Delord 1985 Bas Armagnac 40% 700ml

Brand: Delord (Maison Delord)

Release Name: Vintage 1985 Bas-Armagnac

Spirit Style / Type: Single-Vintage Armagnac Brandy

Composition: Colombard, Ugni Blanc, Folle Blanche and Baco Grapes

Age: 1985 Vintage (Distilled 1985, Matured 40 Years)

Volume: 700ml Bottle

Alc / Vol (%): 40.0%

Country: France

Region: Bas-Armagnac (Lannepax, Gascony)

Cask Type: Aged in French Oak Barrels; Distilled Using Traditional Continuous "Sier" Alembic Stills

Limited Edition: Yes (Single-Vintage Release — Limited by the Volume of the 1985 Distillation)

Award Winner: Not independently confirmed with a specific score for this exact vintage at time of writing — Delord as a house holds exceptional acclaim across its range, including 96-98 points from Wine Enthusiast for other expressions

Maison Delord traces its roots to Prosper Delord, a travelling distiller who moved from farm to farm crafting Armagnac from local white wine. In 1932, his sons Gaston and Georges founded Delord Frères in Lannepax, expanding production and exporting to the United States. Over the following decades, Jacques, then Pierre, Sylvain and Jérôme joined the family business — Jacques steering the Armagnac journey, Pierre collaborating with his brother, Sylvain focusing on blending, and Jérôme leading promotion. Today, Sylvain and Jérôme continue that legacy, growing all four traditional Armagnac grape varieties on the family's own vineyards in Lannepax and maintaining one of the most comprehensive vintage ranges in Armagnac, spanning 1900 to the present.

This is a genuine single-year release, distilled in 1985 and matured for decades in Delord's own cellars — a distinctive character shaped entirely by that one specific growing season, rather than blended across multiple vintages for consistency. Delord's four traditional grape varieties are grown without pesticides or fertilisers, harvested, pressed and vinified separately, and distilled using the family's own antique Sier alembic stills — a deliberately slow, low-volume process producing less than 30 litres of eau-de-vie an hour. The house's signature style — very rounded, soft and easy to drink — is evident throughout, and this particular vintage delivers genuine depth and character across a long, warming finish. Delord's cellars hold vintages spanning 1900 to 2006, one of the most comprehensive vintage ranges in all of Armagnac, and labels indicate the bottling date since age in wood — not just the vintage year — is what actually determines maturity. Best sipped neat to appreciate its full, nuanced character, it's a natural companion to dark chocolate, toffee pudding, baked apple tart or aged cheeses, and makes a genuinely distinguished birth-year gift or addition to a serious spirits collection.