Château Laballe Bas Armagnac 700ml 2004

Château Laballe Bas Armagnac in this bottling is a single-vintage, 100% Ugni Blanc spirit still young by Armagnac standards.

Armagnac has been made in Gascony, in south-west France, for at least seven centuries, predating Cognac by around a century and a half, and Bas Armagnac is its finest sub-region. Château Laballe sits at Parleboscq, on the edge of the Landes forest, and has been in Laudet hands since 1820; Cyril and Julie Laudet are the eighth generation. Ugni Blanc is the workhorse white of the region, low in alcohol and high in acidity, which is exactly what suits distillation. The wine is distilled in the estate's 1923 wood-fired copper still and then aged in 410-litre Chêne Noir Gascon barrels made from local Landes oak, whose thick grain supplies tannin and spice slowly. Nothing is added for colour, and the spirit is bottled brut de fût — unfiltered and at cask strength, often from one barrel.

Younger vintage Armagnac takes well to a splash of water or a large ice cube; otherwise serve it neat at room temperature with dark chocolate or roasted nuts.

*Every effort is made to ensure the current vintage is accurate; however, variations can occur. If you are after a specific vintage, please contact us prior to ordering.