Laballe Bas Armagnac Vintage 1998 – 20 years old – 100% Ugni Blanc, 48% abv

Laballe Bas Armagnac

Deep in the heart of Gascony, is Château Laballe, a family owned estate that produces an admirable range of still wines and perhaps more famously, the distilled spirit known as Armagnac. Château Laballe’s founding father, Jean-Dominique Laudet, purchased the domaine back in 1820. After a career in the spice trade, Jean-Dominique’s dream was to settle down in the country and produce France’s oldest spirit. Today, Cyril Laudet and his wife Julie represent the 8th generation to continue the family tradition of producing a range of fine Armagnacs.

Located at the edge of the Landes forest (France’s largest) and Gers river, Château Laballe lies in the terroir of Bas Armagnac. The soils here are largely composed of silty-sand and clay, with a high percentage of iron oxide. Known locally as Sables Fauves (tawny soils) its composition and profile is perfectly suited to ugni blanc and baco, the grape varieties used in the production of Château Laballe’s Armagnac. True to tradition, the domaine has used the same copper still since 1923. The spirits then age in barrels made of oak from the nearby Landes forest. Throughout their elevage, the Armagnacs are also aerated two to three times a year in order to create a more harmonious and integrated spirit.