Baron Gaston Legrand 1939 Vintage Appellation Bas Armagnac Controlee 40%

Harvest in Gascogne falls in September, and in 1939 the outbreak of war fell alongside it. The grapes were picked all the same, the juice distilled, the cask filled. Down in the cellar, time carried on at its own pace regardless of what was happening outside.

The expert's description

Baron Gaston Legrand 1939 Vintage Appellation Bas Armagnac Controlee 40% is a Vintage Bas Armagnac from the 1939 harvest, single distilled in an alambic armagnacais, matured in black oak casks and bottled at 40%.

The vintage comes from Bas Armagnac, the western part of the Armagnac region in Gascogne. The sandy soil here is held to be the best in the appellation, and the grapes behind the bottle are Ugni Blanc, Folle Blanche and Colombard.

The wine was distilled once on the alambic armagnacais, the column that has been in use across the region for centuries. Cognac runs twice through a pot still, and the difference shows: Armagnac keeps more of the coarse grain of the field and the grape, and that is what the cask then smooths down.

Maturation begins in new black oak casks of 700 to 1200 litres, where the wood surrenders tannin and dry notes. The spirit is then moved to older casks, which add no further wood but let maturation settle into something calm. There it stays until bottling.

The range is owned and bottled by Lhéraud, a French house dating from 1680. Each bottle is one single vintage, and the label vouches for the year. It arrives in a wooden box with a spare stopper and a canvas bag.

Tasting notes

Nose

Prune and dark cocoa first, then dried fig and a trace of tobacco leaf. Behind that the oak sits dry and steady, carrying the nutty rancio note that only decades deliver.

Palate

Dark and dry. Stewed plum, bitter chocolate and roasted nuts, with spice settling like pepper on the tongue. The wood is clear but soft at the edge.

Finish

Very long. Tobacco, dried fruit and a dry, almost dusty timber note that keeps going. Right at the end a faint sweetness, like a raisin forgotten in the mouth.

Specifications

Name: Baron Gaston Legrand 1939 Vintage Appellation Bas Armagnac Controlee 40%
Bottler: Lhéraud
Region/Country: Bas Armagnac, Gascogne, France
Type: Vintage Bas Armagnac
ABV: 40%
Size: 70 CL
Cask type: Black oak casks of 700-1200 litres
Distillation method: Single distilled in an alambic armagnacais
Distilled: 1939
Edition: Vintage 1939

Flavour profile

Prune · Cocoa · Tobacco · Oak · Rancio

Investment potential

High. 1939 was harvested just as the war began, and no more of that vintage will be made. The very long maturation in oak casks and the Bas Armagnac appellation make the bottle difficult to find again.

Did you know?

The soil in Bas Armagnac is sandy, and that sand is precisely why the area is held to be the finest in Armagnac. Sandy ground yields lighter and more floral spirit than the heavier clay soils further east.

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Frequently asked questions about Baron Gaston Legrand 1939 Vintage Appellation Bas Armagnac Controlee 40%

What makes the 1939 vintage interesting?

The year itself. The harvest coincided with the outbreak of war, and few bottles from those years are left. In flavour terms 1939 belongs with the dark, dry vintages, where rancio and wood take up more room than fruit.

Is a 1939 Bas Armagnac worth investing in?

The investment potential is rated high. The vintage cannot be recreated, the number of bottles falls every time one is opened, and Bas Armagnac is the most respected part of the appellation. The very long spell in oak casks counts as well.

At what temperature should it be served?

At ordinary room temperature, around 18 to 20 degrees. Too cold and the aromas shut down; warmed too long in the hand and the alcohol steps forward at the expense of the fruit. Hold the glass by the stem rather than the bowl.

What food goes with it?

Mature hard cheese, walnuts and dried figs suit it. For dessert it works with anything built on prunes, dark chocolate or caramel, where the dark fruit notes meet. Avoid anything sharply acidic, which cuts straight through it.

Does Armagnac keep developing in the bottle?

No, development stops the moment the spirit leaves the cask. Everything the bottle can offer was built in the oak cask, which is why an old vintage tastes no different after twenty years on a shelf. The same holds for every cask matured spirit, whether it comes from Gascogne or from the Cognac Houses and Distilleries in Charente. The only thing that changes is the cork, if it gives way.

Can you enjoy it without being an expert?

Yes. At 40% it is gentle to approach, and the decades behind it have removed every sharp edge. Pour a little, let it stand in the glass for a couple of minutes, and drink it slowly without water or ice.