Maison Gelas

The Gélas family traces go back to 1246, in the form of the King’s Musketeer, D’Artagnan (born Charles de Batz), but it was not until around the middle of the 19th century that the Gélas family linked its own destiny to that of Armagnac. In 1865, Guillaume Gélas, a barrel maker, bequeathed his business to his son Baptiste, who created the Maison Gélas. He moved into the premises currently occupied by the firm, and embarked on the business of making and selling Armagnacs.
In 1910 his son, Louis, took over the management of the company and acquired a property planted with Manciet vines, the Château de Martet (Martet Castle), which is still in the family fold. Louis was a public figure, and held various offices both in his native town, and at departmental level.
After the Second World War, Pierre followed in his father’s footsteps, and lent the family firm an international dimension. In 1950, he was the first Gers businessman to develop a business in wines and various spirits. He revolutionized his times by offering on an exclusive basis Armagnacs hailing from the terroirs or local regions of Bas Armagnac and La Ténarèze, at their natural degree of aging and without reduction that resulted in a fine reputation at the grandest of tables, be it in France or abroad.
Today, Pierre’s son Philippe, representing the fourth generation of the Gélas family to take the reins, has been helming the firm since 2001. He is carrying on in the innovative spirit of his forebears by introducing single varietal Armagnacs, thus asserting the uniqueness of Maison Gélas: an alternative Armagnac