Baron Gaston Legrand 1927 Vintage Appellation Bas Armagnac Controlee 40%

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

Frequently asked questions about Baron Gaston Legrand 1927 Vintage Appellation Bas Armagnac Controlee 40%

Is a 1927 Armagnac a bottle worth investing in?

Yes, the potential is high. The vintage is definitively finished and the stock can only shrink. Bas Armagnac is the most respected part of the appellation, and old vintages from it grow steadily harder to source as the bottles are opened.

What does Appellation Bas Armagnac Controlee mean?

It is the protected designation of origin for the area. The designation sets out where the grapes may be grown, which varieties may be used and how distillation must be carried out. If Bas Armagnac appears on the label, the contents come from the western sub-region and not from Ténarèze or Haut Armagnac.

Why do bottles from such old vintages exist at all?

Because Armagnac traditionally stays in cask until someone needs it. Houses in Gascony have kept stocks of old casks for generations and bottled them only on demand. The Cognac Houses and Distilleries typically blend to fixed quality grades, while Armagnac keeps its vintages apart.

Does it work with a cigar?

Yes, provided the cigar is not too powerful. The tobacco and spice notes in an old Armagnac play straight into a mild to medium-bodied cigar. Choose something very strong and the fine fruit in the spirit disappears, which wastes the main advantage of an old vintage.

How can you tell the vintage is genuine?

The label acts as the house's guarantee of the harvest year and stays with the bottle. Baron Gaston Legrand is bottled exclusively as vintage Armagnac, and each bottling is marked with its year. Buying through a retailer with direct access to the house means the chain is documented all the way.

Why does Armagnac taste different from whisky?

Because the raw material is different. Armagnac is distilled from wine made of grapes, while whisky comes from malt or grain. Grapes give fruit, flowers and acidity where cereal gives sweetness and grainy notes. Add to that the huge casks used in Armagnac, which release wood far more slowly than whisky's small barrels.