Laballe Bas Armagnac 1973/2023

Volume: 0.7 litres | Alcohol content: 41.2%

Special Features:

This Bas-Armagnac combines a single historic vintage with a distinctly fruity aromatic profile. Laballe distilled the spirit in 1973, and it was bottled at 41.2% on 17 May 2023. Stone fruit, honey and spices define the flavour of this official bottling.

The 0.7-litre bottle comes in a dark brown gift box with gold-coloured design details and an illustration of Château Laballe. The vintage appears on a separate neck label, while the bottling date is handwritten on the back label.

Tasting Notes:

• Nose: Juicy nectarines and plums mingle with grapes and dates on the nose. Blossom honey and lavender add sweet and floral accents, alongside liquorice root, caramel, almonds, elder syrup and a little oak.
• Palate: The Armagnac is full-bodied on the palate. Ripe forest berries, peaches and apples meet apricot jam and dried mango. Liquorice and star anise complement the fruit, with chamomile tea and honey, candied oranges and cinnamon in the background.
• Finish: Light-coloured fruit, forest berries and dried fruit linger on the finish. Caramel cream and a delicate spicy note accompany the fruit.

Distillery/Bottler:

Château Laballe is located in Parleboscq in the Landes, on the border with the Gers. The family estate covers 25 hectares on the sandy soils of the Sables Fauves. Its history as an Armagnac house began in 1820 with Jean-Dominique Laudet, who had previously spent more than twenty years in the spice trade in the West Indies. By 1829, he was already exporting 200 casks to New York. Today, Cyril and Julie Laudet run the house in its eighth generation; Cyril took over in 2007, and Julie joined him in 2009.

Laballe brings together grape growing, winemaking, distillation and cask maturation within its own operation. Its current practices include vinification in concrete tanks, a wood-fired copper Armagnac still dating from 1947 and maturation in black Gascon oak casks. This keeps every stage of production, from vineyard to bottle, in the hands of the house.

Facts: