The Odyssey
1970 and 1964 Domaine Boingneres on a kitchen shelf at Bern’s
Lads and lasses, though you may be searching for a fine and rare brandy to delight your senses, you’ll be hard pressed to find a single Armagnac on a restaurant spirits menu in these United States. Finding a few Armagnacs is rarer still. More Armagnacs than that, well, it’s as rare as mermaid’s tears.
But friends, I’ve heard rumors of an Armagnac Menu as mighty as a tempest and as boundless as the seas. These tales were told in side-eyed whispers, like an old mariner recounts furtive tales of sea nymphs. The muted tones speak of fine bottles of Armagnac, on offer any given night, poured by the glass. And not just one Armangac, scores of them. Old. And rare. And good! The purported locus for this bacchanal of distilled goodness is the seaside city of Tampa, the venue known as Burn’s Steakhouse.
So then, when recently invited to dine at the fabled establishment with a hearty group of wine lovers, I struck upon the opportunity. The food would be delectable, the company would be outstanding, and the wine – pulled from Burn’s 600,000 bottle cellar – would be impeccable. But for me, the prospect of an Armagnac bounty was the Siren song.
Could it be real? Does The Menu exist? Are the legends true?
And so on the night of the dinner, I arrived early, alone, with the hope of communing with some old & rare Armagnac. Upon entry I was met by the hostess, a steely Janus guarding the mythical gates of brandy heaven. She concentrated all of her crow's feet into one scowl* and cast it upon me, halting my progression. But alas, with some cleverness and luck I circumvented her opposition.
I proceeded to the lounge, which like much of the restaurant, was dripping in red velveteen wall coverings, opulent wall sconces and white marble statues. It appeared as a brothel for spirits, a brandy bordello. If a cask-aged Calypso was to be found anywhere, I reckoned it would be found here.
I was seated and presented with The Menu, a hard-cover tome whose size and weight suggested a prize within. I opened the cover the beheld on the first page - the first page - the italicized word “Armagnacs”. Beneath it, Armangac after glorious Armagnac. Three pages worth, two columns per page, one hundred and twenty one offerings in all. The vintage dates reached back to 1857, when wooden vessels still sailed the oceans and salty seamen still told tales of beautiful sea nyphs. I spied the offerings:
Castarède, Sigognoac, Boingnères.
Loubere, St. Aubin, Janneau.
Grindiniere, Chapoulie, Sempé.
I’ve seen Elysium and it is draped in red velvet.
While The Menu rightly deserves hours of study and careful consideration, time was my foe, and so I made four gut-shot selections.
And then I waited. Oh, the waiting! If ever the suspense could be more tortuous. Each passing moment was a veritable eternity as anticipation clung to me like barnacles to the hull of a ship. I was caught in the eddies of time, trapped in a whirlpool of longing and frustration, unable to break free and reach the shores of divine fulfillment. But finally, finally, three minutes in, the first pair of Armagnacs arrived.
First, a 1924 Domaine de Gaube, singing a melody of cigar box, caramel, black pepper and mint on the nose. The palate was supple and sweet with more caramel, the variety drizzled on ice cream. The finish was long and crisp, with black pepper turning to white, and accompanied by driftwood.
The sister pairing was a 1926 Domaine de Gaube, conjuring a whirlwind of cinnamon and oak throughout the tasting. The nose offered aromas of fresh ground cinnamon, sous bois and damp wood, the latter of which continued through the palate. The finish was an ornery mix of cinnamon schnapps, moss covered tree bark and liquid bitters.
Reveling in the Gaube, the second set arrived.
The 1964 Domaine Boingnères tendered an intense and complex nose of middle eastern spice, German chocolate and cola, draped with a delicate salinity. Dark cherry reduction and toasted oak appeared on the palate. The finish was marked by toffee and dark chocolate, followed by a long, long, long note of Madera wine.
Finally, desert was provided in the form of a 1966 Domaine Boingnères. Sweet caramel and Irish cream greeted my nose, while the mouth contained notes of whipped cream, espresso dust and rancio. Tiramisu and tannins were effusive on the finish, tempered with sun-softened milk chocolate.
It was a triumphant tide that swept over me, filling my spirit with an overwhelming sense of contentment and fulfillment, quenching the thirst of my soul and affirming the voyage I had undertaken.
But alas, like any adventure, the Fates had more in store.
I fell in with my dining companions for a tour of the wine cellar, and after tasting a few bottles in situ we settled into the wood paneled Tchelistcheff Room for what would be an exquisitely long feast. The wine flowed, the food was abundant, the conversation was delightful.
Eventually we drifted upstairs to the desert room, which by this time of the evening was completely deserted. Just as well, as our distinguished group of gentlemen, under the spell of Montrachet and Margaux, had devolved into a swashbuckling group of marauders.
A curious collection of ovaline booths stretched before us like boats in a harbour, and we boarded our own woodslatted vessel. Through the clamor desserts were ordered, along with an ancient port, which arrived in its own woven metal skiff.
To my surprise, the host ordered a round of old Armagnacs. When the plunder arrived, we each in turn took a small draw from the same precious glass, like a wild pack of teenage boys sharing their first pull of tobacco.
There was the 1857 Manoir de Beraut, showcasing an exotic Tahitian vanilla and sweet caramel bouquet, an acetone-dominated palate and rancio finish. Then the 1893 Baron de Sigognac (aka Vaghi) with a straightforward nose of caramel and solvent, almond cake on the palate, and a medium-length finish of oak, rancio and licorice.
Through the mist of the hours-long evening I reckon we had a 1933 La Grindiniere, which appeared and disappeared like a banshee, and explains the shipwrecked tasting note scrawled in my phone: “carrot cake 87.”
