L'Encantada XO Review

I've covered L'Encantada offerings several times now. For those that don't know, these are all the rage in the Armagnac world at the moment which was kicked off by some truly exceptional single casks selected by one specific Brandy group a couple years ago. I've tasted most of those original Lous Pibous casks and they remain the best Armagnacs I've ever had. Ever since then, I feel like we've all been chasing the dragon trying to recreate that magic but thus far I've had mixed results. These days, I'm often leery of new L'Encantada picks because while none of them have been bad, my experiences with the ones I like vs. those that aren't worth the ever increasing cost of admission is batting around .500. It could just be me getting more crotchety when it comes to brown water but I'd suspect it's more likely that the best casks they have to offer have already been selected.

Having said all that, here today we have something which is a little different. Unlike all other L'Encantada products I've had which have been single casks, this product is blend:

• Domaine Lous Pibous 1989 barrel #61
• Domaine Lous Pibous 1987 barrel #87
• Domaine Del Cassou 1994 barrel #55
• Domaine Bellair 1997 barrel #181

I'm intrigued. My hope here is the range of ages makes for a nice of balance of the fruiter notes you get in younger armagnacs and the lush dark woody notes you get in older ones.

Bas Armagnac; No Age Statement (blend of four vintages); 46.8% ABV (cask strength); $100

Nose: Very bourbony - it smells like a middle aged 90ish proof bourbon. It's laden with caramel, a little bit of stone fruit, and a trace baking spice.

Taste: Fruity and sweet with heavy dose of strawberry. Armagnac almost always leans towards purple fruits for me but this is straight up strawberry jam. There are some wood sugar / caramel notes here too, like what a middle aged bourbon would carry. The finish is a bit short as is expected given the proof but some nice muted baking spice shows up to round things out.

Thoughts: I like this. It's got a lot of bourbon sweet notes and the blast of strawberry is really nice. Even better, it has none of the dry/bitter/overoaked notes I've been getting more often in some of the older L'Encantada picks I've had lately. The only thing here that's really holding it back is the proof. If this was in the 105-110 range I think this would be a knockout. All in all, this is a nice blend and I have no regrets for the price paid. 

Rating: B

Note that price is not considered when assigning a rating.

L'Encantada Le Frêche 1990 #46 (Blackout) & 1988 #22 (Lincoln Road) Reviews

Here is a pair of reviews for two L'Encantada Armagnacs from Domaine Le Frêche. Prior to receiving these, my almost sole experience with L'Encantada has been with Domaine Lous Pibous, most of all which had been great. Let's see if that streak extends to other domaines from this producer.

L'Encantada Le Frêche 1988 Cask No. 22

Bas Armagnac; Aged 29 years; 52%; $150; Selected by Lincoln Road

Nose: Plums and other purple fruits. Some red fruits too. Hefty dose of old, ashy wood. Fairly rich. Heat is non existent.

Taste: Decent viscosity - again like the nose, it's fairly rich. There is a good amount of sugary red/purple fruits and dark chocolate but also a wallop of oak and wood sugars. It tastes like a classic, hyper aged Armagnac but through the mid palate and finish there is a bitter note I liken to walnut shells.

Thoughts: My impression now is better than when I first opened this bottle many months ago. At the time I thought it was overly bitter and the lush sugary sweet grape/date notes I like were really masked. The oak has calmed down and now there's enough of the rich fruit flavors coming through to keep it from being a lost cause. I know I am in the minority as most folks are over the moon for this but I still don't love it. I feel like as time goes on my receptiveness to bitterness is intensifying.

Rating: B-

L'Encantada Le Frêche 1990 Cask No. 46

Bas Armagnac; Aged 27 years; 52.9%; $150?; Selected by Blackout

Nose: Fruitier than the 22. More red fruits than purple and without as much charry oak. It's even more rich than the Lincoln Road and definitely more balanced in sweet vs oak but a little more aggressive in the heat department.

