The 1980 Laubade Armagnac was a part of the Brandy, Cognac, and Armagnac Tasting with our wine club. Experiencing Laubade was a historic and sensual event because, in a way, it traveled through time for us to enjoy it 40 years later. It was like opening a time capsule.
Château de Laubade Story
There are more than 40 years packed in that bottle. A whole 100 years more!
Château de Laubade was built in 1870, and it changed owners a few times. Joseph Noulens, a great French statesman, is the true founder of the estate because he rebuilt the castle in 1902 and laid the foundation for its future Armagnac-producing glory.
Besides contributing to Château de Laubade becoming a pilot farm in agronomy and scientific research that influenced other French producers, Joseph was deeply involved in state affairs at the beginning of the 20th century.
He served as French Ambassador to Petrograd (Saint-Petersburg) during the historic 1917 Russian Revolution and as Minister of War, Finance, and Agriculture in the government of Georges Clémenceau.
Interestingly, Joseph’s second wife was a historical figure in her time. Jeanne Paquin was one of the pioneering French designers and the creator of the famous fashion house “Paquin.” Inevitably, Jeanne Paquin applied her exceptional talent to decorating the Chateau.
Everything whispers history at the Château de Laubade, and they still hold Armagnacs dating back to the turbulent times of the 20th century when Joseph and Jeanne strolled the castle halls.
The latest chapter of Château de Laubade started in 1974 when the Lesgourgues family acquired it. Since 1998, Arnaud and Denis Lesgourgues, representing the 3rd generation, have pursued their quest for excellence, making Château de Laubade the indisputable benchmark for Armagnac.
One hundred and forty lucky guests were treated with a few bottles of Laubade 1910 vintage when they celebrated the 140th anniversary of the Chateau in 2010.
While we weren’t part of that select group of guests, judging by the 1980 Laubade we shared with our wine club, it was a once-in-a-lifetime Armagnac tasting.
Laubade Armagnac 1980
In the Bottle
The fruit for Laubade 1980 came from organically farmed 105 hectares of the estate vineyards in the prestigious Bas Armagnac. It’s 100% 1980 vintage of four traditional grape varieties: Ugni-Blanc, Folle Blanche, Colombard, and the iconic Baco.
Each grape variety was separately fermented and distilled. Following the traditional fermentation, the new eau-de-vie from each varies was aged independently in fine Gascony oak barrels. After artful blending, the ready Armagnac was further aged in 15 to 50 years-old oak barrels.
And 40+ years later, it was totally worth the wait.
In the Glass
The first thing that struck us was the intensity of the aroma. We were tasting it outside, and after we popped the cork, amazingly, people could smell it 15 to 20 feet away.
Laubade had a beautiful amber color and almost oily-like viscosity. The scents of orange marmalade, quince, and mellow vanilla were all around us.
The taste was as majestic as the fragrance of Laubade with the orange slices and rind, dried apples, and vanilla beans.
Aftertaste
As we write about the scents and flavors coming back. We recall how the large part of the garden was overtaken by the Laubade. It felt like we opened the time capsule and all that packed 40 years of history uncontrollably flowed out of the bottle.
While tasting and comparing Laubade 1980 to other distinct bottles of the Brandy, Cognac, and Armagnac event was a truly unforgettable experience, we think it deserves its own evening of slow meditation over the glass. And we look forward to it.
What is your favorite vintage Armagnac so far? What are your thoughts if you had a chance to compare Armagnac to Cognac? Any preference?
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