In 1832, in order to sell Armagnac, the famous brandy dating back to Henry IV and d'Artagnan, an accessible location was needed: it was in Pont-de-Bordes, near Nérac, that the first Armagnac trading house was established, with its cellars on the edge of an ancient Roman road and on a tributary of the Garonne, the Baïse.
Baron Haussmann, sub-prefect of Nérac between 1832 and 1939, encouraged the Castarède family to go into the Armagnac trade.
For nearly 50 years, Pont de Bordes and then Condom were the major centers of Armagnac production.
Initially, the trading house was called Jules Nismes Delclou & Cie. Ennobled by King Louis XVIII in 1818, the Castarède family later gave it its name and coat of arms.
In 1832, it appeared in the commercial register of the time as the first trading company registered in Armagnac.
In 1932, Raymond Castarède took over the management of the family business.
The business, which had been quite active at the outset, had not developed as it should have for various reasons, particularly geographical ones.
Very active in all local institutions (Compagnie des Mousquetaires, BNIA, Syndicat de l'Armagnac), Raymond Castarède tirelessly promoted this Gascony brandy.
His wife, and then his son, Jean Castarède, continued to celebrate this brandy.
Much later, the Castarède family would rediscover the spirit of Baron Haussmann, as more than ten years earlier, Florence Castarède, Jean's daughter, had moved to the heart of Paris, at 140 Boulevard Haussmann, where she had opened a cultural venue where artists and Armagnac enthusiasts could meet over a glass and chat in a friendly atmosphere, in the Gascon style of Henri IV and d'Artagnan. Florance Castarède died on January 17, 2025.
Some facts and dates...
• At the 2003 G8 summit in Evian, the heads of state in attendance each received a vintage bottle from their year of birth.
• To celebrate 180 years, a special 18-year-old magnum vintage was presented during the evening at Fouquet's.
• Available worldwide, Castarède Armagnacs are served at the finest Michelin-starred restaurants. Castarède Armagnac was served at Le Gavroche in London during the world's most expensive dinner, alongside other legendary bottles.
• L'amateur de Bordeaux selected the 1900 as one of the twelve dream bottles to have in your cellar for the third millennium.
• Hors d'Age Armagnac was served in Air France's lounges and business class on medium and long-haul flights for nearly ten years.
• Castarède Armagnacs are available in all duty-free shops in France.
• Following in the footsteps of their ancestors, the Castarède family represents Armagnac at numerous Musketeers chapters around the world.
Castarede Armagnac has received numerous medals.
Armagnac Castarede
Pont de Bordes,
47230 Lavardac
Tel.: +33 (0)5 53 65 50 06
32240 Mauléon d'Armagnac
Tel.: +33 (0)5 62 09 66 80
Paris Showroom
140 Boulevard Haussmann,
75008 Paris
Tel.: +33 (0)1 44 05 15 81
https://www.armagnac-castarede.fr/fr/
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