It is 1921, and Gascony is slowly finding its rhythm again after the war. The vines carry, the harvest comes in, and a cask is rolled into a cool cellar. After that, nothing happens except time. Decades of it, in silence, while the world outside changes face more than once.

The expert's description

Baron Gaston Legrand 1921 Vintage Appellation Bas Armagnac Controlee 40% is a Vintage Bas Armagnac from Gascony, single distilled on an alambic armagnacais, matured in black oak casks and bottled at 40%.

Baron Gaston Legrand is a range of vintage Armagnac owned and bottled by the house of Lhéraud. Lhéraud has worked with French spirit since 1680, and the range covers a wide sweep of vintages from Bas Armagnac, the westernmost part of the appellation, where the soil is sandy and the spirits are held to be the finest in the region.

Nothing is blended across years here. Everything in the bottle comes from the 1921 harvest. The grapes are Ugni Blanc, Folle Blanche and Colombard, distilled once on an alambic armagnacais, the traditional Armagnac column. Cognac is double distilled in a pot still; Armagnac is not, and that is exactly why the spirit leaves the column carrying more of the grape's own weight.

From the column the spirit went into new black oak casks of between 700 and 1,200 litres. That is where it drew its tannins and its dry timber notes. Later it was moved into older casks, where the wood gives away far less and maturation turns calm and even. The longest stretch of its life was spent there, right up to bottling at 40%.

The label carries the guarantee of the vintage, and the bottle arrives in a wooden case with a canvas bag and a spare stopper.

Tasting notes

Nose

Dark and dry from the first moment. Walnut shell and dried figs sit on top, with old leather and a trace of tobacco leaf beneath them. A plum sweetness pushes through, candied rather than fresh, and right out at the edge there is a fine bitterness of orange peel.

Palate

Soft, almost oily. Not a single sharp edge survives after this many years in wood. Dried fruit and dark nougat carry the palate, and the oak tastes of old furniture rather than sawdust. Halfway through, pepper steps in and keeps the whole thing from sliding into sweetness.

Finish

Very long and dry. Nut and cedar hang on, along with a faint spiced warmth at the back of the throat. The orange peel bitterness is the last thing to let go.

Specifications

Name: Baron Gaston Legrand 1921 Vintage Appellation Bas Armagnac Controlee 40%
Bottler: Lhéraud
Region/Country: Bas Armagnac, Gascony, France
Type: Vintage Bas Armagnac
ABV: 40%
Size: 70 CL
Cask type: Black oak casks of 700-1200 litres, new casks first and older casks afterwards
Distillation method: Single distilled on an alambic armagnacais
Distilled: 1921

Flavour profile

Dried fruit · Rancio · Nutty · Spiced · Woody

Investment potential

High. A 1921 vintage can never be made again, and every bottle opened disappears from a stock that only shrinks. The age, the Bas Armagnac appellation and the vintage guarantee on the label make this bottle very hard to replace with anything else.

Did you know?

Armagnac is the oldest documented distillate in France. As early as the 1300s the brandy of Gascony was written about in detail, complete with a long list of its supposed healing powers, centuries before anyone started distilling in Cognac.

See our full range of Armagnac

Autumn belongs to the still in Gascony. Once the year's wine has finished fermenting, the column goes to work and thin, sharp wine turns into clear spirit within hours. In 1923 one run went into a cask that none of the people standing around it would ever taste finished.

The expert's description

Baron Gaston Legrand 1923 Vintage Appellation Bas Armagnac Controlee 40% is a Vintage Bas Armagnac from Gascony, single distilled on an alambic armagnacais, matured in black oak casks and bottled at 40%.

The Baron Gaston Legrand range is owned and bottled by Lhéraud, a French house with roots reaching back to 1680. The vintages come from Bas Armagnac in the western part of the appellation, and that is the corner most people point to when the conversation turns to where the finest Armagnac is made.

The wine behind this bottle came from Ugni Blanc, Folle Blanche and Colombard picked in 1923. Distillation happened once, on an alambic armagnacais. That single pass is the technical dividing line between Armagnac and Cognac, and it leaves a spirit with more weight and more of the heavy aromatic compounds than any double distilled spirit carries.

The cask history is quick to tell and long to live. New black oak casks of 700 to 1,200 litres first, where the tannins and the dry timber notes come in. Then older casks with little left to give, where the decades do the work instead. There it stayed, until bottling at 40%.

Every bottle carries a label guaranteeing the vintage and comes in a wooden case with a canvas bag and a spare stopper.

Tasting notes

Nose

Prune and dried apricot first, dense and dark. Hazelnut and beeswax sit behind them, and a rich, almost cocoa-like note surfaces only after a couple of minutes in the glass. Dried orange peel right at the edge.

Palate

Round and full with a clear spiced backbone. The prune returns, now alongside dark cocoa and toasted nuts, and black pepper settles underneath the lot. Oak is present without taking charge, dry and old in tone.

Finish

Long, warm and faintly bitter. Cocoa and beeswax hang on while the pepper stretches out into a dry, spiced close that holds for several minutes.

Specifications

Name: Baron Gaston Legrand 1923 Vintage Appellation Bas Armagnac Controlee 40%
Bottler: Lhéraud
Region/Country: Bas Armagnac, Gascony, France
Type: Vintage Bas Armagnac
ABV: 40%
Size: 70 CL
Cask type: Black oak casks of 700-1200 litres, new casks first and older casks afterwards
Distillation method: Single distilled on an alambic armagnacais
Distilled: 1923

Flavour profile

Prune · Cocoa · Nutty · Spiced · Rancio

Investment potential

High. 1923 is a closed chapter, and the stock of bottles carrying that vintage can only shrink. High age, a vintage guarantee on the label and Bas Armagnac origin are exactly what collectors of old French brandy look for.

Did you know?

Armagnac casks are far bigger than the ones whisky matures in. Anything from 700 to 1,200 litres is normal, and that volume means less wood in relation to liquid. It is why the spirit can sit for decades without the oak drowning it, something a small cask would never allow.

See our full range of Armagnac

Summer over Bas Armagnac is dry and white with light. The vines run in long rows, and the ground crunches faintly underfoot between them. That landscape is what a bottle from 1924 is built from: sun, sand and a harvest turned into brandy long before any of us were here.

The expert's description

Baron Gaston Legrand 1924 Vintage Appellation Bas Armagnac Controlee 40% is a Vintage Bas Armagnac from Gascony, single distilled on an alambic armagnacais, matured in black oak casks and bottled at 40%.

Behind the range stands Lhéraud, a French house dating from 1680, which owns and bottles Baron Gaston Legrand. The vintages come from Bas Armagnac at the western end of the appellation, where the houses have spent generations building a reputation for the finest spirit in Gascony.

The 1924 vintage comes from Ugni Blanc, Folle Blanche and Colombard. The wine was distilled once on an alambic armagnacais, not twice as they do in Cognac. That single pass explains Armagnac's heavier, earthier starting point, and it is exactly the character that decades in cask have slowly polished.

The spirit first went into new black oak casks of 700 to 1,200 litres, where the tannins and dry timber notes were laid down. It then moved to older casks, where little new oak influence arrives. The rest was waiting. Bottling took place at 40%, with the vintage never blended with anything else.

The bottle comes in a wooden case with a canvas bag and a spare stopper, and the label guarantees the vintage.

Tasting notes

Nose

Dried apricot and peach, sweet and dusty at once. Sandalwood and honey follow, and behind them a dry ginger note that gives the age away. Not heavy, more warm and open.

Palate

Silky, with a clear sweetness of candied orange. The apricot from the nose holds on, the honey turns darker across the tongue, and ginger cuts a dry edge in towards the end. Oak reads as a quiet dryness underneath it all.

Finish

Medium-long to long and dry. Ginger and sandalwood have the last word while the fruit retreats slowly, leaving a faintly bitter, spiced warmth.

Specifications

Name: Baron Gaston Legrand 1924 Vintage Appellation Bas Armagnac Controlee 40%
Bottler: Lhéraud
Region/Country: Bas Armagnac, Gascony, France
Type: Vintage Bas Armagnac
ABV: 40%
Size: 70 CL
Cask type: Black oak casks of 700-1200 litres, new casks first and older casks afterwards
Distillation method: Single distilled on an alambic armagnacais
Distilled: 1924

Flavour profile

Dried apricot · Honey · Ginger · Sandalwood · Rancio

Investment potential

High. 1924 cannot be recreated, and no new casks are being set aside under that vintage. Bas Armagnac, the great age and the vintage guarantee on the label are three of the factors that keep old French brandies in demand among collectors.

Did you know?

Bas Armagnac sits on a layer of fine, reddish sand the French call sables fauves. The sand drains quickly and warms easily, and it is what gives the area its reputation for the softest, most fruit-driven spirits in all of Armagnac.

See our full range of Armagnac

Whoever filled the cask in 1925 never tasted it finished. Neither did his children. That is the arithmetic behind an old vintage Armagnac: one generation lays it down, another looks after it, and a third opens the bottle on an ordinary evening many decades later.

The expert's description

Baron Gaston Legrand 1925 Vintage Appellation Bas Armagnac Controlee 40% is a Vintage Bas Armagnac from Gascony, single distilled on an alambic armagnacais, matured in black oak casks and bottled at 40%.

Baron Gaston Legrand is the house range of vintage Armagnac, owned and bottled by Lhéraud, which has worked with French spirit since 1680. Every vintage in the range comes from Bas Armagnac, the western and most highly regarded of the appellation's three sub-regions.

Everything in the bottle comes from the 1925 harvest alone. The grapes are Ugni Blanc, Folle Blanche and Colombard, and the wine was distilled once on an alambic armagnacais. That single pass is not a shortcut but a choice: the column runs at low strength and lets more of the wine's heavy aromatic compounds travel across into the spirit.

Then came the cask history every old Bas Armagnac vintage shares. New black oak casks of 700 to 1,200 litres first, laying down the tannins and the dry timber notes, and older casks afterwards, where almost no fresh oak arrives. In the old wood maturation turned slow and calm, and there it stayed until bottling at 40%.

