THE COLORS OF GASCOGNE
Floc de Gascogne is in fact the lovely continuation of an old Gascon recipe from the 16th century made from 1/3 of young armagnac and 2/3 of fresh grape juice, both from the same vineyard. It’s a recipe that the distant ancestors of our winegrowers made famous to the prominent people of that era.
«Lou Floc de Nouste» in Occitan, which literally means «the bouquet of flowers of our home», was therefore christened Floc de Gascogne in 1976, when it was first put on the market.
Cabernet Franc N, Cabernet Sauvignon N, Merlot N and Tannat N
Colombard B, Ugni Blanc B, and Gros Manseng B
The red Flocs de Gascogne are made from traditional varieties: Cabernet Sauvignon with complex perfumes of red fruits; Cabernet Franc with aromas of raspberry; Merlot for its lovely roundness in the mouth and lastly, the Tannat for its invigorating lift.
The white Flocs de Gascogne have the finesse of the Colombard grape with its citrus aromas. From the Ugni Blanc there is a delicate fresh acidity with aromas of dried fruits and the Gros Manseng delivers a lovely fruity roundness.
Food and floc pairing:
Each family of tastes has distinctive characteristics that allow for different styles of drinking; unusual and fresh ideas that can often be quite surprising ! A journey that can take Floc de Gascogne from its habitual use as an aperitif and into original pairings to tantalise your taste buds during a whole meal.
GOURMETS
Soft and fleshy, whether white or red, the Flocs de Gascogne in the Gourmet family display lovely fruit with well integrated alcohol. They are a delicacy with a perception of sweetness bordering on patisserie notes. The Gourmets will go very well with the following dishes among others:
- With Jambon de Bayonne, that melts in the mouth
- With duck breast with honey and roast figs
- With semi cooked foie gras marbled with fresh redcurrants, coarse salt and Sichuan pepper
- With a fillet of red mullet and little sticks of grilled chorizo served with preserved piccalos red peppers
- With maple syrup crepes
- With a fresh Black Forest gateau!
- With a raspberry tart and lemon curd
- With a chilled strawberry soup and almond milk ice cream
SUPPLE
Balanced and fine, whether white or red, the Flocs de Gascogne in the Supple family are subtle and elegant, offering aromas of fruit and flowers with great delicacy. The Supple will delight your taste buds:
- With beef carpaccio and fresh redcurrant
- With lamb tagine and apricots
- With a cherry clafoutis served hot with almond milk ice cream
POWERFUL
Frank and lively, whether white or red, the Flocs de Gascogne in the Powerful family are also quite « warm » with a perception of more alcohol giving enhanced floral aromas of the young armagnac. With a less pronounced sweetness, this family of tastes gives an invigorating tasting experience. The Powerful will satisfy:
- With a Bleu des Causses cheese
- With foie gras, gingerbread toast and pickled figs
- With a sweet and savoury tagine (spices and sweet potato)
- With moist chocolate cake filled with black cherry from Itxassou and Amaretto
MORE ABOUT FLOC DE GASCOGNE
1990: Appellation d’Origine Contrôlée (AOC-AOP*), AOP since 2009
Location: Gers, the Landes and Lot-et-Garonne departments
Production area: 780 ha (1 927 acres)
Harvest: 10 000 hl (1 000 000 litres)
Terroir: The Flocs de Gascogne take their character from their production zone that covers three departments: Gers (80%), Landes and Lot-et-Garonne.
There are three regions of production for Armagnac : Bas Armagnac, Armagnac Ténarèze and Haut Armagnac, making up a vineyard of 900 hectares in the shape of a beautiful vine leaf.
- Bas-Armagnac to the west is rolling countryside; the vines grow on poor and acidic clay loam soils with pockets of iron elements in places that colour it reddish brown, hence their name ‘tawny sands’. The ‘boulbènes’, characteristic sediment in the region are predominantly silty soils.
- Armagnac-Ténarèze in the centre is a transitional zone. Here we find ‘boulbènes’ and ‘terreforts’ (Gascon name given to clay-limestone soils that are heavy yet fertile).
- Haut-Armagnac in the south and east is very spread out. The hills are of limestone and clay-limestone whilst the valleys are sometimes covered with boulbènes. The vineyards here are quite sparse.
Climate: Armagnac benefits from quite a unique climate with three major influences: Mediterranean, oceanic and continental. This gives the Flocs de Gascogne a lovely balance, an elegant aromatic strength and a light and fruity character.
* Created by the EU in 1992, the AOP label (Appellation d’Origine Protégée) designates products that have been produced, processed and developed in a specific geographical area, using the recognized know-how of local producers and ingredients from that region. The English equivalent is PDO (Protected Designation of Origin).
Source: http://floc-de-gascogne.fr
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