France, Armagnac

In the heart of the Bas-Armagnac region, the vineyards of the Château de Monbel have been part of the same family estate since 1683. Eaux de Vie have been produced here since at least the seventeenth century, from 25 hectares of Colombard and Ugni vines planted on the classic iron-rich acid sand soils. Distillation is in the ancient alembic, and aged in 400 litre casks made by hand splitting oak from the estate. The current chatelaine, the Comtesse Robert d'Agrain, is the great niece of Raymond de Monbel, who was responsible for the remodelling of the Château in the late nineteenth century. Raymond was evidently quite a character, ambassador to Holland, Morocco, China and Japan, he left a stud stable in the form of a pagoda, and was reputed to have won the Derby, as well as having a race named after him at Bayonne. His wife was Princess Camilla Borghese, and she in turn added a park in the style of the Via Apia, a magnificent 800 metre avenue of umbrella pines, and a Florentine tower.