What is armagnac made from? White grapes. Before it becomes a brandy, armagnac is a wine, harvested in South-West France within an appellation area shared between the Gers, the Landes and the Lot-et-Garonne. Ten grape varieties are permitted in total, but four account for most armagnac production: ugni blanc, baco, folle blanche and colombard. This guide to armagnac grapes explains the role of each one, what it brings to the glass, and which bottles in our cellar let you taste it.
What is armagnac made from? The 10 grape varieties authorised by the appellation
The AOC Armagnac specification (cahier des charges), in the version approved in 2025, sets out the list of varieties whose wines may be distilled to make armagnac. There are ten: ugni blanc, baco blanc, folle blanche, colombard, plant de graisse, blanc dame, jurançon, mauzac, mauzac rose and meslier saint-françois. All are white grapes, with the exception of mauzac rose, which has a pinkish skin. No black grapes and no red wine go into armagnac.
These grapes have one thing in common: they produce wines that are low in alcohol and high in acidity. The appellation rules require a wine for distillation to measure between 7.5 and 12% vol., with no added sulphites at all. The acidity allows the wine to keep naturally through the winter until distillation, which must be completed by 31 March following the harvest at the latest. The low alcohol level, for its part, concentrates the aromas of the wine in the spirit. This is why armagnac vines are grown to produce fresh, generous grapes, picked early, rather than very ripe fruit.
According to the Bureau National Interprofessionnel de l'Armagnac (BNIA), four of these ten varieties truly stamp their personality on the spirit. The interprofessional body, based in Eauze, presents them one by one, as follows. For a full definition of the spirit and its history, see our guide what is armagnac.
Ugni blanc, the distillation grape par excellence
Ugni blanc arrived in Gascony after the phylloxera crisis at the end of the 19th century, when the older varieties, once grafted, became more fragile. The BNIA describes it as “the distillation grape par excellence”: it gives acidic, low-alcohol wines which, once distilled, produce fine brandies. It adapts to every soil in the appellation, from the sands of the west to the clay soils of the east.
Together with baco, the specification ranks it as one of the two pillars of the appellation. The same grape dominates the cognac vineyards, which partly explains the kinship between the two brandies; the differences lie mainly in distillation and terroir, as our comparison of cognac and armagnac explains.
Some estates bottle it on its own. The Pellehaut 40-year-old Ugni Blanc offers a very old expression of it, with notes of hazelnut, walnut and cocoa.
Baco, the hybrid grape born in Gascony
Baco blanc, long known as “baco 22A”, is a singularity among French vineyards. It is a hybrid, created in 1898 by François Baco, an ampelographer from the Landes, by crossing folle blanche with an American variety, noah. At the time, a grape was needed that could resist the diseases ravaging the vines after phylloxera.
The gamble paid off: the specification presents it, alongside ugni blanc, as one of the two major armagnac grapes, particularly well suited to the sandy and boulbène soils of Bas-Armagnac. Hybrids were nevertheless meant to disappear from appellations: baco was only permanently written into the AOC rules in 2005, after long efforts by the trade. Being hardier, it also requires fewer treatments in the vineyard.
In the glass, baco produces round, smooth brandies with aromas of ripe fruit. It is a grape that rewards patience: it reveals itself above all after long ageing in oak casks. At Château de Bordeneuve, for example, the vineyard combines ugni blanc, for around three quarters, with baco.
Folle blanche, the historic armagnac grape
Before phylloxera, which destroyed the Gascon vineyards from 1878 onwards, folle blanche dominated armagnac. It was then known as “piquepoult”. Once replanted on rootstock, it became more susceptible to disease and harder to grow; as a result, little of it remains today.
Folle blanche produces fine, often floral brandies of great elegance: a spirit that is elegant rather than powerful. The interprofessional body points out that it is particularly prized in Blanche Armagnac and in young armagnacs, where these aromas stay in the foreground. Some estates, however, leave it to age for a long time in cask.
Two houses in our selection bottle it on its own:
- Castarède, with cask-strength (brut de fût) bottlings of pure folle blanche, from the 6-year-old to the 18-year-old, bottled without reduction;
- Domaine de Pellehaut, in Ténarèze, with a 10-year-old Folle Blanche showing vanilla and acacia blossom, and a 20-year-old Folle Blanche.
Colombard, a blending grape
Colombard is the other historic armagnac variety: in the 19th century, it shared the vineyards with folle blanche. Today it is mostly made into dry white wines, notably under the IGP Côtes de Gascogne, and its distillation into armagnac has become rare. Its fruity, spicy aromas are valued in blends, where it adds a touch of liveliness. Several houses in our cellar still grow it for armagnac, such as Castarède and Clés des Ducs.
