L’Encantada Le Sablé 1976 40,2% (2022 bottling)

70s Bas-Armagnac from L’Encantada cellars. This 2022 bottling from Le Sablé estate has spent 40 years in cask before being transferred into a demi-john.  100% Baco. 40,2%. Let’s go!

Colour: Dark amber, orange highlights. Irregular, heavy tears.

Nose: Very rum-like at first. Citrusy, but with a full spoon of exotic notes. Hints of floral shades, mainly violet blossom. Add a few chalky notes in the background and this could almost be mistaken for a Ténarèze.

Palate: High-acidity profile, confirming the chalky impressions from the nose. Fresh tangerine juice, violet sweets. Great acidulous drive for sure. A tad more oak in the aftertaste, but it remains well balanced.

Last Notes: Deeper and cleaner with air, with lingering floral scents. Cola sweets, cinnamon. Gentle sugariness on quince jam and rustic honey tones. Back on the palate, a touch of coconut powder and milk chocolate.

Hard to complain about this one. A lovely 1970s Armagnac with some Ténarèze shades. I only miss a bit of depth and complexity to push it beyond 88.

My very subjective note: 88/100