Armagnac de la Grangerie

A bargain in the realm of Armagnac, although a tad rough. The aroma is green apples, grapes, sour green apples, and sour grapes. And maybe some pear. If I sniff it hardcore I can get some flowery honeysuckle-type stuff, but that's not immediately apparent. It's not sour in a terrible way, and perhaps some wouldn't even use the word sour to describe it. It reminds me of the smell of champagne, and I don't like champagne, but this is a bit better than that. The flavor has more apples and pears, some honey, and a good deal of tangy tartness. It has an orchard-esque flavor, with maybe some apricots or other things in there. It's a very light and sharp flavor, not rounded or soft. It's not shy. There's a noticeable kick of alcohol as well, but not overwhelming. The finish gets a bit more honey and has a long-lasting apple-cider tingle. I've only tried a few Armagnacs but this one is pretty different from the rest. It tastes very young and brash. That has its appeal, but it's a little rougher than I'd prefer. It's sort of halfway between an unaged eau-de-vie and the mellow oak I expect from Armagnac, presumably due to its relatively young age. It's enjoyable on its own but only when you're in the mood for a bit of a kick in the pants. I have made sidecars with it and that works nicely. This bottling is an exclusive from K&L Wines, and I picked it up because I was impressed with their private-label Scotch (Faultline) and had hopes of finding similar bang for the buck. This was not as much of a slam dunk as that, but it's still shockingly cheap for Armagnac at $30 for a liter bottle and is a good value. I could see myself buying another bottle at some point, especially if I start exploring brandy cocktails more.