Château Laballe Bas Armagnac 1973 elephant-in-the-room Produced with a classic blend

Produced with a classic blend of Cabernet Sauvignon

Intense lifted nose of red cherries and wild forest fruit with hints of toasted oak and spice

Barney and Cam’s foray into craft spirits was inspired by the idea of combining some of the coastal ingredients indigenous to the peninsula—samphire and saltbush—with some of the spicy aromatic notes often found in their Pinot Noirs—fennel

just below Fussey at the border between the Hautes Côtes de Beaune and the Hautes Côtes de Nuits (on the Beaune side)

with a splash of Cabernet Franc

Château Laballe Bas Armagnac 1973 elephant-in-the-room Produced with a classic blendThe great spirit of Gascony has been made in this part of south west France for at least seven centuries, predating Cognacwhich is made in the Charente Valley three hours to the northby a century and a half. And yet, while the global appreciation of this rural spirit has long lagged behind its urbane (and well marketed) cousin, Cyril Laudet and his wife Julie are here to ensure that Armagnac is no longer content to quietly sit by and play second