Delord Bas-Armagnac 1984 700ml

Product Information:

Located in Bas-Armagnac, Delord’s vineyards are composed of Colombard, Ugni Blanc and Folle Blanche grape varieties. This distillery is located in the village of Lannepax, the ancestral home of the Delord family. The Delord estate comprises a prime 45 hectare vineyard in the heart of the premier cru, Bas Armagnac. Their armagnacs are distilled at a low temperature during a slow distillation process which gives the spirit a smoother more fruity profile. This Armagnac has a lovely gold ochre, bright copper appearance. Fragrance of nougat and sweet spice. As it opens there is crystallised oranges, vanilla flower, and maple syrup notes. Soft and round on entry, offering light toffee, dried fruits, and oak driven spices. Superb.

Maker:

The story of Armagnac Delord began with Prosper Delord in 1893. As a travelling distiller and cellar master Delord took his alambic from farm to farm, crafting Armagnac from local white wine. In 1932, his sons Gaston and Georges founded Delord Freres in Lannepax, expanding their Bas-Armagnac production and exporting to the United States. Over the decades, Gaston’s son Jacques and later his sons Pierre, Sylvain, and Jérôme joined, each contributing to the family legacy: Jacques steering the Armagnac journey, Pierre collaborating with his brother, and Sylvain focusing on blending while Jérôme excelled in promotion. Today, Sylvain and Jérôme continue to innovate and uphold their heritage, marking a new chapter in the legacy of Armagnac Delord.

Located in Bas-Armagnac, vineyards are made up of Colombard, Ugni Blanc and Folle Blanche grape varieties. The distillery can 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 precious old Sier Armagnac alambics, 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 mature the Armagnac eau-de-vie. 

Their range of vintage Armagnacs is one of the most comprehensive excluding on 33 vintages between 1900 to 2006. Labels indicate bottling date as age in wood is of utmost importance – 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.

Philosophy:

Their vineyard of 45 hectares, is divided into 11 parcels, is located in the village of Lannepax. It is made up of the four traditional Armagnac grape varieties: 58% Ugni Blanc, 16% Colombard, 14% Folle-Blanche and 12% Baco. Throughout the season Rinaldo, the vineyard manager, takes the greatest of care of the vines throughout their development.

The four grape varieties are harvested, pressed and vinified separately in a winemaking cellar, a few metres from the distillery. Temperature control, must settling and racking are all techniques well mastered by Sylvain Delord. He is looking for an aromatic wine that is slightly acidic and low in alcohol which is the ideal wine for the distillation.

The distillery resides in Lannepax, the family’s native village. The distillation, an essential and fascinating step in the creation of Armagnac takes place in the heart of winter. Delord are one of the only Armagnac houses using the two methods of distillation; the continuous distillation method that is typical for Armagnac and the double distillation. Using two Armagnac alambics, one of which is a rare ‘Sier’ dating from 1900, both these column stills are equipped with particular plates called ‘spider plates’ which are ideal for the production of old Armagnacs. While the two ‘double distillation’ stills produce fruity eaux-de-vie destined for young Armagnacs.

Today, torch has been passed from generation to generation: Jacques and Pierre, then Sylvain and Jérôme, continue to glorify Armagnac Delord worldwide. From 2020, this latest duo honoured the family history by taking over Galaubas, an ancestral Delord estate, and venturing into organic Armagnac production. Delord cellars, hold more than 1000 barrels and a dozen oak tanks that age and protect the Armagnac eaux-de-vie date from the 20th century to the present day. The oldest vintages are kept in Bonbonnes (glass jars) away from the light, in a room called Paradise. 

Nose – Nougat, Sweet Spice, Candied Orange Peel
Muted opening sniff yields a subtle fragrance of nougat and sweet spice. Further aeration stimulates notes of candied orange peel, vanilla and dilute maple syrup.

Palate – Soft Entry, Dried Fruits, Light Toffee
 A soft, round entry follows through to light to medium-bodied profile offering suggestions of light toffee.

Finish – White Pepper, Savoury Oak Spice, Dry
Dried fruits and white pepper towards the finish which is dry and brimming with oak.

The Finer Details
Style – Armagnac
Varietal – 58% Ugni Blanc, 16% Colombard, 14% Folle-Blanche and 12% Baco
Country – France
Region – Armagnac
Vintage – 1984
Bottle Size – 700ml
ABV – 40%