Baron Gaston Legrand 1923 Vintage Appellation Bas Armagnac Controlee 40%

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.

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Frequently asked questions about Baron Gaston Legrand 1923 Vintage Appellation Bas Armagnac Controlee 40%

Is a 1923 Armagnac worth keeping?

Yes, the potential is high. A fixed, finished quantity exists from that vintage, and every bottle opened makes the rest scarcer. Its age and Bas Armagnac origin make it very hard to swap for anything comparable.

What is an alambic armagnacais?

It is the traditional Armagnac column, where wine is distilled once in a single pass. The column works at low distillation strength, which is why the spirit keeps so many of the heavy aromatic compounds from the wine. The Cognac Houses and Distilleries use a pot still and two passes instead.

What comes with the bottle?

The bottle is delivered in a wooden case together with a canvas bag and a spare stopper. The label states the vintage and serves as the house's guarantee of it. The case keeps light out, which is the single most useful protection an old spirit can be given.

What suits an old Bas Armagnac after dinner?

It does best on its own or with something dark and nutty. Dark chocolate above 70 per cent, walnuts or a mature hard cheese all play against the prune and the spice. Avoid very sweet desserts, which sit on top of the spirit and flatten it.

How long does the bottle keep once opened?

Several years, if it is sealed properly. Armagnac does not develop in glass the way wine does, but oxygen works slowly once there is a lot of air above the liquid. Keep the stopper tight, store the bottle upright and dark, and finish it within a couple of years once it is half empty.

Why does old Armagnac taste of dried fruit?

Because decades in cask slowly oxidise the spirit. The fresh, floral notes of young brandy are rebuilt into prune, fig and nut, and the wood lays dry tannins over the top. That dark, concentrated character cannot be produced any faster than time allows.