The label carries the vintage guarantee, and the bottle is delivered in a wooden case with a canvas bag and a spare stopper.

Tasting notes

Nose

Opens floral and slightly old-fashioned: violet and dried rose above a deep plum tone. Almond and orange marmalade sit behind them, and a puff of cinnamon comes and goes. Less dark than many other vintages from the same decade.

Palate

Soft and gently sweet to begin with, marmalade and plum taking up most of the room. Then almond steps forward with a dry, nutty bitterness, and cinnamon draws a warm spiced line through it. Oak is present but rounded off by the years.

Finish

Long and perfumed. The violet reappears at the very end, together with dried fruit and a fine bitter almond note that stays put long after the glass is empty.

Specifications

Name: Baron Gaston Legrand 1925 Vintage Appellation Bas Armagnac Controlee 40%
Bottler: Lhéraud
Region/Country: Bas Armagnac, Gascony, France
Type: Vintage Bas Armagnac
ABV: 40%
Size: 70 CL
Cask type: Black oak casks of 700-1200 litres, new casks first and older casks afterwards
Distillation method: Single distilled on an alambic armagnacais
Distilled: 1925

Flavour profile

Violet · Plum · Almond · Marmalade · Cinnamon

Investment potential

High. The quantity from 1925 was settled long ago and only shrinks with the years. Its age, its Bas Armagnac origin and the fact that every bottle documents one specific harvest make bottles like this progressively harder to source as they are drunk.

Did you know?

The vineyards of Gascony were eaten alive by phylloxera in the late 1800s. The region had to be replanted from scratch, and the mix of grape varieties never returned to what it had been. The early twentieth-century vintages were therefore made from vines that were still young at the time.

See our full range of Armagnac

There is a smell in an old Armagnac cellar you will not find anywhere else: damp wood, dust and a sweetish vapour from everything that has evaporated through the casks. This bottle spent its whole life inside that smell. It went into wood in 1926 and lay still from then on.

The expert's description

Baron Gaston Legrand 1926 Vintage Appellation Bas Armagnac Controlee 40% is a Vintage Bas Armagnac from Gascony, single distilled on an alambic armagnacais, matured in black oak casks and bottled at 40%.

The Baron Gaston Legrand range is owned and bottled by Lhéraud, a house involved with French spirit since 1680. All the vintages come from Bas Armagnac, the western sub-region, which has spent generations earning its name for the most elegant spirits in the area.

Everything in the bottle was harvested in 1926. Ugni Blanc, Folle Blanche and Colombard were fermented into a thin wine and distilled once on an alambic armagnacais. Cognac is double distilled in a pot still, and the difference shows: a single pass yields a heavier, sturdier spirit, which in return can carry many decades in cask without falling apart.

The cask history followed the house's usual rhythm. New black oak casks of 700 to 1,200 litres laid down the tannins and the dry timber notes, then older casks took over, giving away almost nothing more. It is during that long, quiet spell in old wood that the rancio notes appear. Bottling took place at 40%.

Every bottle carries the vintage guarantee on the label and comes in a wooden case with a canvas bag and a spare stopper.

Tasting notes

Nose

Deep and oxidative. Walnut and a faint note of dried mushroom arrive first, the character the French call rancio. Below it sit dark cherry, coffee grounds and old leather. No sharpness is left, only weight.

Palate

Full and almost syrupy in texture, yet completely dry in flavour. Dark chocolate and roasted coffee fill the middle, dried cherry pushes back with acidity, and walnut pulls the whole thing towards bitterness. The oak is deeply integrated and reads as structure rather than wood.

Finish

Very long. Coffee and bitter chocolate hang on, leather returns right at the end, and a dry nutty warmth holds for many minutes.

Specifications

Name: Baron Gaston Legrand 1926 Vintage Appellation Bas Armagnac Controlee 40%
Bottler: Lhéraud
Region/Country: Bas Armagnac, Gascony, France
Type: Vintage Bas Armagnac
ABV: 40%
Size: 70 CL
Cask type: Black oak casks of 700-1200 litres, new casks first and older casks afterwards
Distillation method: Single distilled on an alambic armagnacais
Distilled: 1926

Flavour profile

Rancio · Walnut · Coffee · Dark chocolate · Leather

Investment potential

High. A vintage such as 1926 is a closed stock, and every single bottle drunk makes the rest rarer. Bas Armagnac origin, a very long spell in cask and a well-documented vintage are exactly what collectors of old French brandy look for.

Did you know?

The Armagnac region is only about a fifth the size of Cognac, and yet wine has been distilled into brandy in this corner of south-western France since the 1500s. That small production explains much of why old vintages exist in such modest quantities.

See our full range of Armagnac

A cellar aisle in Bas Armagnac is an archive of a France that vanished long ago. The casks stand in rows, each with a year chalked on its head. 1927 is one of them. When that figure was written, this bottle was nothing but clear, burning liquid and a very long plan.

The expert's description

Baron Gaston Legrand 1927 Vintage Appellation Bas Armagnac Controlee 40% is a Vintage Bas Armagnac from Gascony, single distilled on an alambic armagnacais, matured in black oak casks and bottled at 40%.

Behind Baron Gaston Legrand stands Lhéraud, a French house founded in 1680, which owns and bottles the range. Every vintage comes from Bas Armagnac in the western part of the appellation, where soil and tradition together have made the area the most respected in Gascony.

The grapes behind the 1927 vintage are Ugni Blanc, Folle Blanche and Colombard. The wine was distilled once on an alambic armagnacais, the column Armagnac has used for centuries. One pass means more body and more grape character in the spirit, and that is the sort of raw material able to survive a human lifetime in cask.

Maturation began in new black oak casks of 700 to 1,200 litres, where the tannins and the dry timber notes came in. The spirit then moved to older casks, where the wood is spent and maturation turns calm. There it stayed until bottling at 40%, with the vintage never blended with any other year.

The label guarantees the vintage, and the bottle is delivered in a wooden case with a canvas bag and a spare stopper.

Tasting notes

Nose

Fruitcake and candied lime, sweet and dry at the same time. Clove follows quickly, and beneath it sit tobacco and a sticky toffee note. Right at the bottom, a resinous scent of wood that only long years in cask produce.

Palate

Dry and spiced around a core of dark dried fruit. Raisin and fig first, then clove and a hint of black tea, with the toffee returning halfway through without turning the palate sweet. Tobacco is obvious and lends the whole thing an earthy, almost smokeless bitterness.

Finish

Long and dry with the spice out in front. Clove and old wood hang on, while the candied lime flashes up one last time and rounds everything off.

Specifications

Name: Baron Gaston Legrand 1927 Vintage Appellation Bas Armagnac Controlee 40%
Bottler: Lhéraud
Region/Country: Bas Armagnac, Gascony, France
Type: Vintage Bas Armagnac
ABV: 40%
Size: 70 CL
Cask type: Black oak casks of 700-1200 litres, new casks first and older casks afterwards
Distillation method: Single distilled on an alambic armagnacais
Distilled: 1927

Flavour profile

Dried fruit · Clove · Tobacco · Toffee · Rancio

Investment potential

High. No more Armagnac from 1927 will ever be made, and the bottles that exist are being drunk one by one. Great age, Bas Armagnac origin and a documented vintage on the label are the three things collectors weigh most heavily in old French brandy.

Did you know?

The wine distilled for Armagnac is thin, sharp and low in alcohol, and nobody would serve it in a wine glass. That high acidity and low strength are precisely what allow a clean spirit with clear grape character, which is why the grapes are picked early.

See our full range of Armagnac

Autumn 1928 in Gascony: grapes picked by hand, wine fermenting in the cellar, and by midwinter clear spirit running off the copper. Nobody standing around that still ever tasted the result. The bottle has waited longer than most human lives.

The expert's description

Baron Gaston Legrand 1928 Vintage Appellation Bas Armagnac Controlee 40% is a Vintage Bas Armagnac from Gascony, single distilled on an alambic armagnacais, matured in black oak casks and bottled at 40%.

Every bottle in the range carries one vintage and one only. Nothing is blended across years, and the label vouches for the contents coming from the 1928 harvest. The range is owned and bottled by the French house Lhéraud, which has worked with distilled wine since 1680.

The wine comes from Ugni Blanc, Folle Blanche and Colombard grown in Bas Armagnac, the western end of the appellation. It passes through the still once, on the low armagnac column that runs in a single continuous stretch. One pass instead of the two used in Cognac, which is why more of the wine's own fruit and spice survives into the spirit.

Straight off the column the spirit went into new black oak casks of 700 to 1200 litres, where the wood laid down its tannins and its dry notes. It later moved to older casks, where little happens beyond the passing of years, and there it stayed until bottling. After that long in wood the sharp edges are gone and the tannins have worn soft.

Tasting notes

Nose

Dried plums and hazelnut first, dry and faintly dusty like an old cask store. Behind them sit violet and a trace of vanilla, with a layer of dry oak across the whole thing.

Palate

Soft and broad with no hard edges. Dried fruit and nut carry the palate, and underneath runs a dark sweetness that belongs more to the wood than to the grape. Pepper arrives halfway through and pulls it dry again.

Finish

Long and dry. The nut lingers longest, with oak and a light peppery bite that takes its time letting go.

Specifications

Name: Baron Gaston Legrand 1928 Vintage Appellation Bas Armagnac Controlee 40%
Bottler: Lhéraud
Region/Country: Bas Armagnac, Gascony, France
Type: Vintage Bas Armagnac
ABV: 40%
Size: 70 CL
Cask type: Black oak casks of 700-1200 litres
Distillation method: Single distilled on an alambic armagnacais
Distilled: 1928
Edition: Vintage 1928

Flavour profile

Dried Fruit · Nutty · Woody · Spiced

Investment potential

High. A 1928 vintage cannot be made again, and every bottle opened leaves one fewer from that particular year in Bas Armagnac.

Did you know?

