L'Encantada Armagnac - 1974 - 46 yo - Domaine Bellair - Foundations

Volume: 0.5 litres | Alcohol content: 44.9% | Chill filtration: No | Colouring: No

Special Features:

Distilled from Baco grapes at Domaine Bellair in 1974, this Bas-Armagnac matured for 46 years in French oak in a damp cellar. L'Encantada selected cask 12 for the Foundations release and bottled the Armagnac at its natural cask strength of 44.9%, yielding 180 bottles of 0.5 litres each. It is neither chill-filtered nor coloured.

Tasting Notes:

• Nose: Roasted apple and cider lead the nose. With air, juicy apricot, candied lemon and lime blossom unfold.
• Palate: The opening is powerful and direct. Ginger, vanilla and delicate liquorice give way to minty freshness. Tart, crisp apple brings a fresh accent to the mid-palate.
• Finish: The finish is long and elegant. Cut hay, alfalfa and grapefruit combine with delicate balsamic notes of balm and camphor. Nutmeg and ginger linger, leaving a fresh impression.

Distillery/Bottler:

Domaine Bellair produced the 1974 vintage Baco Armagnac; L'Encantada handled cask selection and bottling in Vic-Fezensac. Domaine Bellair cultivates eight hectares in Bas-Armagnac, with sandy soils covering 60% of the land and clay-limestone soils the remaining 40%. The estate grows Ugni Blanc and Baco grapes.

L'Encantada was founded in Vic-Fezensac in 2011 by a small group of Armagnac enthusiasts as an independent house, selecting Armagnacs for further cellar maturation and bottling. Cellar master Vincent visits small producers and assesses their vintages. The house preserves the spirits' natural colour and alcohol strength: it uses no filtration and adds no water, sugar, caramel or oak extract. Bottling takes place on request in its own cellar, using gravity.

Facts: