Tariquet Bas-Armagnac VSOP

Nose: Freshly pressed fruit-juice, particularly featuring peach, apricot, strawberry and nectarine. A hint of ginger-ale and some vanilla, but the sweet fresh fruitiness overshadows everything else. Some solid and elegant oak cask in the background. A reviving and enlivening nose. Palate: A soft, fruity arrival that turns slightly spicy for a moment but then does a double-take and moves back to sweet fruitiness. The same stone-fruits as are found in the nose appear here together with some fresh plums. The texture is full but verging towards the dry side, which is very pleasant. The tannins from the oak are perfect. Finish: Medium. Fruity and demi-sec, leading into a faintly tannic-spice, leather and cinnamon aftertaste. I don't quite agree with the official tasting notes here for this (I thought it was well balanced for one thing, but meh, what do I know) however I agree that it's an apéritif rather than a digestif. In fact this would be a very pleasant substitute for pastis on a cool autumn evening. Actually, this would work after a meal but the magic pairing would be a very mild cigarello or even a machine-made cigar. Something light enough to let the armagnac dominate. "Good" : 83/100 (3.5 stars)