Swell de Spirits #4 Wonders Series Baraillon 1987 43%

I’ve got good memories of Baraillon. The visit was nice, and the last one reviewed here was a convincing 1989 Folle Blanche. This one is non-chill-filtered, natural color, and bottled at cask strength.

Colour: Mahogany with orange lights. Irregular heavy tears.

Nose: Heady woody notes at first. Very rum-like, with faint high-ester impressions. Plum eau-de-vie. Intense fruity notes in the background,  mainly overripe banana. Hints of damp cellar.

Palate: Intense, with great length for this “small” ABV. Heavy tannins delivering toasted shades:  burnt hazelnut, ristretto. Subtle oxidised tones reminiscent of a PX profile.

Last Notes: Syrupy molasses. Heady citrus. Salted-butter caramel. Slightly camphory. Becomes less atypical with time, closer to a classic 1980s Bas-Armagnac. Nice chocolate-sweet aromas. Finishes on balsamic shades.

A relevant Bas-Armagnac with concentration, power and depth. I just miss a bit of balance and elegance to score higher.