Taste: Creme brûlée, strawberries, grapes, chocolate. There are a lot of bourbon like notes but also enough purple fruit to let you know it's still an Armagnac. There's a touch of heat giving it some umpf but it's still very drinkable. The finish does round out with more oak than the rest of the ride and it teeters on the point bitterness but never quite crosses my line. 

Thoughts: From day one when I opened these I've always preferred the Blackout cask and while the Lincoln Road has improved this one is still the winner for me. While it slants towards a bit more of a bourbon profile it is still distinctly Armagnac. Overall it just feels brighter and less brooding than the Lincoln Road. If it weren't for the slightly rough oak heavy finish this could be near the B+ range for me.

Rating: B

Note that price is not considered when assigning a rating.

Darroze Unique Collection Reviews - 1977 Domaine De La Poste, 1980 Domaine De La Poste, and 1982 Domaine De Jouanchicot

Here is a trio of Armagnacs from the Darroze Unique Collection. My area doesn't get a lot of vintage Armagnacs but Darroze is one of the few that can be found. Unfortunately because it's next to impossible to try them before buying and the prices are so incredibly high I've never pulled the trigger. Lucky for me though a nice fellow in the Serious Brandy group arranged a large group buy of these last year and the price was hard to resist. I didn't know much about any of them so I just made some wild guesses based on vintage and price.

1982 Domaine De Jouanchicot

Bas-Armagnac; Bottled in 2015, Aged 33 years; 42.5% ABV; $119

Color-wise this is by far the darkest of the three. Nose is very caramel and raisin forward. On the palate the caramel sweetness falls off and it's mostly tannins and grapes. The tannins get stronger as it goes as the finish is rather bitter. It's rather weak on impact on all fronts, the low proof is certainly evident. Overall this is too thin and over-oaked for my tastes. Rating: C-

1980 Domaine De La Poste

Armagnac; Bottled in 2016, Aged 36 years; 48.3% ABV; $142

This is by far the lightest in color of the three. The nose is funky and not in a good way, it doesn't really smell like Armagnac. Its very molasses and sweet forward, almost like a rum. I don't like rum. The palate is just as bonkers - there are minimal lush raisin / dark fruit notes I look for in grape distilled sprits. There is a fair bit of a distilled malt type sweetness, like a Highland Scotch that was finished in Armagnac barrels. It's really thin on the wood depth too and the finish is pretty flat. This is really bizarre and blind I would have never guessed it's as old as it is or that it was even Armagnac. Rating: C-

1977 Domaine De La Poste

Armagnac; Bottled in 2017, Aged 40 years; 49% ABV; $144

We are back in a good place here on the nose. Rich dates, figs, and sweet caramel goodness. Palate is a knockout compared to the previous two. There is a lot of wood depth and a lot more of those caramel glazed date / prune notes from the nose. The finish has a lot of wood but also a lot of sweet and fruit to keep it from being an oak monster. This tastes like a proper, hyped aged, classic Armagnac. I've had richer, more intense experiences but this has every bit of the profile I chase after. It it was a little higher in proof I could see this being up there with the hyped Lous Pibous type stuff. Rating: B+

For shits and giggles I blended equal parts of the 82 and 80 as I did not want to finish the pours. It turned out surprising well as the oddball sweetness of the 80 balanced out the overly bitter 82 and gave it a nice proof bump. I'd give it a C+.

Note that price is not considered when assigning a rating.

2003 L'Encantada "Lous Pibous" No. 183 Review

L'Encantada is an independent bottler that has recently made a name for themselves in the brandy world, largely due to a slew of stellar private selections. While L'Encantada have sourced from several domaines, the most buzz is around casks from Lous Pibous. I've previously covered several of these before, all of which I gave unusually high marks so the bar here is very high. Today I'm covering a bottle selected by Lincoln Road Package Store which has a great reputation for picking excellent casks. I believe this cask (and most or all other Lous Pibous) was aged in new charred oak, is bottled at cask strength, and contains no additional additives.

Bas Armagnac; Aged 14 years; 56.5% ABV; $155 (w/ tax)

Nose: Caramel covered candied raisins. There is a lot of wood influence and a lot of purple fruits. It's very rich and very classic bourbony Lous Pibous Armagnac.

Taste: A jolt of caramel, sugary dates, oak, and spice. The mouthfeel is very viscous - you can almost chew on this stuff. The finish has a lot of spice, a lot of mocha, some dark prunes, and some dry oak. The heavy presence of sweet and fruit notes prevent the oak from taking over to the point of being overly bitter. All around it's very bold in both flavors and punch. If there are any flaws it's that the ethanol is a touch high which probably would have been smoothed out if it aged longer.

Thoughts: This was the youngest Lous Pibous I've tried so going in I was skeptical because of the age. Those fears were definitely misplaced as this is fantastic. If the older legendary Lous Pibous casks like 124, 187, and 188 are equatable to old Willett Bernheim ryes, then this younger one is akin to Thomas Handy. Most all the casks I've had from this domaine are very bourbon or even rye like yet with a wallop of fruity grape / raisin influence and this one is no exception.

Rating: B+ / A-

Note that price is not considered when assigning a rating.

A Bourbon Drinker's Take on Armagnac, Part 4: The L’Encantada Edition. 1974 Le Sable, 1996 Lous Pibous #187, 1996 Lous Pibous #188, and 1993 Lous Pibous #124 Reviews

A recap for those that missed part 1, part 2, and part 3: I'm well versed in the world of bourbon but have absolutely no idea what I am doing when it comes to Armagnac. What follows are some raw notes from Armagnacs I've tried lately. While most of the ones I've tried up to this point were tasted with zero knowledge of backstory or supposed quality, I had actually heard really good things about L’Encantada and was aware some folks I know were involved in selecting the "Lous Pibous" casks. 

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L’Encantada 1974 42 year “Le Sable” Bas Armagnac, 40.1%

Smells like a really old, super sweet, funky grapey whiskey. Lots of brown sugar and prunes. The taste is a lot more of the same. Old funky burnt caramel, honey, and brown sugar covered raisins. There is some drying wood as well but it's a lot of sweet and purple fruits. I really like that profile personally as I am sweets junkie. My only complaint is with the lowish proof the flavors that are there are a little thin. Rating: B

L'Encantada "Lous Pibous" 1996 20 year Bas Armagnac #188 53.6%

The nose is classic flavors of brown sugar and raisins. It is very sweet forward and packs quite a wallop given the high ABV. The taste is a lot more of the same: honey, sweet brown sugar, raisins, and dark cocoa. There is also some spice bite that I am not sure if is really a spice note or just the ethanol from the high ABV. The first time I had this it really threw me off as I'd never had an Armagnac at this high ABV. Over time it has really grown on me as I know what to expect going in plus I think it has mellowed out a bit as it's been exposed to air in the bottle. It's definitely a bruiser of a dram for an Armagnac but I am a big fan of how intense it is. Rating: A-

L'Encantada "Lous Pibous" 1996 Bas Armagnac 20 year Barrel #187 54.9%

Drinks easy for 57% but flavor-wise it's very impactful with lots of rich grape, wood, and brown sugar. It's a sweet forward sugar coated raisin bomb up front with some spicy tingle on the finish, mostly likely from the highish proof. A classic middle to upper aged Armagnac profile. While not as bold as my memory of the 188, it's still damn good. These high proof older Armagnacs are really something else. Rating: A

L'Encantada "Lous Pibous" Bas Armagnac 1993 23 year Barrel #124 52.5%

Another grapey, woody, sweet, sugar coated raisin bomb. This one doesn't pack quite the wallop of the 187 or 188 and that's not surprising given the proof. While I enjoy these high proof bruisers I actually feel kind of weird about them as I think the proof detracts from them a little bit. To me, this one drinks closer to the easy drinking but super rich and sweet profile I prefer with some weird funky old flavors. Brown sugar, funky old grapes, old wood, and a hefty proof but not so much that you burn your palate. Those notes are there in the 188 and 187 but they are just a tad too hot such that the funkier elements get a little lost. This one is the nicest balance of proof towards weirdo flavors I've found. Simply wonderful. Rating: A / A+

