Baron Gaston Legrand 1956 Vintage Appellation Bas Armagnac Controlee 40%

Sandy soil, low hills and a winter that never turns properly cold. Roots in Bas Armagnac have to work for their living, and that is precisely what gives the 1956 grapes their fineness. This bottle is that harvest, drawn slowly through oak and time.

The expert's description

Baron Gaston Legrand 1956 Vintage Appellation Bas Armagnac Controlee 40% is a Vintage Bas Armagnac from Gascony in south-west France, single distilled on an alambic armagnacais, matured in black oak casks and bottled at 40%.

The Baron Gaston Legrand series consists solely of single vintages from Bas Armagnac. Behind it stands Lhéraud, distilling and bottling in France since 1680. The grapes behind 1956 are Ugni Blanc, Folle Blanche and Colombard.

All of it was distilled once on an alambic armagnacais. That single pass at low strength is the whole reason Armagnac stands differently in the glass from Cognac, where the spirit is run twice through a pot still.

The casks are black oak of 700 to 1200 litres. The first years on new wood deliver tannins and the dry timber notes, after which the spirit moves to older casks and lies still there until bottling. A wooden case with a spare stopper and a canvas bag belongs to the bottle.

Tasting notes

Nose

Yellow plums and peach up front, and behind them a dry floral scent pulling towards violet. There is a mineral streak, almost like warm stone, and the vanilla only turns up at the very end.

Palate

Dry and precise. Orange peel and lime supply freshness, walnut and hazelnut lay down the weight, and a fine layer of pepper runs the whole way and keeps the fruit taut.

Finish

A spiced close with dry wood and nuts. The fruit drops away early, and what remains is a warm, faintly bitter tone that holds for a long while.

Specifications

Name: Baron Gaston Legrand 1956 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: 1956
Edition: Baron Gaston Legrand Vintage 1956

Flavour profile

Fruity · Spicy · Floral · Dry · Nutty

Investment potential

Medium. The casks from the 1950s are gradually being emptied out, and no new vintages will ever arrive from that decade.

Did you know?

Bas Armagnac lies on sandy soil known as sables fauves, and that soil gets the credit for making the spirits of this sub-region the most floral and refined in the whole appellation.

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Frequently asked questions about Baron Gaston Legrand 1956 Vintage Appellation Bas Armagnac Controlee 40%

What makes the 1956 vintage special?

That everything in the bottle comes from one harvest in Bas Armagnac. No younger spirit has been blended in to hit a house style, so the flavour is the year's own. Sandy soil plus long maturation in large casks gives an Armagnac that is dry and floral rather than heavy.

Is a 1956 vintage worth collecting?

The potential is rated Medium. No more bottles will be made from 1956, and the supply of 1950s vintages from Bas Armagnac keeps shrinking. The reputation of the house and the standing of the appellation carry the rest.

Which glass suits an old Armagnac?

A tulip-shaped glass with a narrowed rim, ideally a cognac glass or a copita. The wide balloon shape lets too much alcohol escape and tires the nose. A smaller glass holds on to the fine floral and nutty tones.

Why is it bottled at 40%?

Because that is the strength the house has chosen for the series. Old Armagnac loses strength on its own across decades in cask, and at 40% the fruit and flowers come through most clearly without the alcohol taking over.

What does Bas mean in Bas Armagnac?

It refers to the low-lying western part of the Armagnac region. The soil there is sandy, and the spirits from that corner are regarded as the finest of the appellation's three sub-regions. Bas does not signal lesser quality, quite the opposite. Bas Armagnac does, however, cover a far smaller area than the one the Cognac Houses and Distilleries draw on further north.

Does it suit dessert or a cigar?

Both work, but it does best on its own after the meal. If something has to join it, dark chocolate and nut-based desserts sit well, while a mild cigar will not drown out the dry floral tones.