Delord Bas-Armagnac 1989 40% 700ml

Armagnac, the French oldest brandy, going back to the year 1310 when it was first written about for its medicinal virtues... The House of Delord is based in Lannepax, a beautiful village in the Gers department of the Gascony region, in the heart of the Bas Armagnac protected appelation. Delord vineyard is made of colombard, ugni blanc and folle blanche grapes. Distillation is done in century old alembic stills. and despite a few blends being made, most distillates are kept each years as specific vintages, building a unique collection of old and afoordable spirits. This 1988 vintage has been bottled in 2018: it spent a stunning 30 years in French oak barrels. If you like Whisky, Rum or Cognac, there's a chance you will fall in love with Armagnac, and this Delod 1988 is a great starting point.

Situated in Bas-Armagnac, vineyards are made up of Colombard, Ugni Blanc and Folle Blanche grape varieties. The distillery is to be found in the village of Lannepax, the ancestral home of the Delord family. The distillation, the most essential and fascinating stage in the production of Armagnac, takes place at the beginning of November through to the end of December. Their old Sier Armagnac alambics, that they wouldn't part with for all the gold in the world, produce less than 30 litres of eau-de-vie an hour. Delord cellars contain old treasured vintages and include more than 700 oak barrels that protect and age the Armagnac eau-de-vie dating from the 20th Century to the present day. Delord thanks to their vision have stored such quantities of good Armagnacs for such a long time that they have the resource to be very competitive in price for the same quality. They also concentrate on Armagnac styles, very rounded, soft and easy to drink, so that they are amongst the most successful producers. Their range of vintage armagnacs is one of the most complete with vintages from 1900 to 2006 with only 33 vintage years unavailable. Of course bottles indiquate a bottling date, for it is only age in wood which matters. An Armagnac distilled in 1900 and bottled in 1910 would be no better than a 1996 bottled in 2006 and if it were not for the exponential speculative price stirred by collectors it should have the same price. Their blends are unbeatable on a price/quality ratio and in a upper quality, their XO Premium and their Authentique keep collecting real medals.