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Thoughts: These L'Encantadas are definitely the best Armagnacs I've ever had. As a bourbon guy who has tried some heavily hyped and rare whiskies, I'll go so far as say these up there with the best spirits I've ever tasted. Maybe this just the novelty of a new spirit for me but I find the crave-ability aspect of these off the charts. I find myself thinking about these profiles far more than most bourbons I have on my shelf today. 

But now some real talk. I started this adventure because on the surface, Armagnac looked like a market with great values and easier access than the shitstorm that is allocated bourbon these days. Well, so much for that. The three amazing barrels I reviewed here today were all part of some private group picks with only a few bottles making their way to retail at K&L and even then I believe it was only one of the casks. While they were priced at retail well, the secret is out and there's now a secondary fever for them that is approaching the ridiculousness that is allocated bourbon so don't plan on finding these. I have no idea if there will ever be more of them in the future but expect a crazed rat race if that happens. Granted, there are plenty of options other than private L'Encantada casks out there but the other major hinderance I've found is shipping. K&L is largely one of the best sources for great Armagnac but now they no longer ship outside of California. There are a few stores in New York that have some great selections but the list of states they ship to is pretty small and excludes my state. My local distributors do carry a few selections but most things older than 10 years end up retailing nearly double what K&L charges.

Get into Armagnac they said. It will be easy they said. It's cheap they said. Huh, yeah, cool story bro. 

Note that price is not considered when assigning a rating.

A Bourbon Drinker's Take on Armagnac, Part 3. Domaine de Jean-Bon 28yr, Chateau de la Grangerie 2001 14yr, Domaine de Baraillon 1988 28yr, Baraillon 1987 29yr

A recap for those that missed part 1 and part 2: I'm well versed in the world of bourbon but have absolutely no idea what I am doing when it comes to Armagnac. What follows are some raw notes from Armagnacs I've tried lately - some were samples, some where bottle splits, and most were drank with zero knowledge of backstory or supposed quality. 

Domaine de Baraillon 1988 28 year Folle Blanche, 46%

The nose is very nice - I can already tell this is in my wheelhouse. It smells old and kinda funky but in a great way. Dark sugars, smoked meats, leather. The taste is more of those same notes with a lot of added caramel sweetness. Dark sugar soaked dates, plums, old oak, wood varnish. It's rich and complex with a wide range of sweets, oak depth, and oddball funk notes. This probably isn't for everyone but I love it. Rating: B+

Baraillon 1987 29 year 43%

The nose and taste are lots of classic old Armagnac flavors that you'd expect in this age range but a bit more oak forward. The oak slightly overpowers some of the rich sugary date/grape/raisin flavors I tend towards. It's also slightly spicy, perhaps it's wood spice? It's easy to drink and not as thin as expected for 43%. Overall, it's pretty great but loses points for being almost over-oaked and not as deep in sweet flavors as my favorites.  Rating: B

Chateau de la Grangerie 2001 14 year K&L Exclusive Armagnac, 45%

Initial getting a familiar but surprising flavor - it’s some kind of fruit or berry. Something tropical perhaps? It drinks pretty warm and is hotter than I expected for 45% but not in a bad way - the heat is pretty nice actually. The finish lasts quite a while. It’s not as wood heavy as I prefer but it is tasty. I did get a slightly soapy note in the finish, I have to wonder if that was the sample bottle. The distinct fruit note here is driving me insane trying to place it. I want to say it’s more like some kind of grape candy or NuGrape soda now. I’d love this one more if it had more wood depth as it’s a little light on the hyper aged Armagnac profile that I gravitate towards.  Rating: C+ / B-

1987 Domaine de Jean-Bon 28 Year Old "K&L Exclusive" Bas Armagnac, 45%

The nose is fortified grapey wine notes, a bit of leather, and a spice note that is familiar but I can’t quite place. It smells fruity and sweet but somewhat thin for 45%. The taste is a lot more of the same. There are some light brown sugar notes and some wood depth but it’s really missing those old rich brown sugar raisin flavors I want. The finish is a little tannic and bitter without a lot of sweetness coming through. The alcohol presence also seems a little forward, almost like a younger craft whiskey. Considering the age and proof I expected a lot more. Rating: C+ / B-

This bottle came from a 3 bottle split I did. The other two were 1974 Domaine de Jean-Bon 41 Year Old "K&L Exclusive" Bas Armagnac and 1981 Domaine du Cardinat 34 Year Old "K&L Exclusive" Bas Armagnac. Unfortunately I didn't write down my notes on those two other than a letter grade but I had the 1974 Jean-Bon somewhere in the B range and the 1981 Cardinat in the A- to A range. The Cardinat remains one of my favorite Armagnacs to this day.

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Thoughts: After a rough showing with apple and pear brandies last time around, these were a welcome change. Up next in the final installment, I saved the best for last as I'll run through four different L'Encantadas. 

Note that price is not considered when assigning a rating.

A Bourbon Drinker's Take on Armagnac, Part 2. Domaine Pacory 15yr Calvados, Adrien Camut 18yr Calvados, Tom Foolery Bottled in Bond Applejack, and Chateau de Pellehaut 15yr 2001 Armagnac

A recap for those that missed part 1 - I'm well versed in the world of bourbon but have absolutely no idea what I am doing when it comes to Armagnac. All of what follows were samples sent to me by kind friends as I try to explore the world of Armagnac and in doing so ended up with some other brandies as well. To keep things honest, I didn't do any research on any of them so what follows are raw tasting notes.

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Domaine Pacory 15 year K&L Exclusive Domfrontais Calvados, 42%

I have no idea what Calvados is. First taste was very rough, lots of fruit but lots of rough bitter notes and none of the sweet forward notes I love in bourbon or Armagnac. Second taste is more of the same only now I’ve read the word pear on the sample label. Pears! Yes, definitely pears rather than apple. Getting some rough raw young wood notes or old bitter wood notes, I don’t know but the wood influence just seems off. A few sips later things are starting to level off, the odd wood notes are going away, finally getting some baked pears and sweetness but it’s dry in the end. There’s something in the finish I just don’t like about this, it doesn’t taste like anything familiar. It’s not something I would want to drink again and really didn’t want to finish the sample. Rating: D

Tom Foolery Bottled in Bond Applejack, 50%

I have no idea what Applejack means but the bottled in bond gives me some hope. The nose and taste are overwhelming apples. There are also some vitamin mineral notes very reminiscent of George Dickel though not nearly as forward as in Dickel. I'm also getting some punchy spice which I didn't expect - not sure if that's just the higher proof, the cooperage, or if the distillate actually imparted that. The apple notes are a bit much for me as they dominate the nose, taste, and finish but at least this has some good body and the spice component was welcome. Rating: C

Adrien Camut 18 year Privilege Calvados Pays d'Auge, 41%

The nose smells like stewed apples or pears, reminiscent of the spiced baked apples Cracker Barrel serves. The taste is exactly like the nose - warm spiced baked apples. The apple notes are pretty bright and it’s crazy sweet. I'm not sure if it's wood sweets or fruit sweets but overwhelmingly so. Definitely not as wood forward or old rancio as I seem to prefer. There is not much negative that I can find other than being one dimensional towards apple sweets and kinda thin. This one just seems kind boring and middle of the road but it is easy to drink. Rating: C-

Chateau de Pellehaut 2001 15 year Tenareze Armagnac, 43%

Tasting this after the apple and pear brandies, we’re back in a good place here. Tastes like a moderately aged, nice, Armagnac. It's not overly woody, not overly loaded with rancio flavors, just nice strong grape alcohol notes like brown sugar coated raisins. My only complaint is it’s a little thin and dull with fruity brown sugar sweetness being the one trick pony. Rating: B- / C+

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Thoughts: I think it is safe to say I do not like apple or pear distillate so when it comes to brandy it's grapes or bust for me. Next up in the series we'll get back on the Armagnac train with some K&L exclusives and a couple Domaine de Baraillon.

