Born in 1875, Prosper Delord started the company as an itinerant distiller (bouilleur de cru in French). He gained a reputation for his dedication and expertise by carting his traveling pot still around to the farms in the Bas Armagnac region. When his son Gaston took over in 1925 he officially founded the company name and established the business as a permanent site in Lannepax.Today, Jerome and Sylvain Delord — Prosper Delord’s great grandsons — manage the prime 20 hectare organically farmed estate located in the western part of Bas Armagnac, widely known as the “First Cru.” The Delord brothers grow Ugni Blanc (70% – brings the structure), Baco (20% – brings roundness), Colombard (5% – Brings herbal aromas) and Folle Blanche (5% – brings floral notes) 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 Celcius), 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 in Maison Delord’s cellars. The cellars hold just over 1,000 casks (Limousin oak for 90% and 10% left for Gascon oak), 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 Bas-Armagnacs pick up notes of old leather, dates, toffee and caramel, which ultimately, with time, 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 beauty rest, the Bas Armagnacs are 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.
Armagnac Essentials
