Baron Gaston Legrand 1931 Vintage Appellation Bas Armagnac Controlee 40%

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

Frequently asked questions about Baron Gaston Legrand 1931 Vintage Appellation Bas Armagnac Controlee 40%

What is rancio, and can you taste it here?

Rancio is the nutty, slightly rancid tone old spirits develop after decades in cask. It is clear in this one, especially on the nose and deep into the finish. It is one of the things only time can deliver, and one of the reasons old vintages are interesting at all.

Does a 1931 vintage hold up as a collector's bottle?

Yes, the potential is high. There will never be more Bas Armagnac from 1931, and the old casks in Gascony grow fewer every year. The age, the fact that the bottle stands for one single harvest, and the name of the house are what carry it as a collector's item.

What temperature should it be served at?

Ordinary room temperature, around 18 to 20 degrees. Warmed in the hand or over a flame the alcohol steps forward too far and covers the dried fruit. Chilled, it simply shuts down.

Does it make a good gift?

Yes, particularly for an occasion where the year itself matters. The bottle comes in a wooden box with a linen bag and a spare stopper, so it can be handed over without further wrapping. The vintage is printed on the label, which makes the gift specific in a way an ordinary bottle is not.

Why is Armagnac distilled only once?

Because the traditional armagnac column is built for it. The spirit comes off at the low end of the strength scale and carries more aroma compounds with it, where two passes would strip more of that away. It is why Armagnac often reads as fuller and more rustic than the spirit coming off the double distilled stills of the Cognac Houses and Distilleries.

How do you open an old bottle without ruining the stopper?

Take it slowly, and turn the bottle rather than the stopper. Old corks go brittle, and a hard pull can snap one in half. If it breaks anyway, the spirit can be strained through a fine sieve, and a spare stopper is included in the box.