Armagnac is France's oldest spirit. Written sources from the 14th century describe it and the virtues it was believed to hold, long before Cognac appears in the record.

See our full range of Armagnac

Every winter the distiller travelled from farm to farm across Gascony with his copper still on a cart. He set up in the barn, lit the fire, and the grower brought his wine. That is how the 1929 wine became spirit. After that the cask took over, and it has had close to a century for the job.

The expert's description

Baron Gaston Legrand 1929 Vintage Appellation Bas Armagnac Controlee 40% is a Vintage Bas Armagnac from Gascony, single distilled on an alambic armagnacais, matured in black oak casks and bottled at 40%.

Baron Gaston Legrand is the name given to a run of old single vintages from Bas Armagnac. The range is owned and bottled by the house of Lhéraud, founded in 1680 and working with both Cognac and Armagnac. This bottle holds the 1929 harvest and nothing else.

The base wine is made from Ugni Blanc, Folle Blanche and Colombard. As a drinking wine it is thin and sharp, which is precisely what makes it suited to distillation. It goes through the alambic armagnacais once, in a single long stretch, and the spirit comes off at the low end of the strength scale with a good share of the wine's aroma still intact.

The first cask was new black oak of 700 to 1200 litres, and it pressed tannin and dry wood into a spirit that was still raw. Once the wood had given what it had, the spirit moved to an old cask, where maturation turns quiet and even, and there it lay until bottling. Decade by decade it lost both sharpness and edge.

Tasting notes

Nose

Dried peach and vanilla open it up, ripe and dry at the same time. Underneath sit plum and a note of old furniture wood, and at the end a breath of lime cuts through.

Palate

Full-bodied and calm. Baked fruit and nut through the middle, vanilla rounding it off, and a dry bitterness from the oak that keeps it from turning heavy. The alcohol barely registers.

Finish

Medium-long to long, dry and nutty, with a faint peppery note that hangs on in the palate.

Specifications

Name: Baron Gaston Legrand 1929 Vintage Appellation Bas Armagnac Controlee 40%
Bottler: Lhéraud
Region/Country: Bas Armagnac, Gascony, France
Type: Vintage Bas Armagnac
ABV: 40%
Size: 70 CL
Cask type: Black oak casks of 700-1200 litres
Distillation method: Single distilled on an alambic armagnacais
Distilled: 1929
Edition: Vintage 1929

Flavour profile

Dried Fruit · Vanilla-Sweet · Nutty · Dry

Investment potential

High. 1929 survives almost exclusively in old cask stores, and once a cask is empty there is no more. Age and scarcity make this an obvious bottle to set aside.

Did you know?

An alambic armagnacais runs in one continuous pass, and the spirit is never sent back through for a second round. That is why more of the heavier aroma compounds make it into the finished spirit, and those compounds are what give Armagnac its full, slightly rustic character.

See our full range of Armagnac

The soil in Bas Armagnac is sandy and tawny, and it holds no water. The vines have to find their own way down to it, and the wine comes out thin and sharp, exactly as a distiller wants it. 1930 is one of the harvests that ended up in copper and was then forgotten in an old cask.

The expert's description

Baron Gaston Legrand 1930 Vintage Appellation Bas Armagnac Controlee 40% is a Vintage Bas Armagnac from Gascony, single distilled on an alambic armagnacais, matured in black oak casks and bottled at 40%.

Bas Armagnac sits at the western end of the appellation, and it is the sub-region most people point to when the talk turns to finesse. Its sandy soil yields lighter, more aromatic wines than the chalk and clay of its neighbours, and that carries straight into the spirit. The Baron Gaston Legrand range gathers exactly these old Bas Armagnac vintages and is owned and bottled by the French house Lhéraud, in the trade since 1680.

Ugni Blanc, Folle Blanche and Colombard stand behind the wine. Ugni Blanc supplies acidity and neutrality, Folle Blanche finesse and floral tones, Colombard spice. Distillation happens once on an alambic armagnacais, and that single pass is the whole difference between Armagnac and Cognac.

The young spirit went into new black oak casks of 700 to 1200 litres and took its tannins and dry wood notes from there. Later it moved into older casks, where time alone does the work, and there it stood until bottling. The bottle is delivered in a wooden box with a linen bag and a spare stopper.

Tasting notes

Nose

Violet and dried berries come first, more floral than most vintages from the decade. Behind them sit lime peel, dry wood and a hint of vanilla.

Palate

Dry and surprisingly lively for its age. Berries and dark fruit up front, citrus peel keeping it fresh, and pepper building towards the end. The oak lies underneath it all as a dry floor.

Finish

Dry and spiced. Pepper and wood notes stay put while the fruit slowly withdraws.

Specifications

Name: Baron Gaston Legrand 1930 Vintage Appellation Bas Armagnac Controlee 40%
Bottler: Lhéraud
Region/Country: Bas Armagnac, Gascony, France
Type: Vintage Bas Armagnac
ABV: 40%
Size: 70 CL
Cask type: Black oak casks of 700-1200 litres
Distillation method: Single distilled on an alambic armagnacais
Distilled: 1930
Edition: Vintage 1930

Flavour profile

Floral · Dried Berries · Citrus Peel · Spiced · Dry

Investment potential

High. Bas Armagnac from 1930 exists only in the quantity still lying in old casks, and the appellation is already a fraction of the size of Cognac. Age and limited supply make this a bottle worth keeping.

Did you know?

Bas Armagnac rests on the sables fauves, a tawny sandy soil poor in chalk. That kind of ground puts the vine under pressure and produces lighter wines, and it goes a long way towards explaining why this particular corner of Gascony has a reputation for the most elegant spirits.

See our full range of Armagnac

A cask store in Gascony loses a little every single year. Vapour pulls through the wood, the level in the cask drops, and what stays behind slowly turns darker and denser. What sits in a 1931 bottle is the remainder. The part the decades never got to.

The expert's description

Baron Gaston Legrand 1931 Vintage Appellation Bas Armagnac Controlee 40% is a Vintage Bas Armagnac from Gascony, single distilled on an alambic armagnacais, matured in black oak casks and bottled at 40%.

The range consists of old single vintages from Bas Armagnac and is owned and bottled by the house of Lhéraud, founded in 1680. The vintage is not blended with other years, neither to hit a house style nor to make up volume. If the label says 1931, the 1931 harvest is what is in the bottle.

The wine behind the spirit is made from Ugni Blanc, Folle Blanche and Colombard grown in Bas Armagnac. It was distilled once on an alambic armagnacais. The column runs in a single pass, and because the spirit is never sent round again, more of the heavy aroma compounds come across. Those are the very compounds that decades in cask later build on.

First new black oak casks of 700 to 1200 litres, where tannin and dry wood notes were pressed into a spirit that was still raw. Then an old cask, where no more wood is drawn out but where air works slowly through the staves. After this many decades the tannins have worn soft, and a nutty depth has appeared that only time can produce.

Tasting notes

Nose

Heavy and dark. Hazelnut and dried plum first, then a dry, almost resinous wood note, and beneath it a sweetish core that recalls old fortified wine.

Palate

Broad and oily in the mouth. Nut, dried fruit and dark spice, with the wood lying dry across all of it. The sweetness is suggested rather than real, and a trace of pepper shows up halfway through.

Finish

Very long. Nut and dry wood hold on, while a faint bitterness from the oak closes the whole thing down.

Specifications

Name: Baron Gaston Legrand 1931 Vintage Appellation Bas Armagnac Controlee 40%
Bottler: Lhéraud
Region/Country: Bas Armagnac, Gascony, France
Type: Vintage Bas Armagnac
ABV: 40%
Size: 70 CL
Cask type: Black oak casks of 700-1200 litres
Distillation method: Single distilled on an alambic armagnacais
Distilled: 1931
Edition: Vintage 1931

Flavour profile

Rancio · Nutty · Dried Fruit · Dark · Dry

Investment potential

High. No more bottles from 1931 will be made, and the casks left from the interwar years in Gascony can by now be counted. Age, the modest size of the appellation and the name of the house make this bottle sought after by collectors.

Did you know?

Rancio is the French word for the nutty, faintly rancid note a spirit develops after many decades in cask. The term is borrowed from the wine world, and in Armagnac it counts as a mark of quality rather than a flaw.

See our full range of Armagnac

The man who filled the cask in 1934 never tasted the finished result. Neither did his son. Old armagnac stocks are handed down through families, and a bottle like this is in practice something one generation put aside for another.

The expert's description

Baron Gaston Legrand 1934 Vintage Appellation Bas Armagnac Controlee 40% is a Vintage Bas Armagnac from Gascony, single distilled on an alambic armagnacais, matured in black oak casks and bottled at 40%.

Baron Gaston Legrand gathers old vintages from Bas Armagnac and is owned and bottled by Lhéraud, a French house in the spirits trade since 1680. Each bottle stands for one harvest, with no blending across years.

Three grapes stand behind the wine. Ugni Blanc is the workhorse, high in acid and low on flavour, Folle Blanche is the historic and delicate variety that brings flowers and finesse, and Colombard adds spice and a little weight. The wine was distilled once on an alambic armagnacais, the traditional armagnac column, where Cognac by comparison goes through a pot still twice.

New black oak casks of 700 to 1200 litres took the young spirit and gave it tannin and dry wood notes. It then went into older casks, where no further wood flavour is added but where maturation turns calm and even. There it stayed right up to bottling, and the result is a spirit with no sharp edges.

Tasting notes

Nose

Dark berries and lime peel first, sharper and less sweet than many vintages from the period. Behind them sit dry oak, a cool peppery note and a trace of nut.

Palate

Dry and angular in the best sense. Berries and citrus up front, pepper and dry wood right behind, and a nutty base that only steps forward once it has had air.

Finish

Long and dry with clear spice. The pepper holds longest, and the wood closes it off without turning bitter.

Specifications

Name: Baron Gaston Legrand 1934 Vintage Appellation Bas Armagnac Controlee 40%
Bottler: Lhéraud
Region/Country: Bas Armagnac, Gascony, France
Type: Vintage Bas Armagnac
ABV: 40%
Size: 70 CL
Cask type: Black oak casks of 700-1200 litres
Distillation method: Single distilled on an alambic armagnacais
Distilled: 1934
Edition: Vintage 1934

Flavour profile

Spiced · Dried Berries · Citrus Peel · Nutty · Dry

Investment potential

High. There will never be more Bas Armagnac from 1934, and the old casks in Gascony are a resource that only shrinks. The age and the modest size of the appellation make this bottle sought after by collectors.

Did you know?

Folle Blanche was once the dominant grape in both Armagnac and Cognac, but the phylloxera outbreaks of the late 19th century hit it hard, and it remains difficult to grow. It is still regarded as the variety that yields the finest and most floral spirits in Gascony.

See our full range of Armagnac

The walls and ceilings of an old armagnac store are black. It is not soot but a fungus that lives on the alcohol evaporating through the wood. In a room like that the 1936 cask stood, year after year, while the floor was swept and the world outside rearranged itself.

The expert's description

Baron Gaston Legrand 1936 Vintage Appellation Bas Armagnac Controlee 40% is a Vintage Bas Armagnac from Gascony, single distilled on an alambic armagnacais, matured in black oak casks and bottled at 40%.

Baron Gaston Legrand is a vintage range from Bas Armagnac, owned and bottled by the French house of Lhéraud, which dates back to 1680. Vintages are not blended here. That is the norm in Armagnac and the exception in Cognac, and it is the reason a bottle marked 1936 can be found at all.

The wine is made from Ugni Blanc, Folle Blanche and Colombard grown in Bas Armagnac and distilled once on an alambic armagnacais. The single pass lets more of the wine's fruit and spice travel into the spirit, and those are precisely the compounds with something left to give when decades have to pass.

The casks are black oak of 700 to 1200 litres. A cask that size carries less wood per litre than the small barrels familiar from whisky, which is why the spirit can lie there for a very long time without being killed by oak. First the new cask with its tannin and dry wood notes, then an old cask where maturation settles down, and there it remained until bottling.

Tasting notes

Nose

More fruit than the oldest vintages in the range. Ripe peach and plum first, then vanilla and a soft wood note, and a trace of nut at the end.

Palate

Soft and round. Peach and dried fruit carry it, vanilla sits underneath, and the spice arrives late and lightly. The tannins are still there, but worn down to something close to velvet.

Finish

Medium-length and gentle, with vanilla and nut fading out and a dry wood note closing it quietly.

Specifications

Name: Baron Gaston Legrand 1936 Vintage Appellation Bas Armagnac Controlee 40%
Bottler: Lhéraud
Region/Country: Bas Armagnac, Gascony, France
Type: Vintage Bas Armagnac
ABV: 40%
Size: 70 CL
Cask type: Black oak casks of 700-1200 litres
Distillation method: Single distilled on an alambic armagnacais
Distilled: 1936
Edition: Vintage 1936

Flavour profile

Fruity · Vanilla-Sweet · Soft · Nutty

Investment potential

High. A 1936 vintage cannot be produced again, and old casks in Bas Armagnac grow fewer with every passing year. The age, the vintage principle and the reputation of the house are what make this bottle worth keeping.

Did you know?

The historical d'Artagnan, Charles de Batz-Castelmore, was born at Lupiac in the middle of armagnac country. The musketeer of Dumas' novels came from the same hills as the grapes behind this bottle.

See our full range of Armagnac

There is something stubborn about a cask that simply stays put. The grapes behind this Armagnac were picked in Gascogne in the autumn of 1937, and ever since the wood has carried on quietly, through decades in which everything else changed. What ends up in the glass is a harvest further back than most people can remember.

The expert's description

Baron Gaston Legrand 1937 Vintage Appellation Bas Armagnac Controlee 40% is a Vintage Bas Armagnac from the 1937 harvest, single distilled in an alambic armagnacais, matured in black oak casks and bottled at 40%.

Bas Armagnac sits in the western part of the Armagnac region in Gascogne, south-west France, and it is traditionally the source of the finest eaux-de-vie. The soil is sandy, and the grapes behind the bottle are Ugni Blanc, Folle Blanche and Colombard.

Armagnac is distilled once, on the traditional armagnac column known as the alambic armagnacais. That is exactly where Armagnac and Cognac part ways, since Cognac runs twice through a pot still. Single distillation leaves more of the grape in the spirit, and that character is what the cask then works on.

Maturation starts in new black oak casks holding between 700 and 1200 litres. The fresh wood gives up tannin and the dry timber notes, and once the spirit has taken what it needs, it moves to older casks where the pace slows right down. There it stays until bottling. After this many decades, every trace of sharpness has gone.

Every bottle in the range holds one single vintage. Years are never blended together, and the label vouches for that specific harvest. The bottle arrives in a wooden box with a spare stopper and a canvas bag. Baron Gaston Legrand is owned and bottled by Lhéraud, a French house founded in 1680.

Tasting notes

Nose

Dark and dry. Walnut and dried fig first, then old timber, a hint of leather and that nutty, almost saline note known as rancio. Underneath it all sits a trace of plum.

Palate

Fills the mouth without pushing. Dried fruit, walnut shell, dark orange marmalade and a dry spice note close to cinnamon bark. The tannins are still there, but time has softened them.

Finish

Long and dry. Wood, tobacco and nuts linger, and right at the end a faint plum sweetness comes through, as though it had been saved for last.

Specifications

Name: Baron Gaston Legrand 1937 Vintage Appellation Bas Armagnac Controlee 40%
Bottler: Lhéraud
Region/Country: Bas Armagnac, Gascogne, France
Type: Vintage Bas Armagnac
ABV: 40%
Size: 70 CL
Cask type: Black oak casks of 700-1200 litres
Distillation method: Single distilled in an alambic armagnacais
Distilled: 1937
Edition: Vintage 1937

Flavour profile

Rancio · Dried fruit · Nuts · Oak · Spiced

Investment potential

High. The 1937 vintage cannot be made again, and old Bas Armagnac vintages grow scarcer with every bottle opened. The very long spell in oak casks, and the fact that the bottle holds one single harvest, make it hard to replace.

Did you know?

Armagnac is the oldest documented distilled spirit in France. As early as 1310 the prior Vital Du Four listed forty healing properties of the burnt wine from Gascogne, long before anyone had heard of Cognac.

See our full range of Armagnac

The autumn of 1938 brought the last quiet harvest in Gascogne before everything changed. The baskets were carried in as they always had been, the juice was fermented and distilled, and the rest was left to the wood. That calm is still what sits in the glass.

The expert's description

Baron Gaston Legrand 1938 Vintage Appellation Bas Armagnac Controlee 40% is a Vintage Bas Armagnac from the 1938 harvest, single distilled in an alambic armagnacais, matured in black oak casks and bottled at 40%.

Behind the label stands Lhéraud, a French house making spirits since 1680, today the owner and bottler of the whole Baron Gaston Legrand range. Each bottle holds one single vintage, and years are never blended together.

The grapes come from Bas Armagnac, the westernmost part of Armagnac in Gascogne, where sandy soil yields lighter and more aromatic spirit than the ground further east. Ugni Blanc, Folle Blanche and Colombard are the varieties behind the bottle.

Distillation happens once, on the alambic armagnacais, the traditional armagnac column. That single pass is why young Armagnac tastes bolder than young Cognac, and why it can carry decades in cask without thinning out.

The spirit first rests in new black oak casks of between 700 and 1200 litres, taking on tannin and dry timber notes. It then moves to older casks, where maturation turns calm and harmonious and continues right up to bottling. The bottle arrives in a wooden box with a spare stopper and a canvas bag.

Tasting notes

Nose

Dried apricot and candied orange peel on top, hazelnut underneath. There is an oily, almost waxy note from the old wood, and a puff of cinnamon that comes and goes.

Palate

Soft and dry at once. Nuts, dried fruit and a dark honeyed tone, followed by spice and a dry wooden edge. The alcohol takes up no room, it simply carries.

Finish

Dry and persistent. Orange peel and walnut at the close, with a fine bitterness from the oak that releases slowly.

Specifications

Name: Baron Gaston Legrand 1938 Vintage Appellation Bas Armagnac Controlee 40%
Bottler: Lhéraud
Region/Country: Bas Armagnac, Gascogne, France
Type: Vintage Bas Armagnac
ABV: 40%
Size: 70 CL
Cask type: Black oak casks of 700-1200 litres
Distillation method: Single distilled in an alambic armagnacais
Distilled: 1938
Edition: Vintage 1938

Flavour profile

Dried fruit · Nuts · Orange peel · Spiced · Soft

Investment potential

High. The vintage cannot be remade, and pre-war Bas Armagnac survives in ever fewer bottles. The age in cask and Lhéraud's reputation as a house make 1938 a bottle that cannot be replaced once it has been drunk.

Did you know?

Lhéraud, which owns and bottles Baron Gaston Legrand, has been making spirits in France since 1680. That makes the house older than most of the names you meet on the shelf today.

See our full range of Armagnac

Harvest in Gascogne falls in September, and in 1939 the outbreak of war fell alongside it. The grapes were picked all the same, the juice distilled, the cask filled. Down in the cellar, time carried on at its own pace regardless of what was happening outside.

The expert's description

Baron Gaston Legrand 1939 Vintage Appellation Bas Armagnac Controlee 40% is a Vintage Bas Armagnac from the 1939 harvest, single distilled in an alambic armagnacais, matured in black oak casks and bottled at 40%.

The vintage comes from Bas Armagnac, the western part of the Armagnac region in Gascogne. The sandy soil here is held to be the best in the appellation, and the grapes behind the bottle are Ugni Blanc, Folle Blanche and Colombard.

The wine was distilled once on the alambic armagnacais, the column that has been in use across the region for centuries. Cognac runs twice through a pot still, and the difference shows: Armagnac keeps more of the coarse grain of the field and the grape, and that is what the cask then smooths down.

Maturation begins in new black oak casks of 700 to 1200 litres, where the wood surrenders tannin and dry notes. The spirit is then moved to older casks, which add no further wood but let maturation settle into something calm. There it stays until bottling.

The range is owned and bottled by Lhéraud, a French house dating from 1680. Each bottle is one single vintage, and the label vouches for the year. It arrives in a wooden box with a spare stopper and a canvas bag.

Tasting notes

Nose

Prune and dark cocoa first, then dried fig and a trace of tobacco leaf. Behind that the oak sits dry and steady, carrying the nutty rancio note that only decades deliver.

Palate

Dark and dry. Stewed plum, bitter chocolate and roasted nuts, with spice settling like pepper on the tongue. The wood is clear but soft at the edge.

Finish

Very long. Tobacco, dried fruit and a dry, almost dusty timber note that keeps going. Right at the end a faint sweetness, like a raisin forgotten in the mouth.

Specifications

Name: Baron Gaston Legrand 1939 Vintage Appellation Bas Armagnac Controlee 40%
Bottler: Lhéraud
Region/Country: Bas Armagnac, Gascogne, France
Type: Vintage Bas Armagnac
ABV: 40%
Size: 70 CL
Cask type: Black oak casks of 700-1200 litres
Distillation method: Single distilled in an alambic armagnacais
Distilled: 1939
Edition: Vintage 1939

Flavour profile

Prune · Cocoa · Tobacco · Oak · Rancio

Investment potential

High. 1939 was harvested just as the war began, and no more of that vintage will be made. The very long maturation in oak casks and the Bas Armagnac appellation make the bottle difficult to find again.

Did you know?

The soil in Bas Armagnac is sandy, and that sand is precisely why the area is held to be the finest in Armagnac. Sandy ground yields lighter and more floral spirit than the heavier clay soils further east.

See our full range of Armagnac

A cask has no idea what is going on outside. The wine behind this Armagnac was harvested in Gascogne in 1940, in the middle of the war years, and then it was left alone. All the work that has gone into the bottle since has consisted of leaving it be.

The expert's description

Baron Gaston Legrand 1940 Vintage Appellation Bas Armagnac Controlee 40% is a Vintage Bas Armagnac from the 1940 harvest, single distilled in an alambic armagnacais, matured in black oak casks and bottled at 40%.

Bas Armagnac is the westernmost of the three parts of Armagnac and the most respected. Sandy soil produces finer spirit, and the three varieties behind the bottle are Ugni Blanc, Folle Blanche and Colombard.

Armagnac runs once through the alambic armagnacais. That single distillation is the whole difference from Cognac, and it explains why Armagnac can sit in cask for so long without thinning out: there is more to draw on from the start.

The cask policy is the same across the range. New black oak of between 700 and 1200 litres first, where the tannin and dry timber notes come in, then older casks that add no more wood but let time do the work. This final stage runs until bottling.

Baron Gaston Legrand is owned and bottled by Lhéraud, a house founded in 1680. The vintage stands alone in the bottle, with nothing from other years blended in, and the label guarantees it. The bottle arrives in a wooden box with a spare stopper and a canvas bag.

Tasting notes

Nose

Toasted hazelnut and dried peach, with honey and old wood beneath. A little black pepper pokes through, and there is a distant floral stroke of violet.

Palate

Round and dry. Nuts and stone fruit do the carrying, the vanilla comes from the cask, and the pepper reports for duty in the middle. There is a richness that fills the mouth without turning heavy.

Finish

Medium-long to long. Nuts and dried fruit run out into a dry, spiced timber note, leaving a faint honeyed sweetness behind.

Specifications

Name: Baron Gaston Legrand 1940 Vintage Appellation Bas Armagnac Controlee 40%
Bottler: Lhéraud
Region/Country: Bas Armagnac, Gascogne, France
Type: Vintage Bas Armagnac
ABV: 40%
Size: 70 CL
Cask type: Black oak casks of 700-1200 litres
Distillation method: Single distilled in an alambic armagnacais
Distilled: 1940
Edition: Vintage 1940

Flavour profile

Hazelnut · Stone fruit · Honey · Pepper · Round

Investment potential

High. War vintages from Bas Armagnac are few, and no more 1940 will be made. The long spell in oak casks and the fact that the bottle holds one single harvest mean the vintage cannot be recreated.

Did you know?

Folle Blanche was the original grape of Armagnac, but the phylloxera outbreak of the late 1800s all but wiped it out. It is difficult to grow and yields little, so today it covers only a small share of the vineyards. It is still regarded as the finest of them all on the nose.

See our full range of Armagnac

Black oak. The casks of Gascogne are built from it, and the timber is cut so that it gives up its tannin slowly. This Armagnac comes from the 1941 harvest, and it has spent the time since in the company of that wood, gradually giving in to it.

The expert's description

Baron Gaston Legrand 1941 Vintage Appellation Bas Armagnac Controlee 40% is a Vintage Bas Armagnac from the 1941 harvest, single distilled in an alambic armagnacais, matured in black oak casks and bottled at 40%.

Maturation begins in new black oak casks of between 700 and 1200 litres. A large cask offers less wood per litre of spirit than a small one, so development runs slowly enough for a vintage to stand for decades without turning woody.

Once the new cask has given what it has, the spirit moves to older wood. Nothing further is added here, but maturation continues, calm and harmonious, right up to bottling. It is during this stage that the dark, dried tones and the nutty rancio build up.

The grapes come from Bas Armagnac in Gascogne and are Ugni Blanc, Folle Blanche and Colombard. The wine is distilled once on the alambic armagnacais, the traditional armagnac column, which is what separates Armagnac from double distilled Cognac.

Baron Gaston Legrand is owned and bottled by Lhéraud, a French house founded in 1680. Each bottle holds one single vintage with nothing from other years blended in, and the label guarantees the year. It arrives in a wooden box with a spare stopper and a canvas bag.

Tasting notes

Nose

Violet and lime first, surprisingly bright for the age, with dried fruit and vanilla behind. The oak lies underneath as a dry base note and keeps everything in place.

Palate

Dry and taut through the middle. Citrus peel, plum and vanilla, with a tannin structure still clearly there but softened at the corners. The spice runs dry, closer to white pepper than to anything sweet.

Finish

Long and dry. The tannins let go slowly, leaving violet, vanilla and a fine bitterness from the wood.

Specifications

Name: Baron Gaston Legrand 1941 Vintage Appellation Bas Armagnac Controlee 40%
Bottler: Lhéraud
Region/Country: Bas Armagnac, Gascogne, France
Type: Vintage Bas Armagnac
ABV: 40%
Size: 70 CL
Cask type: Black oak casks of 700-1200 litres
Distillation method: Single distilled in an alambic armagnacais
Distilled: 1941
Edition: Vintage 1941

Flavour profile

Violet · Citrus · Vanilla · Tannin · Dry

Investment potential

High. The vintage cannot be recreated, and old Bas Armagnac vintages grow fewer with every bottle opened. The long maturation in oak casks and the standing of the appellation make 1941 a bottle you will not simply come across again.

Did you know?

Rancio is the word for the nutty, almost saline note that only appears after many decades in cask. It can be neither hurried nor imitated, and for many drinkers it is the defining mark of an old Armagnac.

See our full range of Armagnac

Gascogne is the country of goose fat, maize fields and long lunches. It is also home to the oldest distilled spirit in France, and this bottle carries a harvest from 1942. The region is small, and vintages like this one are never made over again.

The expert's description

Baron Gaston Legrand 1942 Vintage Appellation Bas Armagnac Controlee 40% is a Vintage Bas Armagnac from the 1942 harvest, single distilled in an alambic armagnacais, matured in black oak casks and bottled at 40%.

The Armagnac region lies in Gascogne in south-west France and splits into three parts. Bas Armagnac is the westernmost and the most respected, and it is the source of the grapes behind this bottle: Ugni Blanc, Folle Blanche and Colombard.

The wine is distilled once on the alambic armagnacais. Cognac is made in pot stills and run twice, and that is the main difference between the two French brandies. Single distillation leaves more of the grape in the spirit.

Maturation takes place in black oak casks of between 700 and 1200 litres. New casks first, supplying tannin and dry timber notes, then older casks where development turns calm and harmonious. That final stage runs all the way to bottling.

The range is owned and bottled by Lhéraud, a French house founded in 1680. The bottle holds one single harvest with nothing from other years blended in, and the label guarantees the vintage. It arrives in a wooden box with a spare stopper and a canvas bag.

Tasting notes

Nose

Plum and candied lemon, with roasted nuts behind. The wood is present but steps back and lets the fruit go first. A trace of vanilla and something close to dried apricot.

Palate

Soft and round. Dried fruit and sweet spice first, then nuts and a lightly caramelised tone. The oak arrives late and draws a dry frame around the whole thing.

Finish

Long and mild. The fruit withdraws slowly, the spice hangs on, and a dry nutty tone is left standing at the end.

Specifications

Name: Baron Gaston Legrand 1942 Vintage Appellation Bas Armagnac Controlee 40%
Bottler: Lhéraud
Region/Country: Bas Armagnac, Gascogne, France
Type: Vintage Bas Armagnac
ABV: 40%
Size: 70 CL
Cask type: Black oak casks of 700-1200 litres
Distillation method: Single distilled in an alambic armagnacais
Distilled: 1942
Edition: Vintage 1942

Flavour profile

Plum · Candied citrus · Nuts · Sweet spice · Round

Investment potential

High. Bas Armagnac is a small region, and no more 1942 will be produced. The long maturation in oak casks and the fact that each bottle holds one single harvest make the vintage hard to replace.

Did you know?

The Armagnac region covers only about a fifth of the area of Cognac, yet wine has been distilled into spirit in this corner of south-west France since the 1500s. That makes Armagnac older than its more famous neighbour to the north.

See our full range of Armagnac

A vine in Bas Armagnac set fruit in the summer of 1943, and the grapes were picked and distilled in a France under occupation. After that, nothing happened except time. The cask stood in the dark, and every year the wood pulled a little more colour into the spirit and a little more sharpness out of it.

