HERITAGE
Since 
1899
The story of Prince de Gascogne begins in 1899 and runs through 5 generations of our family to this day.
A STORY
From father to son ...
JEAN-BAPTISTE, ROBERT AND JEAN ETCHART
... since 1899
The company is taken over from 1945 by Jean Etchart, following his father. The 1960s and 1970s are flourishing, and like the rest of the profession, the family business experiences an extremely prosperous period. The distillery, with up to six alambics, is built and the stock of ageing armagnac reaches its maximum with 1600 hl of pure alcohol.
From 1970 onwards, Jean undertakes an important diversification by developing a range of liqueurs and fruits with armagnac. Today we still use these production formulas. It is while reading his grandfather’s letters and discovering his devotion to the traditions of his region, that the name Prince of Gascony was born.
Since 1992, Jean-François Etchart, great-grandson of the founder and heir to his passion, keeps the traditions of the family house alive by putting at its service a unique savoir-faire, handed down from generation to generation. In 2023, his daughter Lucille joined him. Together, they are imagining new horizons for Prince de Gascogne. Their teamwork embodies the continuity of the family spirit and the desire to anchor the artisanal expertise of Armagnac in a resolutely contemporary vision.
Savoir-faire
A family tradition
The finest, most generous and most authentic armagnacs are discovered in the Gers. This unique spirit matures in the shelter of cellars that are sometimes centuries old and develops a luxuriant variety of aromas until it reaches its elegant amber colour.
The Etchart family continues the tradition initiated by Jean-Baptiste by carefully selecting the best armagnacs. Thanks to its knowledge of the region and its actors, whether they are winegrowers, owners or merchants, the family Maison It offers you armagnacs that reflect its image and the image of its production region, combining authenticity and simplicity, finesse and character, excellence and craftsmanship, and tradition and heritage.
Terroir
Gascony, at the crossroads of flavours and knowledge ...
If Armagnac is such a generous spirit, it is due to the communion of three cultures. Firstly, the Roman culture, which brought the vine to the region; secondly, the Arab culture, which revealed the secrets of the alembic to the Gascons; and thirdly, the Celtic culture, from which the art of ageing in casks was learned.
With a history dating back more than seven centuries, Armagnac is recognised as the oldest French brandy. Although it was originally a mysterious elixir, a water of immortality with therapeutic properties, the Gascons were quick to discover its secrets and found a real treasure at the end of their barrels.
... between ocean and mountains
In Armagnac, it is above all the diversity of soils and grape varieties that gives the brandy its unique properties. From this diversity, three terroirs are born: Haut-Armagnac, with its clay soils, Bas-Armagnac, with its tawny sands from the ocean, and Ténarèze, with its alternating clay and limestone soils.
The Pyrenees, further south, provide the region with iron. The mild, temperate climate is conducive to the ripening of the grapes, whether they come from Ugni blanc, Baco, Folle blanche or Colombard, the four most widespread varieties.
Discover our products
Vintage armagnacs, armagnac blends, fruits and armagnac liqueurs, flocs de gascogne.
