Laubade 1985 Bas-Armagnac 750ml

Château de Laubade was founded in 1870 in the heart of Gascony, and the third generation of the Lesgourgues family now guides its 105-hectare single-block vineyard, widely regarded as one of the finest terroirs in Bas-Armagnac. Wines from the estate's sandy soils are distilled separately by grape variety and matured with the estate's own custom-made oak, a combination that has earned Laubade a growing shelf of honors, including gold from the World Spirits Awards in Austria and a silver outstanding medal from the IWSC.

This 1985 vintage comes entirely from that year's harvest, distilled from estate-grown Baco, Ugni Blanc, and Colombard through a simple, separate distillation for each grape. Left at its natural strength of roughly 48.4 percent rather than reduced, the spirit matured slowly in Gascony oak, allowing time and wood to build considerable depth well beyond a typical fifteen-year release.

The color is a light mahogany. On the nose, notes of rancio, dried fig, and toasted nut mingle with orange peel, milk, and a whisper of smoke, reflecting real maturity and finesse. The palate shows impressive power and complexity, closing on a long, resonant finish carried by vanilla.