Delord 25 Year Old Bas Armagnac

Delord 25 Year Old Bas Armagnac

Situated in the Bas Armagnac region of France, Maison Delord was founded in 1893 by Prosper Delord. Prosper was a travelling distiller (he carried a pot-still with him while traveling to different farms in the Armagnac region) before he purchased his own estate in the village of Lannepax with his wife, Marie Duffau. Before his death in 1912, Prosper passed the estate on to his sons, Gaston and Georges, who eventually passed it along to their sons, Jacques and Pierre Delord. Today, Jerome and Sylvain Delord Prosper Delord's great grandsons manage the prime 20 hectare estate located in the western part of Bas Armagnac, widely known as the "First Cru." The Delord brothers grow Colombard, Ugni Blanc and Folle Blanche grapes on their estate without the use of pesticides or fertilizers. The mild, sunny autumns and cool breezes of the Bas Armagnac region, as well the estate's acidic soil and high mineral content, are especially suited for growing grapes. After the grapes have been harvested, they are pressed and fermented before being distilled in a single pass through Delord's antique, Sier alembic stills. The stills are incredibly small they produce only 30 liters of Bas Armagnac each hour and are operated at low temperatures (typically, between 54 and 58 degrees), which enables the Bas Armagnac to preserve more of the flavors and fatty acids of the grapes. Once the grapes have been distilled, the Bas Armagnac is aged for a minimum of 25 years in Maison Delord's cellars. The cellars hold just over 1,000 casks at any given time, the oldest of which are housed in a special area of the cellar known as Paradise (the oldest cask dates back to 1900). During maturation, Delord 25 Year Old Bas-Armagnac picks up notes of old leather, dates, toffee and caramel, which ultimately lead to a slightly nutty finish with a touch of cashews, hazelnuts and vanilla. Although the hints of caramel, honey and chocolate are slightly reminiscent of bourbon and scotch, the flavor is uniquely different. Following its quarter-century beauty rest, the Bas Armagnac is brought to proof before each bottle is filled and sealed by hand with wax. Delord 25 Year Old Bas-Armagnac earned a score of 96 points from Wine Enthusiast and five stars from F. Paul Pacult's Spirit Journal, which recognized it as one of the top 10 greatest spirits of all time. Pick up a bottle today!