L'Encantada Domaine Grand Môle, 1992
THE BOTTLER: L'ENCANTADA
L'Encantada began in 2011 in Vic-Fézensac, a small commune in the heart of Gascony, when a group of friends came together to found an independent Armagnac bottling house. What set them apart from the start was access — relationships with individual growers across the region that let them draw directly from exceptional single casks, rather than working from a standardised house blend. Every release comes brut de fût: natural strength, natural colour, nothing added — no caramel, no sugar, no water — a philosophy cellar master Vincent has stood behind from the beginning. In a little over a decade, that hands-off approach has built L'Encantada a reputation among serious Armagnac collectors as one of the region's most reliable sources for genuinely honest, unmanipulated vintage spirit.
THE ARMAGNAC: DOMAINE GRAND MÔLE, 1992
This vintage was distilled in 1992 at Domaine Grand Môle, in the Armagnac-Ténarèze subregion — the appellation prized for producing some of the most elegant, floral expressions of Armagnac, sitting between the fuller-bodied Bas-Armagnac and the lighter Haut-Armagnac. Made from a blend of Colombard and Ugni Blanc, it spent thirty years resting in a single cask before L'Encantada drew it off and bottled it in November 2022, at natural cask strength — 52% ABV, from a single cask, with just 350 bottles produced.
Three decades in wood have given this Armagnac real depth without ever losing the freshness that Ténarèze is known for — an old spirit that still drinks with real vitality.
TASTING NOTES
Colour: Deep amber-gold, the product of thirty years in cask.
Nose: Rich and layered — ripe apricot, mango and fig lead, with a soft lemon cheesecake sweetness underneath. White chocolate and gentle spice sit alongside notes of prune and toffee, with a citrus freshness lifting the whole thing.
Palate: Generous and rounded, orchard fruit meeting creamy vanilla and honey. Cocoa and toasted almond bring a savoury depth, joined by crushed walnut, date, and a soft thread of strawberry, melon and raspberry. Delicate orange and apple blossom florals run underneath it all.
Finish: Fresh and citrus-driven, orange and tangerine lingering last.
Serve: Neat, in a tulip glass, at room temperature — this is a spirit built for slow, reflective drinking. Good alongside a fruit tart or a soft, ripe cheese, or simply on its own to close an evening.