About this release
Are you ready for our next Grape of the Art bottling? We have a real insider tip for you! Today we introduce you to Domaine de Séailles from Ténarèze – a small, artisanal wine & Armagnac producer founded by the Labérenne family and now passionately run by the super sympathetic winemaker Julien.
By a stroke of luck, we followed a road sign as we passed through and ended up at a rustic and lovely estate. There we were allowed to explore the entire atmospheric warehouse (with chandeliers!) and were just blown away by the variety of styles!
Our first release from Séailles is a 20 year old Millenium Armagnac from the year 2000, limited to 195 bottles. True to our GotA-DNA: Unadulterated at cask strength (54.0%) and without additives!
Why did this particular cask never leave our minds?
Tasting notes
Sweet end elegant the first encounter ensnares your senses with bright fruits, Demerara glue and the finest oils of freshly cut ceddar wood. After a while, lovely chamomile flowers, violets and jasmine also emerge and add to the complexity. The entire composition is supported and interwoven by a hint of citrus oils and woodruff, which lend the bouquet a unique freshness.
Meanwhile the palate gets spoiled by sweet and delicious flavours of toffee, lemon cake and latte, rounded off by a slight dark chocolate bitterness. The heavy body and dense texture lead into a long and refined finish, coating everything in bergamot soaked Earl Grey.
Facts
We pay special attention and care to transparency in our cask selection. Therefore, we share all the data we could gather from the producer:
| Spirit category | Armagnac |
| Producer | Séailles |
| Origin | Armagnac Ténarèze |
| Grape variety | Ugni Blanc |
| Vintage | 2000 |
| ABV | 54,0 % |
| Still type | Alambic Armagnacais |
| Distillateur | Roger Laberenne |
| Aged for | 20 years |
| Cellar climate | Dry |
| Cask number | #19 |
| Bottled in | November 2021 |
| Number of bottles | 195 |
Blog reviews
BOMBE, cet armagnac est juste magnifique ! (92/100)
le Blog A Roger
It tastes excellent, even better than the nose, less wood now, more fruit juice and rancio, a complex balance with echoes of the nose. Elegant finish, very quaffable too. Super! (90+/100)
Slowdrink.de
Der Armagnac zeigt sich im Glas ölig mit einer wunderschönen kräftigen und dunkelbraunen Farbe mit leichtem Rotschimmer. In der Nase weckt auch diese Abfüllung sofort Erinnerungen an einen Demarara Rum. (93/100)
Zucker & Zeste
A very refined Armagnac, stunning quality and balance with aromas that talks to me. Good job for this very nice selection! (90/100)
Tasting Bros
This Seailles 2000 is still an armagnac in the DNA, but with a great refined touch. Even more chocolate-focused than the Dartigalongue Folle Blanche 1993 in my humble opinion. (89/100)
Hors d’Age
High-power Ténarèze, full of rusticity and charm. (87/100)
Whisky Fun
I always had the idea that Ténarèze was the little brother of the armagnac regions. I no longer hold that opinion. This is a very special armagnac that completely captured me. Still! (88/100)
Whivie.be
On dit souvent que le plus dur est de confirmer et après un premier embouteillage plutôt réussi, Grape of the Art nous revient avec deux belles bouteilles, nettement au-dessus du premier opus sorti. On peut donc dire que le pari est réussi! L’armagnac est hyper gourmand, dommage qu’il soit déjà soldout (même moi je n’ai pas pu en avoir un…).
Les Amis des Amis du Rhum
Power and elegance combined, well done. (88/100)
Whiskynotes.be