Vincent and Victoire PIQUEMAL, brother and sister, work together at Domaine de Danis, where they produce Côtes de Gascogne white wines and Armagnacs. Located in the Gers department on the edge of the Landes forest, the Domaine's vineyards cover 38 hectares planted with white grape varieties. The mobile Armagnac still comes to the estate every year to distill the wine and make “la Blanche” (the first step towards Armagnac). On the estate, “la Blanche” is made from Folle Blanche grapes! In his Armagnac lover's guide, Pierre Casamayor writes of the Folle Blanche grape: “It produces remarkable eaux de vie, highly aromatic, fresh and elegant. It is the grape variety of great refinement, great aromatic persistence and sharp, sharp notes.” Once the eau-de-vie has been placed in casks, or more accurately “en pièce” (a piece of Armagnac contains around 400 liters), it enters a second phase: maturation. The winemaker patiently waits for the Armagnac to evolve in both appearance and taste, before considering marketing it. At Domaine de Danis, bottling is only carried out for Armagnacs over 10 years old. So, packaging is done according to orders, to keep the Armagnac “in the wood” for as long as possible, because a bottled Armagnac is an Armagnac that no longer ages! The Armagnacs marketed are unreduced (natural degree reached during aging) and offered in out-of-age vintages.

“Grape of the Art” (GotA) is a project that showcases exceptional Armagnacs and Cognacs, bottled in single casks and without reduction, to satisfy rum and whisky lovers. The concept was born of a group of enthusiasts in Stuttgart who, after discovering the quality and diversity of Armagnacs, decided to devote themselves to this French eau-de-vie. Their aim is to reveal the hidden treasures of small producers by selecting rare, unaltered casks.