When you Drink a Familiar Wine after a Long Separation

[Adam_Frisch]

Wonderful story, Sarah.

I’d never heard of them, so looked up the website. And from a pure marketing standpoint, the brand gives me anxiety:

1. They make wines in all colors
2. They distill multiple spirits
3. They make liquers
4. They make aperitif’s
5. They make giftbags.

How do they survive being so unfocused? Obviously the wine must be very good if you buy it each year, so this is not a critique of that at all. I’m talking strictly branding and marketing. Just such a bizarre spread on a company level, isn’t it? You rarely see that these days. And if I was shopping wine, not knowing them at all, and happened upon their shop, first thing I’d think would be: “hmm, jack of all trades, master of none, it seems” and walk right out. And obviously miss out a great wine. Or a great Gin.

[Sarah_Kirschbaum]

Wonderful story, Sarah.

I’d never heard of them, so looked up the website. And from a pure marketing standpoint, the brand gives me anxiety:

1. They make wines in all colors
2. They distill multiple spirits
3. They make liquers
4. They make aperitif’s
5. They make giftbags.

How do they survive being so unfocused? Obviously the wine must be very good if you buy it each year, so this is not a critique of that at all. I’m talking strictly branding and marketing. Just such a bizarre spread on a company level, isn’t it? You rarely see that these days. And if I was shopping wine, not knowing them at all, and happened upon their shop, first thing I’d think would be: “hmm, jack of all trades, master of none, it seems” and walk right out. And obviously miss out a great wine. Or a great Gin.

I wouldn’t be anxious for them, and I doubt they are worried about your walking out - not that you’d get there in the first place unless it was your intention to visit, as it’s rather in the middle of nowhere. I can’t pretend to know their minds, but they are a big fish in the small pond of Irouleguy, and I believe pretty confident in what they do. Their eau de vie is very good, as are many of their wines. I have no idea about their gift bags.

[Phil_T_r_o_t_t_e_r]

I wouldn’t be anxious for them, and I doubt they are worried about your walking out - not that you’d get there in the first place unless it was your intention to visit, as it’s rather in the middle of nowhere. I can’t pretend to know their minds, but they are a big fish in the small pond of Irouleguy, and I believe pretty confident in what they do. Their eau de vie is very good, as are many of their wines. I have no idea about their gift bags.

Their eau-de-vie is amazingly good. The vieille prune can be found rather easily when in France (at Nicolas stores for example). The poire William can also be found but with a litlle more work. But the crown jewel (at least to me) and the most difficult to find is the framboise. It is an amazing eau-de-vie! The smell is like being left in the middle of a raspberry field on a warm sunny day after having stamped on and crushed some of the unlucky berries. The palate carries on with the expected eau-de-vie warmth and some more brambly raspberries. Wonderful, wonderful stuff. It’s probably the bottle I have brought back from France the most often. Personal favorite and best eau-de-vie I’ve ever had.

Looks like they modernized the website and expanded their offer since the last time I looked at it (3-4 years ago, maybe more?).