Midi-Pyrénées, Gers, Nogaro, France

Ref. MS1026 - Tucked away in a quiet corner of the Gers countryside sits this productive award winning Armagnac estate. The 15 hectares of carefully tended certified organic vines and manicured grounds surround the large, tastefully restored, maison de mâitre house, sold fully furnished, with attached outbuildings and a large recently constructed chai/aging cellar and pool.

This is the perfect “turnkey” operation with all the ingredients you need to continue to run this successful business, as the current owners who do not live in France full time have done for two decades. Equally importantly, the offering includes twenty years of award winning stocks in oak barrels aging in the magnificent chai.

The heart of any vineyard property is, of course, the terroir and vines. This property is located in the Grand Bas Armagnac, the small sliver of land noted for producing the highest quality Armagnac. The vineyards, which surround the house on three sides, are planted in Baco, Ugni Blanc and Folle Blanche, the classic grapes used to produce the finest Armagnac. The vineyard has been officially certified organic since 2012.

No expense was spared by the owners in the newly constructed chai which is an oak framed building designed in traditional Gascon style and built to achieve the ideal environment for the aging of Armagnac. It includes an air conditioned central area with large glass sliding doors, which has been used to house the alambic during the distillation process—and could provide space for tastings and a variety of other activities during the remainder of the year. An open tread oak staircase on three sides with viewing doors into the other areas takes you up to an impressive large room with windows on all four sides with a view over the vineyards. It has an oak floor, fireplace and sink and could be used as an office or for hosting functions or tasting events. On the ground floor there is a sizable bottling area in the back as well as a storage room where bottles and supplies are kept. There is a bathroom on the opposite side of the bottling room and another large set of doors in the middle of the back wall that lead out to an exterior deck with views over a small pond and the vineyard. Doors on both sides of the central area lead to the two large aging rooms which provide the ideal environment for the maturation of the Armagnac.

The older outbuildings house the vinification cellar where the harvest is brought in, the grapes are pressed and the juice fermented. There is also room in the remaining outbuildings for car storage and more than ample space to add additional guest rooms or a spacious caretaker quarters if desired.


THE HOUSE
Extensively and tastefully renovated to the highest standards by the current owners to provide a comfortable family home with all of the modern conveniences. The original features have been retained and are beautifully enhanced by the furnishings. It is bright and airy with a nice flow throughout and all the comforts for a modern lifestyle.

The house is entered through the original double wooden doors to a hallway with terracotta tiles and an antique wooden and iron staircase. To the right one enters a double sized salon with a colombage wall and a very large traditional open stone fireplace with space on both sides for the storage of logs. French doors on the opposite end of the salon lead to the pool area. To the left of the entrance one finds the formal dining room which also has classic colombage walls, another rustic stone fireplace and an ancient stone sink.

A short corridor leads from the dining room to a vanity and a large fitted kitchen with a restored bread oven. There is a utility room off the kitchen and ample space to have an informal dining area if desired. From the kitchen there is a step down to another room currently used for casual dining. That room, in turn, opens to a very large room suitable for a variety of purposes with a wall of windows and doors looking onto a courtyard with a fountain. An insulated racked wine storage room is at the far end as well as an interior door to the attached vinification cellar. At the other end of the corridor off of the dining room is an office that could easily be used as a ground floor bedroom as it has a full bathroom with both shower and bath.

Upstairs there is an open plan central library area with a Juliette balcony. To one side is a spacious master suite with a fitted dressing room and luxurious jetted bath, separate shower and double washbasins sitting on a custom made unit. To the other side of the floor are two nicely sized bedrooms, both with large en suite bathrooms.

There is a large lounge on the second floor with bedrooms at each end. This floor has its own bathroom with both shower and bath as well as views of the Pyrenees.

Outside there is a large (7m x14m) salt swimming pool with surrounding wooden decking. A few steps take you to a pool house and barbecue area with ample deck space for dining al fresco or simply lounging. There are other areas of grounds which could be developed into a vegetable garden. All of this is contained in a landscaped area that provides complete privacy and room for a variety of lawn games. In addition, there is a small orchard planted to heritage fruit trees adjacent to the vineyards.

SUMMARY
All in all a walk into house and successful business in a quiet location but only a few kilometres from multiple towns with a wide range of facilities. This area is close to the motorway network providing easy access to the Atlantic beaches and Pyrenees ski slopes. The regional airport at Pau is about half an hour away and the international airports of Bordeaux and Toulouse around 1hour 30 mins and 2 hours.

FULL DETAILS ARE AVAILABLE ON REQUEST