ABOUT THE PRODUCER: LaRoche-Vacquié
In 1990, on an apple and prune farm, Bruno Compagnon made a pivotal decision: to revive the Haut Armagnac appellation, which had never recovered from the 19th century phylloxera epidemic. Bruno was knighted in 1997 for his role in reintroducing Armagnac production to this historic region. In 2008, Bruno and his son Morgan converted the vineyards of LaRoche-Vacquié into a fully organic estate and in 2011, a solar farm was created allowing full sustainability. Today, there are 62 acres of organic vineyards in production with only a few acres reserved for the Armagnac production. Only 1% of all Armagnac are produced in the Haut Armagnac, aka the “white Armagnac” for its unique chalky and limestone soils. Bruno and Morgan are the true pioneers in the innovation of “Haute Couture in Haut Armagnac”, and they are the only Haut Armagnac producer to have vintages dating back to 1991.
LaRoche-Vacquié overlooks the historic town of Lectoure, which is considered one of the most beautiful villages in Gascony. The manor house was built in 1784 by the Count de Pâris-Vacquié; in the 11th century, the vineyard became famous for being the privileged supplier of the French monarchy thanks to “its soils of a higher quality than that of other regions” as explained in the 1859 report on the Wines of Gers and the Eaux-de-vie d’Armagnac.