The carousing continued, and word grew of my Armagnac obsession. The venturesome group requested I select a few favorites from the menu, and I obliged with the liquid riches from earlier in the eve: the ‘24 and ‘26 de Gaube. The precious grog was gleefully received and heartily enjoyed. As the night turned to early morning, we retreated to cigars, and polished off the open bottle of ‘64 Boingnères.
Lads and Lasses, my eyes have beheld a sight I never thought possible: an Armagnac offering as vast as the night sky and as deep as the sea herself. A boatload of brandy riches that sails straight and true. Aye, The Menu indeed exists, the legend is true.
Ratings:
1924 Domaine de Gaube: 92
1926 Domaine de Gaube: 91
1964 Domaine Boingnères: 92
1966 Domaine Boingnères: 90
1857 Manoir de Beraut: 78
1893 Vaghi Baron de Sigognac: 84
1933 La Gindiniere: 87
The Menu
The Bern’s Armagnac menu as offered in December, 2022, in its entirety.
Averys, Exceptional Selection, 1914
Baron de Castarède 1940
Baron de Castarède 1936
Baron de Castarède 1934
Baron de Castarède 1924
Baron de Castarède 1920
Baron de Castarède 1918
Baron de Castarède 1914
Baron de Castarède 1911
Baron de Castarède 1900
Baron de Castarède 1904
Baron de Castarède 1890
Baron de Sigognac XO
Baron de Sigognac Napoleon
Baron de Sigognac Bas 1932
Baron de Sigognac Bas 1918
Baron de Sigognac Bas 1893
Beaugentry Armagnac, Dist. 1945
Bernard Cournet 1914
Bhakta 50yr
Château du Bourdieu Anne Armagnac
Château du Busca XO No. 1 Tenareze
Château de Laubade, Dist 1944
Château de Laubade 1939
Château de Laubade 1938
Château de Laubade 1937
Château de Laubade 1927
Château de Laubade 1926
Château de Laubade 1925
Château de Laubade 1923
Château de Laubade 1922
Château de Laubade 1921
Château de Laubade 1910
Château de Laubade 1908
Château de Laubade 1904
Cles des Ducs VSOP
Clés des Ducs Extra Grande Reserve
Comte de Montal Reserve
Delord Napoléon Bas 10yr
De Montal VSOP
De Montal 1965
De Montal 1962
De Montal 1949
De Montal Armagnac 1939
De Montal 1904
Domaine le Basque Bas 1955
Domaine Boingnères Bas Reserve 1975
Domaine Boingnères Bas Reserve 1974
Domaine Boingnères Bas Reserve 1973
Domaine Boingnères Bas Reserve 1970
Domaine Boingnères Bas Reserve 1968
Domaine Boingnères Bas Reserve 1966
Domaine Boingnères Bas Reserve 1964
Domaine de Bonnefin Bas 1949
Domaine de Bonnefin Bas 1946
Domaine de Carente Bas 1947
Domaine d’Esperance, Dist. 1937
Domaine de Gaube Bas 1926
Domaine de Gaube Bas 1924
Domaine de Hourtica Bas 1971
Doamine de Hourtica Bas 1942
Domaine Lafitte Bas Reserve Special
Domaine Loubere Bas Napoléon
Domaine Loubere Bas Reserve Special
Domaine Loubere Bas 1956
Domaine Loubere Bas 1936
Domaine Loubere Bas 1935
Domaine Loubere Bas 1934
Domaine de Peyron Bas 1967
Domaine de St. Aubin Bas 1972
Domaine de St. Aubin Bas 1970
Domaine de St. Aubin Bas 1967
Domaine de St. Aubin Bas 1966
Domaine de St. Aubin Bas 1965
Domaine de St. Aubin Bas 1964
Domaine de St. Aubin Bas 1962
Domaine de St. Aubin Bas 1959
Domaine de Touja Bas 1954
Domaine de Touja Bas 1942
Francis Darroze Bas 40yr
Francis Darroze, Chateau de Brise 1912
Grand Marquis de Puysegur 1928
J. Chapoulie Legendaire
J. Chapoulie Reserve B. Lauze
J. Chapoulie 1960
J. Chapoulie Collection 1934
Janneau Grande 1924
Janneau Grande 1918
Janneau Grande Armagnac 1904
Janneau Grande Armangac 1903
Jean Danflou Extra
Jean Danflou Exceptional
L’Encantada La Frêche Armagnac 1989 Single Cask 31yr
La Grindiniere Veille Reserve 1944
La Grindiniere Veille Reserve 1941
La Grindiniere Veille Reserve 1933
La Grindiniere Veille Reserve 1934
Labiette Castille 1978
Labiette Castille 1951
Lamothe Le Basque 1966
Larresingle Reserve VSOP
Larresingle Très Vieil 1928
Larresingle Reserve 1900
Maison Veuve Claverie & Fils Armagnac 1900
Manior de Béraut Comte de Goyon Armagnac 1857
Marcel Trépout Fine 1912
Marie Duffau Napoléon Bas 6yr
Marie Duffau Hors D’Age Bas 12yr
Marie Duffau Bas 40yr, 1974
Marie Duffau Bas 50yr, 1964
Marquis de Caussade VSOP
Marquis de Montdidier 1933
Marquis de Monesquiou Napoléon
Michel Faure Bas Armagnac 1962
Samalens VSOP
Sempé VSOP
Sempé 1934
Sempé 1932
Sempé 1930
Vieil Armagnac, B. Gélas et Fils 1949
AOML Rating scale:
<75 Not recommended
75-79 Average, contains some flaws
80-84 Good, well-made Armagnac
85-89 Very good, an Armagnac with special qualities
90-94 Outstanding, an Armagnac of exceptional character and style
95-100 Classic, an Armagnac for the ages
*Melville