This page covers current events at the estate. Current events of course entail ups and downs in what is going on at the estate. You will also find news of the grape harvest, distillation, information on the vines, the environment, updates on our clientele, on new markets and new countries. Current events also include concerts organised on our grounds, the arrival of the wood pigeons, the appearance of the very first cèpes (boletus mushrooms), the happy mood of our bees… and generally speaking all kinds of information that lets our friends from around the world know what is going on at the estate just now – in other words, sharing insights and information that let our friends dream away and escape to our beloved part of France.
2021
May 2021 :
The weather remained strangely cool throughout this month, with temperatures approaching zero some mornings. Vegetation is two to three weeks late.
We are pleased to have received a gold medal for the Reference (3 years) and a silver medal for the Hors d’Age (10 years) at the San Francisco World Spirits Competition 2021. We only sent these two qualities which are sold under these names on the United States and Russian markets. The 3 Years (Reference) already had a gold medal at the Concours Mondial de Bruxelles in 2019. It is a three-year-old Armagnac, 100% Baco, aged in new oak barrels and exceptionally smooth.
The Hors d’Age had been ranked in 2020 in the 100 best spirits in the world by the Ultimate Challenge Spirit in New York. This is a confirmation of its exceptional quality.
April 7, 2021:
The early morning frost of April 7 will leave a painful memory for all winegrowers. The Lacquy vineyard has not been spared with some very affected plots, and others less. The first estimates revolve around 70% of losses, but the vine is a plant of an extraordinary vitality which can compensate with against-buds, the losses of the frozen flowers. So we have to wait.
March 11th :
On March 1st, we had the pleasure of welcoming Sandra Lemaréchal as export sales manager. She has in-depth knowledge of the world of spirits and in particular of armagnac and will allow us to develop our strategy for the distribution of our exceptional armagnacs.
The pruning of the vines, started at the end of December, was finished in mid-February and we are finishing tying it. The cold and rainy weather at the start of the year delayed vegetation by almost 15 days. This is a pretty good sign for the frosts in late April and early May. The soggy soils capsized some very old and large oak trees in the forest. We are waiting for our merandier to see what we can do with them.
2020
What a year ! We have a special thought for our dear customers, restaurateurs and hoteliers, who have lived through a dark year.
The climate of the year was also atypical: it fell in 1 year 1300 mm of water, nearly a third more than a normal year, but in only three violent episodes. The winter was very mild and dry, with high temperatures from March-April. We suffered a slight frost at the end of April which mainly affected the Colombards, but without consequences on the quality of the wines. Considerable rains fell throughout the region in mid-April, with 200 mm in two days in Lacquy! Then the weather turned fine and it hardly rained until October, with a very hot summer which resulted in grills on the berries facing west. The harvest began very early at the beginning of September with Folles-blanches of exceptional quality, then the Colombards at the end of September and finally the Baco in October. Perfect alcohol and acidity levels.
The distillation began on November 9 and lasted 3 weeks.
We had the pleasure to receive a silver medal in London (IWSC) for the 2005 and to have our Hors d’Âge (USA market) ranked in the 100 best spirits in the world by the Ultimate Challenge Spirit in New York .