The expert's description

Baron Gaston Legrand 1943 Vintage Appellation Bas Armagnac Controlee 40% is a Vintage Bas Armagnac from Gascony in south-west France, aged in black oak casks and bottled at 40%.

Baron Gaston Legrand is a vintage range owned and bottled by Lhéraud, a French spirits house founded in 1680. Every release is a single harvest. No younger spirit is blended in, and everything in this bottle comes from the 1943 crop alone. The label on each bottle guarantees the vintage.

The grapes are Ugni Blanc, Folle Blanche and Colombard, grown in Bas Armagnac, the westernmost sub-region of the appellation. The wine they make is thin and sharp and nobody drinks it. It exists to go through an alambic armagnacais, which it passes through only once. That single distillation is what separates Armagnac from Cognac, which is double distilled in a pot still.

Maturation began in new black oak casks holding between 700 and 1200 litres, where the tannins and the dry wood notes went in. The spirit was then moved to older casks, where little happens beyond the edges being worn smooth, and there it stayed for decades.

Tasting notes

Nose

Dark and dry. Walnut and dried figs first, then a trace of old leather and pipe tobacco. Underneath sits shrivelled orange peel and a dusty note of wood from the cask.

Palate

Full and soft with no edge left. Prunes, candied orange and dark chocolate, and behind them a nutty rancio tone that only decades in oak can produce. Dry pepper and cinnamon keep the sweetness in check.

Finish

Long and drying. The wood has the last word, with walnut shell, tobacco and a faint bitterness that lingers.

Specifications

Name: Baron Gaston Legrand 1943 Vintage Appellation Bas Armagnac Controlee 40%
Bottler: Lhéraud
Region/Country: Bas Armagnac, Gascony, France
Type: Vintage Bas Armagnac
ABV: 40%
Size: 70 CL
Cask type: Black oak casks of 700-1200 litres, new casks first and then older casks
Distillation method: Single distilled in an alambic armagnacais
Distilled: 1943

Flavour profile

Dried Fruit · Rancio · Nutty · Spiced · Woody

Investment potential

High. A 1943 harvest cannot be repeated, and no further bottles will come from that year. The age, the single vintage and Lhéraud standing behind the range make this bottle hard to replace with anything else.

Did you know?

Armagnac is the oldest distilled spirit in France. Written records of brandy from Gascony go back to the 14th century, long before Cognac became a trading commodity.

See our full range of Armagnac

More than eighty summers have been harvested in Gascony since 1944. The cask holding this spirit stood still through all of them, in a cool cellar where light only entered when somebody opened the door. The crop was brought in while France was still occupied. The rest was patience.

The expert's description

Baron Gaston Legrand 1944 Vintage Appellation Bas Armagnac Controlee 40% is a Vintage Bas Armagnac from Gascony in south-west France, aged in black oak casks and bottled at 40%.

The range belongs to Lhéraud, a French spirits house dating from 1680, which owns and bottles Baron Gaston Legrand. Each release is one vintage and one vintage only. That is unusual in brown spirits, where most bottles are blends, and it means this bottle is a print of 1944 and nothing else.

The raw material is Ugni Blanc, Folle Blanche and Colombard from Bas Armagnac. The wine is distilled once in an alambic armagnacais, the low copper column particular to the region. Because the spirit leaves that column at a lower strength than it would leave a pot still, more of the grape's own aromatics travel with it into the cask.

The spirit first went into new black oak casks of 700 to 1200 litres, which supplied tannin and dry wood. It was then moved to older casks, where maturation settles into a calm rhythm, and there it remained until bottling at 40%.

Tasting notes

Nose

Dried dates first, with a thread of honey that has been left to go dark. Then the oak arrives, dry and dusty, carrying nutmeg and a suggestion of black tea behind it.

Palate

Soft and oily in the mouth. Raisins and candied ginger, a note of burnt sugar, and underneath a dry, almost earthy bitterness from the old wood. The alcohol never reads as heat, only as weight.

Finish

Dry and long, black tea and nut. The spice draws out at length, and in the end only the wood is left standing.

Specifications

Name: Baron Gaston Legrand 1944 Vintage Appellation Bas Armagnac Controlee 40%
Bottler: Lhéraud
Region/Country: Bas Armagnac, Gascony, France
Type: Vintage Bas Armagnac
ABV: 40%
Size: 70 CL
Cask type: Black oak casks of 700-1200 litres, new casks first and then older casks
Distillation method: Single distilled in an alambic armagnacais
Distilled: 1944

Flavour profile

Dried Fruit · Spiced · Rancio · Oak · Soft

Investment potential

High. Bottles from the war years grow fewer every year, and a single vintage cannot be recreated. Long maturation in black oak and Lhéraud's position as a vintage house make this a bottle people hold on to.

Did you know?

The traditional alambic armagnacais is a small copper column, and for generations it travelled by cart from farm to farm during harvest. The grower supplied the wine and the distillation took place on the spot.

See our full range of Armagnac

September in Bas Armagnac smells of fermenting must and wet ground. It smelled that way in 1946 too, when the grapes for this bottle were unloaded and pressed. Everything that has happened since happened in a dark room, very slowly.

The expert's description

Baron Gaston Legrand 1946 Vintage Appellation Bas Armagnac Controlee 40% is a Vintage Bas Armagnac from Gascony in south-west France, aged in black oak casks and bottled at 40%.

The Baron Gaston Legrand range is owned and bottled by Lhéraud, which has been making French spirits since 1680. Every bottle in the range is a single vintage, and here it is 1946. The label acts as the vintage guarantee, and the bottle comes in a wooden box with a canvas bag and a spare stopper.

Bas Armagnac is the westernmost sub-region of the appellation and the one held in highest regard. The grapes are Ugni Blanc, Folle Blanche and Colombard, which produce a sharp, low-strength wine. That wine is distilled once in an alambic armagnacais, and the single pass is what gives Armagnac its full, grape-driven character.

The cask history is short to tell and long to live: new black oak casks of 700 to 1200 litres first, bringing tannin and dry wood, then older casks where the pace drops and maturation turns harmonious. There the spirit stayed until it was bottled at 40%.

Tasting notes

Nose

Dried apricot and hazelnut, with a floral note behind them leaning towards violet. The cask shows up as warm oak and a puff of vanilla rather than as dry timber.

Palate

Round and slightly oily. Shrivelled peach, roasted nuts and a note of nougat. The spice is mild, mostly cinnamon, and a restrained sweetness runs the whole length of the palate.

Finish

Long and soft. The nut hangs on, violet and oak settle underneath, and a dry wood note closes the whole thing down.

Specifications

Name: Baron Gaston Legrand 1946 Vintage Appellation Bas Armagnac Controlee 40%
Bottler: Lhéraud
Region/Country: Bas Armagnac, Gascony, France
Type: Vintage Bas Armagnac
ABV: 40%
Size: 70 CL
Cask type: Black oak casks of 700-1200 litres, new casks first and then older casks
Distillation method: Single distilled in an alambic armagnacais
Distilled: 1946

Flavour profile

Dried Fruit · Nutty · Floral · Vanilla · Soft

Investment potential

High. No more Bas Armagnac will be made from 1946, and the bottles that remain are steadily being drunk. The age, the single vintage and a house with Lhéraud's history behind it make this bottle hard to find again once it is gone.

Did you know?

Bas Armagnac sits on sandy, iron-rich soil the French call sables fauves. That soil holds water poorly, and it is part of the reason spirits from here turn out finer and more floral than those from the heavier clay soils further east.

See our full range of Armagnac

Whoever filled the cask in 1949 never tasted the result. That is how vintage Armagnac works. One generation does the work and another drinks it, and between the two lies nothing but a cask, a cellar and a great deal of time.

The expert's description

Baron Gaston Legrand 1949 Vintage Appellation Bas Armagnac Controlee 40% is a Vintage Bas Armagnac from Gascony in south-west France, aged in black oak casks and bottled at 40%.

Baron Gaston Legrand is a range of single vintages from Bas Armagnac, owned and bottled by Lhéraud, a house that has worked with French spirits since 1680. Everything in this bottle comes from the 1949 harvest, and the vintage is guaranteed on the label.

The wine comes from Ugni Blanc, Folle Blanche and Colombard. It is distilled once in an alambic armagnacais, the column particular to Gascony. One pass through the copper is enough, which is why Armagnac keeps more of the grape's flesh than Cognac, run twice through a pot still.

Maturation followed the house pattern: new black oak casks of between 700 and 1200 litres, where tannin and dry wood work their way into the spirit, then older casks where everything slows down. It lay like that for decades until bottling at 40%.

Tasting notes

Nose

Dark caramel and dried cherries with orange marmalade just underneath. A dry, resinous note of cedar only steps forward after a couple of minutes in the glass.

Palate

Dense and oily. Marmalade and liquorice, a note of toasted kernel, and a peppery edge cutting through the sweetness. The wood is obvious but polished, never scratchy.

Finish

Very long. Liquorice stays put alongside the cedar, and right at the end a faint, almost salted nuttiness appears.

Specifications

Name: Baron Gaston Legrand 1949 Vintage Appellation Bas Armagnac Controlee 40%
Bottler: Lhéraud
Region/Country: Bas Armagnac, Gascony, France
Type: Vintage Bas Armagnac
ABV: 40%
Size: 70 CL
Cask type: Black oak casks of 700-1200 litres, new casks first and then older casks
Distillation method: Single distilled in an alambic armagnacais
Distilled: 1949

Flavour profile

Dark Fruit · Liquorice · Spiced · Cedar · Full-Bodied

Investment potential

High. Age is one half of the equation and scarcity the other. Vintages from the forties exist in a fixed and falling number of bottles, and they disappear faster than they resurface, because they are being drunk.

Did you know?

Armagnac is traditionally bottled without blending across ages. If a year appears on the label, the entire content is from that year. In most other brown spirits an age statement only tells you about the youngest part of the blend.

