d'artagnan's dutch courageD’Artagnan’s Dutch Courage

 

The patron saint of Armagnac is Charles de Batz de Montesquiou Fezenzac, better known as d’Artagnan, hero of Alexander Dumas’s Three Musketeers.

Born in 1611 in the château of Castelmore in the centre of the region of France Southwest. He epitomised the arrogant but brave Gascon figure. The Gascons will rarely claim that d’Artagnan drank Armagnac, and it was not even known as such for at least another two hundred years, but the story still persists that a flask or two were in his saddlebags when he left for Paris to serve with the King’s Musketeers. Dutch courage, as it were, for his interview with the formidable Captain de Treville. D’Artagnan rose to the rank of capitaine in the King’s personal bodyguard, later became Maréchal of Lille, and died in 1674 at the siege of Maestrid from a musket ball through the heart as he stormed the city walls.

In his memory, the brotherhood of Armagnac producers and friends calls itself La Compagnie des Mousquetaires de l’Armagnac.

Santé!