CHÂTEAU DE LAUBADE BAS-ARMAGNAC 1979

Marked 17 out of 23. This is the oldest Château De Laubade I've tasted, at 40 years old, and it's my 1994th alcoholic beverage reviewed. I could fabricate a reason about the digits in 40 relating to the 4 in 1994, but the actual reason is that I recently reviewed two 1994 vintage drinks (Deanston and Girvan), so I felt another 1994 review wasn't necessary, but I did need to include this dram in my Château De Laubade tasting series. At 40 years of age, I'm expecting this to be incredible. Nose: Abundant wood polish with orange toffee. It lacks significant complexity but is certainly decadent with some depth. Surprisingly, I detect very little tannin. After a vigorous swirl, tannins become apparent. They are bitter and tart, with a hint of spice. Still, not a great deal of spice. Hopefully, the palate isn't overwhelmed by tannins. Palate: It's quite bitter, with leathery notes and spices. There's also pleasant vanilla sweetness and a touch of chocolate. The bitter, tart tannin flavor is present but doesn't dominate. Toffee notes appear intermittently, enhancing the vanilla sweetness. Occasional orange hints suggest a dry, spicy character rather than sweetness, reminiscent of Reagan's Orange Bitters. While not highly complex, it boasts excellent balance and good depth. This is a truly delightful sipper, carried by the prominent vanilla. Finish: Vanilla with subtly leathery wood and hints of spice. I struggled to identify the spices on the palate, but cinnamon is more noticeable now. - Conclusion - This is outstanding. A remarkable armagnac. It's not mind-blowing, but I'm genuinely enjoying it. Compared side-by-side, Delord 25 (20/23) is more complex but clearly younger, showing more alcohol. It's a close call between the two. This offers much more subtle nuance. Revisiting this the next day, its boldness stands out, as do the tannins. Wood is dominant, but threads of fruit and spice persist, with occasional woodiness. I'm inclined to rate this slightly above A De Fussigny XO (18/23), but not by much. The A De Fussigny is fruitier with more vibrant complexity, while this showcases its age. The tannins here are a bit excessive, particularly in their astringency. Delord 25 also presents a better-balanced flavor profile. This is challenging in comparison. I don't see this surpassing the Delord. Honestly, it's struggling a bit against the A De Fussigny as well. It's certainly superior to Château De Laubade 1988 and Château De Laubade 2000. I truly appreciate the wood polish and enjoy a certain level of bold tannins, but those tannins are somewhat excessive. Nevertheless, this is a very decadent and sippable drink. Rémy Martin 1738 (16/23) is fruity and enjoyable with a good range of flavors, but it lacks the maturity of this dram and its alcohol is quite apparent. That said, the tannins here are also a bit pronounced. I definitely rank this higher than the Rémy. I don't feel this quite reaches the level of the A De Fussigny, so I must award it a 17. Unfortunately, it seems to have aged beyond its peak. There's definitely some nice complexity, but the flaws are hard to ignore. It's certainly not a 16, but I'm not entirely convinced it's an 18. As much as I admire its boldness, the fact that it largely stems from excessive oak detracts from it.

Nose - fermented grape, brown sugar, date, fig, dark chocolate, coffee, raisin, tobacco, molasses, banana, hazelnut, nutmeg, cinnamon, orange, rich oak, lemon, and a mild to moderate ethanol sting. Taste - tart grape, orange, date, nutmeg, clove, lemon, pineapple, fig, molasses, cocoa, tobacco, leather, raisin, polished oak, walnut, molasses, overripe banana, a moderate alcohol bite, finishing medium long with musty raisin, baking spice, dark fruit, and citrus flavors. This is the last Laubade and Armagnac in my review series, and it's an old one, around 40 years. The age is clearly noticeable on the nose. Dark fruits, chocolate, nuts, and interestingly, some rum-like molasses and banana aromas are present. The palate is musty with similar notes and a pleasantly lingering finish. I think I enjoyed the 1988 the most from this set of five. The 1979 is woodier and a bit more reserved than the others. Nevertheless, this is a fantastic Armagnac and a pleasure to experience. And I'll give one last huge thank you to a friend for providing these for me to review. It's been a great learning experience to delve deeply into these progressively older Laubade expressions.