For those of you who’ve been buying booze from me over the last decade, Domaine d’Ognoas needs no introduction. But for those of you who are long-time Mission shoppers and are new to the domaine, let me tell you about one of the best value brandies in the entire world—an Armagnac made at one of France’s oldest estates that delivers the goods every single time.

Ognoas was once one of Armagnac’s feudal lordships, and the seigneury dates back to the 11th century. It was occupied by various lords and viscountesses for over seven centuries until 1847, when the last remaining heir donated the property to the Catholic church. No longer seeing a need for it, the church handed it over to the French government in 1905, and today the estate is operated as a distillation and agricultural education center. With 565 hectares to work with, there are some pretty neat things happening behind these ancient stone walls.

Because Ognoas is a school, there are educational materials all over the facility and the staff is more than happy to answer all the basic distillation questions. For those of you who are new to Armagnac, it’s sort of like the Bourbon of France. Rather than double pot distillation like Cognac (and single malt), Armagnac is distilled once in a continuous method that uses a primary pot with a secondary column. Like Bourbon, it can be tremendously powerful, oaky, dark, and spicy. Like Bourbon, it’s not uncommon to find Armagnac bottled at higher proofs for greater intensity.

That being said, Ognoas is not one of those Armagnacs. It’s one of the softer, more richly-textured brandies from the region, sort of blurring the lines between brandy and whiskey.

The distillery at Ognoas has been in continuous operation since 1780, making it the oldest in the region. Part of the 565 hectare estate includes the vineyards: Baco, Ugni Blanc, and Folle Blanche all planted on site. Unlike Cognac, which is almost always distilled from Ugni Blanc, Armagnac uses a number of different varietals in its brandies, which can either be single varietal distillates or blends depending on the distiller’s preference.

But my personal favorite aspect about the Ognoas Armagnacs is the oak. The estate has over 300 hectares of forest land on the property, with oak trees grown specifically for cooperage. The trees are selected by the cooperage team and all the barrel-making is done on site. It’s a self-sufficient distillery in every sense of the word and the traditions go back for centuries. The cellar goes back pretty far as well.

How far back? Decades and decades. We just snagged this 42 year old beauty from my friend Charles Neal: 1976 Domaine d’Ognoas for $199, loaded with rich oak, soft fruit, vanilla bean and rancio. When’s the last time you saw 42 year old anything for two hundred bucks?

If that’s too rich for your blood, check out the 1995 Domaine d’Ognoas for $109 that—to me—hits all the right notes for both Bourbon and Scotch drinkers in search of a new adventure. Ample richness from 23 years in the barrel with plenty of supple texture from the marriage of fruit and oak. Yum.

If you’re looking for something with 50+ years on it, check out the 1968 Ognoas for a cool $219. Find me something this good, this old, and at this price and I’ll be impressed.

Or, if you just want to get your feet wet, check out the standard Reserve for $39 and get 10-14 years of richness for a hot, hot price.

We’re just getting started with French spirits here at Mission, so there’s a lot more to come. And a lot more value behind it.

-David Driscoll