Chateau Laubade Vintage Dated Armagnac

Personally I have always loved cognac. Be it Armagnac, Bas Armagnac, Cognac, Brandy, Petite Champagne. If it has Ugni Blanc in it, if it’s aged in barrel and has a potency in excess of 40%ABV I love it!

 When I was working in London I often visited Berry Bros on St. James’s Street. This vintage wine and spirit store occupied the building that once housed the Texas Embassy to the Court of St. James, back when Texas believed it was it’s own country! In the cellars of Berry Bros were these huge oak barrels, filled with various wines, ports and cognacs. One such barrel was a 1961 Hine Cognac. That happened to be quite a significant year and I bought a case of 750cl bottles. I would be allowed to come into the store, nod to a representative and go downstairs and watch as another bottle of the amber liquid was filled for my consumption. Sadly that case did not last long and one of my deepest regrets is that I did not buy another case, for prosperity. Back then I don’t think I paid more than $50 for the bottle!

 That was a special bottling since cognac, per se, is not vintage dated and their barrels, in France are not secured in bonded warehouses. Armagnac, on the other hand was always stored in bond and as such could always be vintage dated. This is not a Solera style dating system. If the bottle reads 1900 that’s what’s in the bottle. It’s not a blend of 15 vintages with 1900 being the oldest.

 Also remember, that once you open the bottle, it will last for as long as you don’t pour it. Could be 1 year, could be 10, could be 1 day if you have friends and family over!

 Château de Laubade was built in 1870 in Gascony, the historic province of south-west France and is today the premier Armagnac property in France. Composed of 260 acres of single vineyard, it is located in Sorbets d’Armagnac, in the heart of the noblest area of the appellation: the Bas Armagnac. Unique to this Armagnac producer are two qualities that are important to the spirit. First, they only source their grapes from their own vineyards. All spirit produced is produced from grapes that they have tended and farmed. Secondly, this is the only Brandy house that has its own cooperage. All the barrels are made, on-site, from trees grown on their land. Since the barrel is of such importance in the aging of great brandy it’s worth buying from a house that makes its own barrels.

 I recently met the ‘Ambassadeur’ of Ch. De Laubade and over a glass or two of some special vintages he agreed to send me a list of all their current vintage dated Armagnacs. That list is attached. There are a certain number of every vintage listed, in bonded warehouse, in New York. These bottles are something very special and whatever your special vintage is, know that the spirit inside is 100% delicious! I obviously can’t divulge which vintages I have bought, and rest assured, if you decide to purchase a vintage dated bottle I won’t tell anyone what year it was!

 These Armagnacs will make terrific gifts, not just for family and friends but also for CEOs and corporate muckity-mucks.  Buy the date they started their company, or left it! Whatever the reason these brandies will do a great job.

 Send me an e-mail with your wish list and we will start work on it right away. I plan to order these bottles around December 1, to have them in the store by December 10 and shipped or picked up very soon thereafter. And  each vintage bottle will be wooden boxed with the vintage date, copper-foiled on the lid.

 Have a think and get back to me by December 1.

1898 $6,110 1943 $1,763 1976 $216

1904 $4,810 1944 $1,680 1977 $211

1906 $4,420 1945 $2,075 1978 $205

1912 $4,160 1946 $1,522 1979 $199

1914 $3,900 1947 $2,436 1980 $187

1915 $3,900 1948 $2,015 1981 $181

1917 $3,835 1949 $1,667 1982 $170

1918 $3,770 1950 $1,609 1983 $166

1919 $3,770 1952 $1,677 1984 $164

1920 $4,585 1953 $1,668 1985 $160

1921 $3,510 1955 $1,877 1986 $156

1922 $3,232 1956 $1,430 1987 $152

1923 $2,990 1957 $1,486 1988 $150

1924 $2,596 1958 $1,235 1989 $146

1926 $2,647 1959 $1,063 1990 $142

1927 $2,608 1960 $806 1991 $139

1928 $2,241 1961 $746 1992 $135

1929 $2,144 1962 $607 1993 $131

1930 $2,007 1963 $558 1994 $129

1931 $1,980 1964 $537 1995 $125

1932 $1,937 1965 $524 1996 $121

1934 $1,758 1966 $372 1997 $117

1935 $2,304 1967 $390 1998 $114

1936 $1,473 1968 $376 1999 $111

1937 $1,750 1970 $278 2000 $107

1938 $2,257 1971 $260 2001 $104

1939 $1,723 1972 $250 2002 $101

1940 $1,707 1973 $247 2003 $100

1941 $1,630 1974 $239 2004 $99

1942 $1,489 1975 $217