HISTORY
THE STORY STARTS WITH JEAN DARROZE AND HIS RESTAURANT IN VILLENEUVE-DE-MARSAN…
In love with his South West and its centuries old traditions, this highly respected chef of the local Landaise cuisine introduced his son Francis to the culinary arts, to great wines and to the fine Gascon eaux-de-vie. It is by cultivating this taste for tradition and authenticity that Francis Darroze mastered the talent for discovering individual estate Armagnacs, travelling all over the famous Bas-Armagnac terroir with his knowledgeable and exacting wine loving father and tasting hidden treasures in little, out of reach, unknown estates. These first discoveries date back to the 50s and 60s, then intensified from 1970 with the construction of a cellar specifically dedicated to ageing.His son Marc, a trained oenologist, joined his father to follow in his footsteps in 1996. Both complementing each other and both ‘treasure hunters’, as Martine Nouet nicknamed them in her book « Eaux-de-vie: le guide », they have roamed the lands of Armagnac for all these years searching for this golden liquid that they offer to you today. Treasure hunters firstly by taste, but also to satisfy a loyal clientele looking for quality eaux-de-vie, together they are the discoverers of Armagnac. Today, Marc Darroze runs the company alone as Francis has taken his well-deserved retirement. He continues his work however, like a guardian with a watchful eye, sometimes like an antiquarian initiated by his father to help us make these treasures accessible.
THE TERROIR
THE DARROZE FAMILY HISTORY AS WE KNOW IT STARTED (UNSURPRISINGLY) AROUND A DINNER TABLE IN VILLENEUVE DE MARSAN, IN THE HEART OF THE BAS ARMAGNAC AREA…
In 1928, Francis Darroze’s father took over his parents little café/hotel and transformed it into a top notch 2 star restaurant. Such was his success that this enterprise earned him the nickname ‘King Jean’! From when Francis was 15 years old he tagged along with his father as he visited local and regional producers, sourcing quality products for his restaurant : foie gras, free range poultry, wild mushrooms and game, locally caught fish, fresh in-season fruit and vegetables and armagnac, a veritable nest egg for local producers.
THE DARROZE FAMILY HISTORY AS WE KNOW IT STARTED (UNSURPRISINGLY) AROUND A DINNER TABLE IN VILLENEUVE DE MARSAN, IN THE HEART OF THE BAS ARMAGNAC AREA…
The terroirs are heavily influenced by the Atlantic Ocean (the movement of the tides left a deposit of tidal sands on the soils) and the nearby Pyrenees mountain range (which explains why the soil is also ferruginous). This combination creates perfect conditions for the unique production of high quality, very complex armagnacs, with amazing ageing potential. The Darroze family has known these exceptional terroirs, these estates, these winegrowers for generations now, and throughout the years a veritable bond has grown between them.
THE DARROZE PHILOSOPHY
THE TREASURES THAT THE DARROZE FAMILY HAVE BEEN HUNTING OUT SINCE 1974, THIS EAU-DE- VIE FROM THE LAND OF ARMAGNAC, A LITTLE SECRET,…
…authentic lifeblood of the land, concentrated with aromas and flavours, of expressions and unique characters. Francis Darroze – initiated by his father Jean Darroze, famous chef from Villeneuve de Marsan – and his son Marc, roam the estates on the best terroirs, that of the Bas Armagnac and its tawny sands, to select, cultivate and bottle the most beautiful discoveries. Around forty estates contribute to this extraordinary collection that complete and perfect their ageing in the Roquefort cellars. Rare and ancient barrels, or eaux-de-vies from the alambic from a small property, distilled by a reputed mobile distiller and that require several decades of subtle and careful ageing in oak barrels for them to express the qualities of the place and the vintage. In all cases, the Darroze principles – rarely applied to a negotiant – stay the same : to respect totally, in complicity with the proprietor, the true terroir of each vineyard and to see that each and every eau-de-vie achieves its most perfect expression. To preserve the specificities of each Armagnac and not to blend different estates or different vintages. In order not to betray the typical qualities, no ‘reduction’ by the addition of ‘petites eaux’ that not only dilutes the alcoholic strength but also the aromatic intensity and the hints of terroir. Therefore, each Bas-Armagnac is strictly itself, with the name of the estate of it comes from, its vintage and the bottling date that gives its real age, as eau-de-vie no longer ages once bottled. The Darroze collection offers a true voyage of taste over the infinite variations of terroirs, of varieties and of ‘savoir-faire’.