See our full range of Armagnac

An Armagnac cellar has a smell you find nowhere else. Damp wood, a little fungus on the vaulting and a sweetness from everything that has evaporated over the years. The 1950 vintage has been lying in that smell since the grapes came in.

The expert's description

Baron Gaston Legrand 1950 Vintage Appellation Bas Armagnac Controlee 40% is a Vintage Bas Armagnac from Gascony in south-west France, aged in black oak casks and bottled at 40%.

Behind the bottle stands Lhéraud, a French spirits house founded in 1680, which owns and bottles the Baron Gaston Legrand vintage range. The range consists of single harvests, and this bottle holds spirit from 1950 only. The label guarantees the vintage.

The grapes are Ugni Blanc, Folle Blanche and Colombard from Bas Armagnac, the westernmost sub-region of the appellation. The wine is distilled once in an alambic armagnacais. Because it passes through the column only once, fewer of the grape's aromatics are broken apart on the way, and that is still detectable in the glass decades later.

The spirit started in new black oak casks of 700 to 1200 litres, where it picked up tannin and dry wood. It then moved to older casks, where maturation settles down, and stayed there until bottling at 40%. Vintages from the early fifties generally hold more fruit than the oldest bottles in the range.

Tasting notes

Nose

Brighter than the oldest vintages. Yellow plums and vanilla first, then candied lemon peel and a trace of almond. Oak sits underneath the whole thing as a dry, warm base.

Palate

Soft and fruity with plum and apricot up front. The vanilla comes from the cask and lies like a cream beneath the fruit, while a light peppery edge keeps it from turning sweet. Nuttiness shows up at the end.

Finish

Long and dry with citrus peel and almond. The spice warms the throat and the wood lets go slowly.

Specifications

Name: Baron Gaston Legrand 1950 Vintage Appellation Bas Armagnac Controlee 40%
Bottler: Lhéraud
Region/Country: Bas Armagnac, Gascony, France
Type: Vintage Bas Armagnac
ABV: 40%
Size: 70 CL
Cask type: Black oak casks of 700-1200 litres, new casks first and then older casks
Distillation method: Single distilled in an alambic armagnacais
Distilled: 1950

Flavour profile

Fruity · Vanilla · Citrus · Almond · Spiced

Investment potential

Medium. Old vintages from Bas Armagnac are steadily harder to source, and 1950 has both age and a single harvest behind it. Stock does not grow, though bottles from the fifties are still a little easier to come by than those from the war years.

Did you know?

Folle Blanche was the region's most important grape before phylloxera struck in the late 19th century. It yields poorly and is awkward to grow, but it supplies a floral finesse that Ugni Blanc cannot deliver on its own.

See our full range of Armagnac

A vintage is a receipt. The label says 1951, and behind that number lies one particular summer, one particular harvest and a wine that was never drunk but run through a copper column and poured into cask the same autumn.

The expert's description

Baron Gaston Legrand 1951 Vintage Appellation Bas Armagnac Controlee 40% is a Vintage Bas Armagnac from Gascony in south-west France, aged in black oak casks and bottled at 40%.

The Baron Gaston Legrand vintage range is owned and bottled by Lhéraud, making French spirits since 1680. Everything in this bottle comes from 1951, with no spirit from other years blended in. The bottle arrives in a wooden box with a canvas bag and a spare stopper.

Bas Armagnac is the westernmost sub-region of the appellation and the one that yields the finest spirits. The grapes are Ugni Blanc, Folle Blanche and Colombard, and the wine they make is distilled once in an alambic armagnacais. That single distillation is the whole difference between Armagnac and Cognac.

Maturation began in new black oak casks of between 700 and 1200 litres, where the tannins went in, and continued in older casks where the spirit was left to settle. There it lay for decades until it was bottled at 40%.

Tasting notes

Nose

Fresh for its age. Ripe pear and lime peel, a floral note pulling towards violet, and a light honeyed sweetness behind. The wood is present but keeps to the background.

Palate

Round and lively. Peach and pear ride on a lightly syrupy sweetness while the lime holds everything taut. The spice is soft, mostly allspice, and the finish starts while the spirit is still in the mouth.

Finish

Dry and medium-long with violet, honey and a hint of pepper. It closes cleanly and without bitterness.

Specifications

Name: Baron Gaston Legrand 1951 Vintage Appellation Bas Armagnac Controlee 40%
Bottler: Lhéraud
Region/Country: Bas Armagnac, Gascony, France
Type: Vintage Bas Armagnac
ABV: 40%
Size: 70 CL
Cask type: Black oak casks of 700-1200 litres, new casks first and then older casks
Distillation method: Single distilled in an alambic armagnacais
Distilled: 1951

Flavour profile

Fruity · Floral · Honeyed · Citrus · Fresh

Investment potential

Medium. The age is there, and old vintages from Bas Armagnac are increasingly hard to source. 1951 also sits among the younger bottles in the range, which makes the scarcity less pronounced than for the vintages from the forties.

Did you know?

The Armagnac region today covers only about a fifth of the area of Cognac. Phylloxera hit the vineyards hard in the late 19th century and they never returned to their old size, which explains much of why old vintages from here are so few.

See our full range of Armagnac

The 1952 harvest came in off the fields of Gascony, went through the copper before the cold set in, and then disappeared into the dark behind a cellar wall. There it stayed while the world outside changed face several times over. What you pour today is that one harvest and not a drop from any other year.

The expert's description

Baron Gaston Legrand 1952 Vintage Appellation Bas Armagnac Controlee 40% is a Vintage Bas Armagnac from Gascony in south-west France, single distilled on an alambic armagnacais, matured in black oak casks and bottled at 40%.

Baron Gaston Legrand is a series of single vintages from Bas Armagnac, run by Lhéraud, a French house that has worked with grapes and spirit since 1680. The grapes are Ugni Blanc, Folle Blanche and Colombard, grown in the western part of the appellation where the soil is sandy and the spirits finer than further east.

Distillation happens once, on an alambic armagnacais. The low distillation strength lets far more of the grape carry over into the spirit, which is why young Armagnac tastes forceful and a little raw, while old Armagnac gains a body you will not find in a spirit run twice through a pot still.

The casks are black oak, holding between 700 and 1200 litres. The spirit sits first on new wood, which gives tannins and the dry timber note, and is then moved to older casks where the pace drops and maturation turns quiet. There it rests all the way to bottling. The bottle arrives in a wooden case with a spare stopper and a canvas bag.

Tasting notes

Nose

Dried apricot and ripe peach sit on top, and underneath them a nutty tone close to a freshly cracked hazelnut. Vanilla comes in from behind, soft and without sweetness, and right at the back a trace of violet.

Palate

Soft on entry but with weight behind it. Plum and yellow fruit carry the middle, the hazelnut returns halfway through, and a careful dusting of pepper keeps the whole thing dry.

Finish

Long and unhurried. The nuts hold on longest, the wood lays a dry frame around them, and at the very end a tart note of lime turns up and opens the mouth again.

Specifications

Name: Baron Gaston Legrand 1952 Vintage Appellation Bas Armagnac Controlee 40%
Bottler: Lhéraud
Region/Country: Bas Armagnac, Gascony, France
Type: Vintage Bas Armagnac
ABV: 40%
Size: 70 CL
Cask type: Black oak casks of 700-1200 litres
Distillation method: Single distilled on an alambic armagnacais
Distilled: 1952
Edition: Baron Gaston Legrand Vintage 1952

Flavour profile

Fruity · Nutty · Vanilla · Dry · Smooth

Investment potential

Medium. The vintage cannot be made again, and the casks left from the early 1950s grow fewer with every bottling.

Did you know?

Armagnac is France's oldest spirit and was being drunk long before Cognac existed at all. In Gascony it was first written about as medicine rather than as something to enjoy.

See our full range of Armagnac

Down in the cellar in Gascony the casks stand in rows and the light only reaches in as stripes. Year after year a small share of the 1953 vintage has evaporated through the wood and gone into the air. What is left has grown softer with every winter.

The expert's description

Baron Gaston Legrand 1953 Vintage Appellation Bas Armagnac Controlee 40% is a Vintage Bas Armagnac from Gascony in south-west France, single distilled on an alambic armagnacais, matured in black oak casks and bottled at 40%.

The Baron Gaston Legrand series gathers single vintages from Bas Armagnac, and it is owned and bottled by Lhéraud, a house that has been distilling in France since 1680. Behind this bottle sit the grapes Ugni Blanc, Folle Blanche and Colombard from the western part of the appellation.

Armagnac is distilled once, in an alambic armagnacais, and comes off at low strength. That is the whole difference: the spirit is never stripped of the grape's own character, and it is that character which slowly unfolds in cask.

Maturation begins in new black oak casks of 700 to 1200 litres, where the wood hands over tannins and dry notes. The spirit is then moved to older casks that no longer pull hard, and there it stays until bottling. The bottle comes in a wooden case with a spare stopper and a canvas bag.

Tasting notes

Nose

Violet and lime speak first, bright and almost delicate. Behind them lie peach and a dry vanilla tone, while the wood only shows itself as a distant, warm smell of furniture polish.

Palate

Peach and honey through the middle, framed by hazelnut and a dry wooden edge. The plum arrives late and brings a little sweetness with it, and the pepper keeps to the outer rim.

Finish

Medium length and light. Candied citrus peel first, then nuts, and at the very end a dry floral tone that will not quite let go.

Specifications

Name: Baron Gaston Legrand 1953 Vintage Appellation Bas Armagnac Controlee 40%
Bottler: Lhéraud
Region/Country: Bas Armagnac, Gascony, France
Type: Vintage Bas Armagnac
ABV: 40%
Size: 70 CL
Cask type: Black oak casks of 700-1200 litres
Distillation method: Single distilled on an alambic armagnacais
Distilled: 1953
Edition: Baron Gaston Legrand Vintage 1953

Flavour profile

Floral · Fruity · Citrus · Vanilla · Elegant

Investment potential

Medium. Old single vintages from Bas Armagnac are getting harder to source, and a house like Lhéraud releases its oldest casks only slowly.

Did you know?

