Hontambère - RAC Spirits - Armagnac Ténarèze - 1995 - Ugni Blanc - Single Cask #B4 - Pouchégu - 200 bottles - 54.8%
The Hontambère Distillery is located in Castelnau d’Auzan, in the Ténarèze region at the heart of Armagnac. Cindy Crighton, Director, and Sylvain Lafargue, Distiller and Cellar Master, craft eaux-de-vie from the estate’s vineyards planted with the four main grape varieties: Ugni Blanc, Baco, Folle Blanche and Colombard. The grape spirit is distilled in a century-old Armagnac alambic within the Hontambère cellars. Hontambère is not only a producer of Armagnac but also an independent bottler. Old stocks, such as those from the prestigious Pouchégu distillery, are now part of Hontambère’s collection. In total, more than 550 casks are maturing patiently in the cellars, bearing witness to the historical richness of Armagnac.
This Hontambère 1995 is a true gem, produced from Ugni Blanc grapes distilled in December 1995 in a traditional Armagnac alambic and bottled in September 2025. Aged for a full 30 years in a single cask (#B4) in a dry cellar, it embodies the elegance and complexity of the greatest terroir-driven Armagnacs. The nose reveals outstanding aromatic intensity: candied fruits, prune, dried apricot, and citrus peel, enhanced by delicate spicy and woody notes. The palate is generous and velvety, offering a very fruity and utterly indulgent profile, supported by freshness and remarkable depth. The long and persistent finish leaves an impression of rare purity and balance.
Only 200 bottles were produced, making this cuvée a true collector’s item. Described as one of the finest Armagnacs of the moment, this coup de cœur will delight both passionate enthusiasts and collectors in search of an exceptional piece.
Serge Valentin : 90/100 : Pure ugni blanc here. This baby has just been released, but we know that Pouchégu—another now-defunct estate—produced magnificent things, so it’s almost as if we already knew what to expect in our wee tasting glass. Colour: red amber. Nose: very well integrated, on stewed and preserved yellow fruits and exotic jams, various honeys, with a discreet fir-and-mint combination tucked well into the background. A faint vinous edge, though you can tell two or three drops of H2O will work wonders here. With water: the wood rises up, but it’s beautiful wood. Damp earth, greenhouse air, mosses… Mouth (neat): ultra-expressive, marked by resinous oak and some wine wood, but in this context all of it feels extremely positive, especially as the exotic-cask-meets-mint combo takes over with tremendous grace. That said, you can feel again water’s going to work miracles… With water: and indeed, it does, bringing out that distinctly Ténarèze, very ‘countryside’ character most delightfully. Finish: long, now uniting every facet—earth, resins, honey, exotic fruits… Comments: to be sipped during a feria, right in the middle of a bull run. Just mind yourself