The rare grapes: plant de graisse, mauzac, jurançon and the others
The six other permitted grapes are old Gascon varieties. The BNIA notes that they now cover no more than a few hectares of vineyard:
- plant de graisse (or graisse), which is enjoying renewed interest among some producers;
- blanc dame;
- jurançon blanc;
- meslier saint-françois;
- mauzac, white or pink.
These old varieties, now rare, preserve in the appellation rules the memory of the vineyards before phylloxera, and give growers room to explore. Château de Laubade, for example, grows six of the appellation's varieties, including plant de graisse.
Single variety or blend: what the grape changes in the glass
Most armagnacs are blends. The specification describes it this way: the armagnacs on the market often combine brandies of different and complementary ages or grape varieties, selected by the cellar master through tasting. They are also sometimes vintage-dated, the same text points out, following a long-standing and widespread custom in the region. Ugni blanc brings finesse and fruit, baco roundness and structure, folle blanche floral elegance. In Nogaro, the Dartigalongue family sums up its trio in just these terms: ugni blanc for fruit, baco for structure and folle blanche for elegance.
A single-variety armagnac, by contrast, lets you read the character of the grape. But overly simple rules are best avoided: the style of a brandy also depends on the soil, the settings of the armagnac still (the continuous column still specific to the appellation), the cask, the length of ageing and the decision to bottle at natural strength or after reduction. Two folle blanche bottlings from two estates can therefore be very different. When choosing an armagnac, the grape variety is one guide among others, not in itself a guarantee of quality.
The best way to sense the effect of the grape is still a side-by-side tasting. The Delord Coffret Cépages brings together three armagnacs, made from ugni blanc, folle blanche and baco, identical in every respect except the grape: an instructive tasting to share.
Armagnac grapes and age: from blanche to old vintages
The character of the grape does not express itself in the same way at every age. In Blanche Armagnac, which rests in inert vessels without passing through cask, it takes centre stage: the specification states that the choice of varieties and the way distillation is conducted aim for a highly aromatic spirit of great finesse. Folle blanche is particularly prized here.
In a young armagnac, VS or VSOP, the fruit of the grape remains very present: these are lively brandies, which the interprofessional body also recommends for cocktails. With years in the cellar, the wood plays an increasing role and the aromatic profile moves towards candied fruit, spices and rancio. This is where baco, round and smooth, shows its full aromatic richness.
Grapes and terroirs: the grower's choice
The grape is not chosen in isolation: it is matched to the soil and climate of each production area. The specification notes that each producer makes use of this diversity according to the soils of their area and the style of brandy they are aiming for. Baco has adapted particularly well to the tawny sands of Bas-Armagnac, in the west, while ugni blanc thrives everywhere.
The appellation's three designations, Bas-Armagnac, Ténarèze and Haut-Armagnac, thus correspond to practices adapted to distinct natural environments. Our guide to armagnac terroirs presents each of these regions, its soils and its estates.
Frequently asked questions
What fruit is armagnac made from?
From grapes, and grapes only. Armagnac is a wine brandy: white wine made from the appellation's varieties is distilled in a still, then aged in oak casks. Plums play no part in making it; they only appear in prunes macerated in armagnac, a gourmet speciality of South-West France.
Which grape varieties are used for armagnac?
Ten varieties are permitted: ugni blanc, baco blanc, folle blanche, colombard, plant de graisse, blanc dame, jurançon, mauzac, mauzac rose and meslier saint-françois. The first four account for most of the production.
What is the main armagnac grape?
The appellation specification names two as major: ugni blanc, which adapts to every soil, and baco, found mainly on the sands of Bas-Armagnac.
What is baco in armagnac?
It is a hybrid grape variety, created in 1898 by François Baco, from the Landes, from folle blanche and noah. Suited to the sands of Bas-Armagnac, it produces round brandies that blossom with long ageing. In 2005 it was permanently written into the AOC Armagnac rules.
Can you taste a single-variety armagnac?
Yes. Some houses bottle a single variety, such as the folle blanche bottlings from Castarède and Pellehaut, or Pellehaut's 40-year-old ugni blanc. For a comparison, the Delord Coffret Cépages presents three armagnacs from different grapes, made in the same way.
To explore further, discover our armagnacs by house, or our vintage armagnacs, where the grape variety and the harvest year can be read together.
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