An alambic armagnacais is a small continuous column found almost nowhere else in France. It runs the spirit through once and at low strength, and it is the reason Armagnac reads so differently in the glass from a spirit taken twice through a pot still.

See our full range of Armagnac

Sandy soil, low hills and a winter that never turns properly cold. Roots in Bas Armagnac have to work for their living, and that is precisely what gives the 1956 grapes their fineness. This bottle is that harvest, drawn slowly through oak and time.

The expert's description

Baron Gaston Legrand 1956 Vintage Appellation Bas Armagnac Controlee 40% is a Vintage Bas Armagnac from Gascony in south-west France, single distilled on an alambic armagnacais, matured in black oak casks and bottled at 40%.

The Baron Gaston Legrand series consists solely of single vintages from Bas Armagnac. Behind it stands Lhéraud, distilling and bottling in France since 1680. The grapes behind 1956 are Ugni Blanc, Folle Blanche and Colombard.

All of it was distilled once on an alambic armagnacais. That single pass at low strength is the whole reason Armagnac stands differently in the glass from Cognac, where the spirit is run twice through a pot still.

The casks are black oak of 700 to 1200 litres. The first years on new wood deliver tannins and the dry timber notes, after which the spirit moves to older casks and lies still there until bottling. A wooden case with a spare stopper and a canvas bag belongs to the bottle.

Tasting notes

Nose

Yellow plums and peach up front, and behind them a dry floral scent pulling towards violet. There is a mineral streak, almost like warm stone, and the vanilla only turns up at the very end.

Palate

Dry and precise. Orange peel and lime supply freshness, walnut and hazelnut lay down the weight, and a fine layer of pepper runs the whole way and keeps the fruit taut.

Finish

A spiced close with dry wood and nuts. The fruit drops away early, and what remains is a warm, faintly bitter tone that holds for a long while.

Specifications

Name: Baron Gaston Legrand 1956 Vintage Appellation Bas Armagnac Controlee 40%
Bottler: Lhéraud
Region/Country: Bas Armagnac, Gascony, France
Type: Vintage Bas Armagnac
ABV: 40%
Size: 70 CL
Cask type: Black oak casks of 700-1200 litres
Distillation method: Single distilled on an alambic armagnacais
Distilled: 1956
Edition: Baron Gaston Legrand Vintage 1956

Flavour profile

Fruity · Spicy · Floral · Dry · Nutty

Investment potential

Medium. The casks from the 1950s are gradually being emptied out, and no new vintages will ever arrive from that decade.

Did you know?

Bas Armagnac lies on sandy soil known as sables fauves, and that soil gets the credit for making the spirits of this sub-region the most floral and refined in the whole appellation.

See our full range of Armagnac

Whoever pruned the vines in 1958 is no longer here. The cask was filled, marked up and pushed into place, and since then it has looked after itself in a dark room in Gascony. Time has done the rest of the work.

The expert's description

Baron Gaston Legrand 1958 Vintage Appellation Bas Armagnac Controlee 40% is a Vintage Bas Armagnac from Gascony in south-west France, single distilled on an alambic armagnacais, matured in black oak casks and bottled at 40%.

The 1958 vintage belongs to Baron Gaston Legrand, a series of single vintages from Bas Armagnac owned and bottled by Lhéraud, a French house dating from 1680. The grapes are Ugni Blanc, Folle Blanche and Colombard from the western part of the appellation.

Distillation takes place once, on an alambic armagnacais, at a strength low enough for the grape to carry over. That is why old Armagnac has a body and a fruitiness a twice-distilled spirit rarely reaches.

After distillation the spirit goes into new black oak casks of between 700 and 1200 litres, where tannins and dry timber notes are drawn out of the fresh wood. It is then moved to older casks, and everything settles down there until bottling. A wooden case, a spare stopper and a canvas bag come with it.

Tasting notes

Nose

Baked apple and plum first, dense and ripe. Underneath sit hazelnut and a dark vanilla, and right at the back a breath of dry wood and a little pepper.

Palate

Full and round. The plum carries on, the nuts grow stronger, and a dry spiced tone edges in halfway through, leaning towards black pepper. The fruit holds all the way.

Finish

Dry and peppery with the wood out front. The nuts follow it a long way, and at the very end a small fruit sweetness closes it off neatly.

Specifications

Name: Baron Gaston Legrand 1958 Vintage Appellation Bas Armagnac Controlee 40%
Bottler: Lhéraud
Region/Country: Bas Armagnac, Gascony, France
Type: Vintage Bas Armagnac
ABV: 40%
Size: 70 CL
Cask type: Black oak casks of 700-1200 litres
Distillation method: Single distilled on an alambic armagnacais
Distilled: 1958
Edition: Baron Gaston Legrand Vintage 1958

Flavour profile

Fruity · Spicy · Nutty · Oak · Round

Investment potential

Medium. A single vintage from the end of the 1950s slips quietly off the shelves, and it will never go back into production.

Did you know?

Folle Blanche was once the backbone grape of Gascony, but it is delicate and prone to disease, and much of the planting was lost after the phylloxera outbreak. It still goes into the Baron Gaston Legrand series, though on a far smaller scale than before.

See our full range of Armagnac

One summer in Gascony looks much like the next, and suddenly sixty of them have gone by. The cask holding the 1960 vintage stood in the same spot the whole way through, and every winter took a little more of the sharpness away.

The expert's description

Baron Gaston Legrand 1960 Vintage Appellation Bas Armagnac Controlee 40% is a Vintage Bas Armagnac from Gascony in south-west France, single distilled on an alambic armagnacais, matured in black oak casks and bottled at 40%.

Baron Gaston Legrand is released by Lhéraud, a French house going back to 1680, and the series holds nothing but single vintages from Bas Armagnac. The 1960 was made from Ugni Blanc, Folle Blanche and Colombard.

The spirit was run once through an alambic armagnacais. That single distillation at low strength is the technical dividing line between Armagnac and Cognac, and it is why the grape can still be tasted in a spirit of this age.

Maturation takes place in black oak casks of 700 to 1200 litres, first in new wood for tannins and dry notes, later in older casks that give up almost nothing more. It stays that way until bottling. A spare stopper and a canvas bag come in the wooden case.

Tasting notes

Nose

Fresh and bright for an Armagnac of this age. Peach and lime on top, a floral tone underneath, and vanilla with a hint of hazelnut behind that.

Palate

Honey and ripe peach, carried by a light nutty tone. Almond and plum come in halfway through, and the pepper keeps a low profile while holding everything dry at the close.

Finish

Clean and floral. The fruit hangs on for a long time, the wood only reports in at the end, and there is no bitterness anywhere.

Specifications

Name: Baron Gaston Legrand 1960 Vintage Appellation Bas Armagnac Controlee 40%
Bottler: Lhéraud
Region/Country: Bas Armagnac, Gascony, France
Type: Vintage Bas Armagnac
ABV: 40%
Size: 70 CL
Cask type: Black oak casks of 700-1200 litres
Distillation method: Single distilled on an alambic armagnacais
Distilled: 1960
Edition: Baron Gaston Legrand Vintage 1960

Flavour profile

Fruity · Fresh · Floral · Honey · Smooth

Investment potential

Medium. The age, and the fact that the vintage stands alone with no blending of any kind, makes the bottle interesting to anyone collecting vintage-dated spirits.

Did you know?

Ugni Blanc, the main grape behind this vintage and behind most Cognac as well, is the same variety Italians call Trebbiano. It is fairly anonymous as a wine, but its high acidity and low alcohol make it ideal for distillation.

See our full range of Armagnac

The copper column ran slowly that autumn, and the smell of warm wine hung over the farmyard in Gascony. That is how 1961 became spirit. The rest is time, darkness and an old cask letting go by degrees.

The expert's description

Baron Gaston Legrand 1961 Vintage Appellation Bas Armagnac Controlee 40% is a Vintage Bas Armagnac from Gascony in south-west France, single distilled on an alambic armagnacais, matured in black oak casks and bottled at 40%.

The bottle belongs to Baron Gaston Legrand, a series of single vintages from Bas Armagnac owned and bottled by Lhéraud. The house has been in business since 1680. This vintage was made from Ugni Blanc, Folle Blanche and Colombard.

Distillation happened once on an alambic armagnacais, the traditional armagnac column. The low strength coming off the column means the spirit carries more of the grape with it than one taken twice through a pot still, and that is the material the cask then works on.

Maturation starts in new black oak casks of between 700 and 1200 litres and continues in older casks where the wood no longer pulls hard. The spirit rests there until the day it is bottled. The bottle is delivered in a wooden case with a spare stopper and a canvas bag.

Tasting notes

Nose

Ripe peach and plum, sweeter than you expect, with the vanilla clearly present. Violet sits in the background and a fine nutty tone only shows up after a couple of minutes in the glass.

Palate

Round and fruity. The plum takes up most room, the hazelnut lies beneath it, and a warm spiced tone with a stroke of pepper gives it an edge. The wood is present without pushing in.

Finish

Long, nutty and lightly sweet. The fruit falls away slowly, a dry wooden note closes things down, and a suggestion of lime turns up right at the end.

Specifications

Name: Baron Gaston Legrand 1961 Vintage Appellation Bas Armagnac Controlee 40%
Bottler: Lhéraud
Region/Country: Bas Armagnac, Gascony, France
Type: Vintage Bas Armagnac
ABV: 40%
Size: 70 CL
Cask type: Black oak casks of 700-1200 litres
Distillation method: Single distilled on an alambic armagnacais
Distilled: 1961
Edition: Baron Gaston Legrand Vintage 1961

Flavour profile

Fruity · Smooth · Nutty · Vanilla · Spicy

Investment potential

Medium. The vintages from the early 1960s are the young end of the genuinely old Bas Armagnacs, and supply keeps shrinking with no way of topping it up.

Did you know?

The Armagnac region is only about a fifth the size of Cognac, and most of its output comes from small family holdings rather than large houses. That is exactly why single vintages this far back can be found at all.

See our full range of Armagnac