Baron Gaston Legrand 1936 Vintage Appellation Bas Armagnac Controlee 40%

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.

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Frequently asked questions about Baron Gaston Legrand 1936 Vintage Appellation Bas Armagnac Controlee 40%

What does a 1936 Bas Armagnac taste like?

Softer and fruitier than the very oldest vintages. Peach, plum and vanilla sit at the front, while nut and dry wood follow behind. Decades in cask have worn the tannins down, so it feels round in the mouth rather than tight.

Is the 1936 vintage interesting as an investment?

Yes, the potential is high. Nothing more is being made from 1936, and old interwar casks in Gascony grow fewer year by year. The age, the reputation of the house and the fact that the bottle represents a single harvest are what make it attractive to collectors.

Why are old Armagnac vintages easier to find than old Cognac vintages?

Because vintage bottling is the tradition in Armagnac. Small family estates have set casks aside year by year for generations and bottled them as needed, while the Cognac Houses and Distilleries built their identity on blending instead. That is why bottles from the 1930s can still be found in Gascony.

How is it best drunk?

At room temperature, in a glass that narrows slightly at the rim, and with nothing else added. Give it a quarter of an hour to open and drink it in small mouthfuls. A cup of coffee alongside works well, while tobacco and heavily spiced food drown out the fruit.

Does it suit a landmark occasion as a gift?

Yes, precisely because the year is printed on the label. A bottle from someone's birth year is a gift that cannot be bought again next year, and it arrives in a wooden box with a linen bag and a spare stopper, so the wrapping is sorted from the outset.

How different is 1936 from the oldest vintages in the range?

The difference is clear. Vintages from the 1920s are darker, drier and far more marked by wood and rancio, while 1936 still has fruit left in it. All the vintages share cask type, grape varieties and distillation method, so the difference lies in the time and in the harvest.