Baron Gaston Legrand 1930 Vintage Appellation Bas Armagnac Controlee 40%

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.

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Frequently asked questions about Baron Gaston Legrand 1930 Vintage Appellation Bas Armagnac Controlee 40%

What sets Bas Armagnac apart from the rest of the region?

The soil. Armagnac is divided into three sub-regions, and Bas Armagnac in the west has the sandy ground that gives the lightest and most aromatic wines. It is why most old vintage bottlings come from here. The sub-regions are kept apart more often here than at the French Cognac Houses and Distilleries, where blending across crus is the norm.

Can you invest in a 1930 vintage?

The potential is high. No more Bas Armagnac from 1930 is being made, and the casks still standing in Gascony from that time are emptied bit by bit. Age, the vintage principle and the reputation of the house are what make the bottle interesting to a collector.

How is the bottle best stored?

Upright, dark and cool. It must not lie down, because the spirit attacks the stopper and can make it give way. Avoid large temperature swings and keep it out of direct sunlight, which fades both label and contents.

Is it too old to drink?

No. A spirit of this kind does not spoil with age, as long as the bottle has stood correctly and the stopper has held. The age is time in cask, not time in glass, and that time is exactly what you notice in the aroma.

Should it be given air in the glass first?

Yes, give it ten to twenty minutes. A spirit that has spent this long in wood opens slowly, and the first minutes in the glass are often mostly wood and very little fruit. After a quarter of an hour the flowers and berries are clearly out.

Why does a 1930 Armagnac taste different from a young one?

Because decades in cask change everything. Tannins wear soft, fresh grape fruit turns into dried fruit, and nut and wood notes appear that young spirit simply does not have. At the same time liquid evaporates through the wood, and what remains is denser and more concentrated.