. Serve your 2004 vintage armagnac at room temperature, in a tulip glass. Let it open up for a few minutes, smell it, then take small sips. At the end of a meal, it is enough on its own; it also pairs with dark chocolate or a pastry with dried fruit.

Keep the bottle upright, away from light. Unopened, it keeps for years; once opened, for several months.

A gift for a 22nd birthday

Children born in 2004 blow out 22 candles in 2026; couples married that year celebrate 22 years of marriage. A bottle from their year has aged as long as they have: a memory to share. For a family celebration, the Millet magnum or Gascon pot; for a connoisseur, the award-winning Danis or one of the brut de fût bottles.

Frequently asked questions about 2004 armagnac

What is the best 2004 armagnac?

There is no single answer. The Domaine de Danis 2004 received the Grand Jury Prize of the Talents de l'Armagnac, a valuable benchmark. For softness, choose a 2004 at 40 or 42%; for power, a brut de fût.

What is the difference between a 2004 armagnac and an XO?

The 2004 comes from a single harvest, that of 2004; an XO blends brandies at least ten years old, from several years.

How much does a 2004 armagnac cost?

It depends on the estate, the age at bottling, the strength and the size, from 70 cl to the 250 cl Gascon pot. Each product page shows the price.

Where can I buy a 2004 armagnac?

At Plaisirs de Gascogne, an online shop specialising in vintage armagnacs, which selects its bottles from estates in the South West of France, with secure payment.

And the neighbouring years? See our 2003 armagnac and our 2005 armagnac, or all our vintage armagnacs, year by year.

Please enjoy responsibly. Excessive alcohol consumption is harmful to health.