Tag: IB: Darroze

Rating 7/ 10
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Château de Gaube 1962 @ 42.5% by Darroze

Nose: ripe red plums, sticky prunes, pomegranate molasses, chocolate covered freeze dried cherries, nutmeg, home crafted cola

Palate: nutella crepes, toasted pecans, cacao nibs, dr pepper reduction, cloves, browned butter, hints of cassis. The mouthfeel is both gentle and yet coats my mouth. At this abv the spirit performs beautifully.

Rating: 7 / 10 – a wood lover’s pour. nothing complex but down right tasty.

Rating 7/ 10
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Château de Gaube 1963 @ 45.5% by Darroze

Nose: quince, unripe apricot, fresh cut leeks, grapefruit peel and crystalized ginger, cedar closet, licorice root, aspirin.

Palate: nectarines caramelized with a touch of brown sugar and butter, maple syrup on fluffy pancakes, carambar – haven’t had one in a long time, guaranteed to peel off your brackets by the third caramel, dried mango, lychee syrup… such a gorgeous tropical note, entering cognac territory here. After a few minutes, I can still taste the caramel notes but have an odd cotton mouth sensation.

Rating: 7 / 10 – while I don’t love-love the nose, damn that palate shines with brilliant tropical fruits and luscious sweetness. The palate is a 8, even a 9, but the strange offset with the nose is a discombobulating.

Rating 6/ 10
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Bellair Darroze 50 Year 1968 42.5%

Nose: Honeycrisp apples, high tannin and acidity fresh pressed cider, cedar closet.

Palate: Brown sugar and tannins, toasted pecans, ryan, being a touch more glencairnes half full, thinks it’s piquant. Fresh blueberry, Apple cider vinegar, licking an envelope.

Rating: 6 / 10 – one elegant pour

Rating 6/ 10
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Domaine de Jouanchicot 1968 @ 42% by Darroze

Nose: It’s like getting hugged by maple syrup. creme brulee with an apricot reduction, right at the end of the aroma there is something with a bit more character, a hint of white pepper. The nose is gourmand.

Palate: Maple syrup indeed. Fluffy pancakes with a dusting of brown sugar. Oatmeal cookies. All the goodness from long aging with none of the heavy tannins. The white pepper wasn’t a figment of my imagination.

Rating: 6 / 10 – elegant and quite lovely, but misses some depth. Wish I knew which year it was bottled. I’d love to try a higher ABV from this domain.

Rating 5/ 10
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Domaine Bellair 1967 (~50 year) 42.5% by Darroze

Nose: I’ve spent all week drinking dirty chais. Julie bought me pumpkin chai tea bags from the clearance aisle, which I promptly threw into the trash. But she encouraged me to go find a solid chai tea bag. I prefer to make the concentrare from scratch but this month has been maxed. So, one chai tea bag, two spoonfuls of acacia honey, one shot of espresso and then fill my thermos to the top with oat milk. An earthiness, nearly tobacco. Goji berries and golden raisins.

Palate: Sharp and bitter for a second … morphing into bright fruit forward sweetness. Raisins. An orange herb drop. Prune juice. Black tea tannins and 80% dark cocoa, which Julie loves but I barely find palatable. Black peppercorn. Minutes later the palate lingers, like chocolate espresso beans. Despite all these potent and dominant flavors, the mouthfeel is thin and slightly strained.

Rating: 5 / 10 – I really like the nose on this, and all the elements to capture my imagination are there, but the palate just didn’t carry it through. For the ABV there was no lack of flavor, it just missed a roundedness in my mouth which would have made it worth pouring again. I wish I knew why this isn’t my jam.

Rating 5/ 10
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Domaine Bellair 1968 (~50 year) 42.5% by Darroze

Nose: I struggle to love Welch’s grape juice. Only because it was one of only two options as a kid until snapple finally burst onto the scene. And yet decades later, I remember the smell so distinctly. Bright and vibrant, with a touch of tannins and must. Frankly, a note I find more typical in cognac than armagnac. Underneath, hints of an herb garden, lemon balm and catnip. Sage.

Palate: Pretty spot on from the nose. Grape jam n herbs. Which could be pretty cool. A mouth drying effect, like eating pear skins. Even a touch of moist tobacco. A baking powder vibe, tannins balanced like tangerine peels and dried cherries. Reminds me of the mass-produced panettone that carrefour has during the holidays. I can eat a whole one of those things all by myself, and then often regret the indulgence.

Rating: 5 / 10 – too herbal for me, but this will appeal to the right crew.

Rating 7/ 10
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Domaine de Barigos 1990 / March 2019 45.3% by Darroze

Nose: I joined a sherry bomb tasting last week and could easily have snuck this in. With this nose, it might have even taken best in show. Leather, cocoa fruit pods, tobacco. Dried cherries, dates and ripe end of season plums. Back to the chocolate.

Palate: First sip is like an ephemeral dream, fleeting. Wish it had a hint more kick as it starts in thin. But once I set that high proof whisky curmudgeon in his corner and chill the duck out, I really delight in the palate. I used to soak dark cherries in bourbon in my freezer. In theory to make cocktails but in reality because they make such a sweet-tart rich bite. A craft cola that leans into its herbal nature. Very gentle coffee and chocolate notes. The oak shows as a mild tannic bitter but at this abv it’s a beautiful base note.

Rating: 7 / 10 – the more I drink the more it evolves. If you told me this was an old glen grant I would believe you.