If you think armagnac is cognac’s poor relation, think again. Far from being a déclassé version of cognac, it is France’s ...

After purchasing a vineyard called Lacroutz in 1870, Dartigalongue had the ability to grow his own native grapes, and launched Croix de Salles Armagnac to complement his eponymous Dartigalongue brand.

As with many French wine-and-spirits designations, cognac is the name of a place, and just to the south of Cognac, in Gascony, is Armagnac. There you'll find true artisans making brandies of far ...