A Bourbon Drinker's Take on a Few Armagnacs, Part 1. Delord 25, Chateau De Laubade XO, Darroze 20, Darroze 1986, and Chateau de Pellehaut 1989

I've been trying to branch out into other spirits for a while now, mostly because the demand for bourbon and rye is so crazy that special bottles are pretty hard to find and/or priced out of my comfort zone. Prompted by reviews by retired blogger Sku and others on the reddit whiskey network, Armagnac seemed like one of the last bastions where you could get good deals on exceptional bottles so I ran with it. The disclaimer here is though I've had a lot of bourbon, I know very little about Armagnac. What I noticed in trying to research Armagnac is there just aren't a lot of reviews out there apart from K&L which I take with a grain of salt since they are in the business of selling product. In light of that, I thought it would be worthwhile to share a seasoned bourbon drinker's take on exploring this spirit. Most of these are just free-form notes, some were from bottles, a lot were from samples. For the record, I'm also a bit of a proof whore so sub 90 proof spirits aren't something I drink very often. 

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Delord 25 Year Old Bas-Armagnac 40%

The nose is grapey with some dark cocoa powder sweetness. It’s a little thin as you would expect for 40% but it’s got some menthol spice tingle. The taste is caramel sweet grapes and actually pretty rich for the proof. The finish lingers with woody grapes and some cocoa powder. There’s a good amount of wood influence here and there are hints of those old hyper aged Armagnac notes that I crave but overall I don’t think it tastes as old as other Armagnacs I’ve had this age or younger. 

This was the first Armagnac I ever tried at the recommendation of my local shop and this was the bottle that won me over that Armagnac was a spirit I need to explore. Today I consider it my baseline of good as it is easy to drink, has a lot of woody grape flavors, is well price for the age, and easily accessible even in markets that have terrible availability (like my own). Rating: C+

Château De Laubade XO Armagnac 40%

Grape forward, light, thin. Tastes like a younger, typical Armagnac. Not quite on par with Delord 25, probably a little more fruity grape forward and less sweet brown sugar or wood influence. Rating: C-

Darroze 1986 Domaine de Barigos Bas-Armagnac, 47.8%

Very nice balance of sweet and bitter. Tastes rather old and a bit funky. I’ve had better but this is in the right wheelhouse with those classic old Armagnac flavors which I assume are what everyone reviews to as rancio. To me that's old wood tannins, sugary dried raisins, and darker sweet vibes like cocoa. A good, classic, hyper-aged Armagnac. Rating: B

Darroze Les Grands Assemblages 20 year Bas-Armagnac 43%

The nose is very sweet with sugary raisin notes. Also getting a little spice, like what you might pick up in a low rye bourbon. The palate is a lot more of the same - it’s mostly honey and sugary raisin notes with a medium amount of wood influence and some of that aforementioned spice. It's more fruit forward than the other Darroze but in the right wheelhouse. The finish lingers for a bit with honey and a bit of dry woodiness. The proof bump there adds some depth and gives this an advantage over my baseline of Delord 25 - I think this is quite a bit better than that. Overall, it tastes exactly like what you would expect from a moderately long aged slightly up-proofed Armagnac. Rating: B-

Chateau de Pellehaut 1989 27 year Ténarèze Ugni Blanc Armagnac 49.9%

Disclaimer: I have no idea what Ténarèze Ugni Blanc means and I'm not going to spoil anything by looking it up first. The nose is very fruity with a peaches and pears vibe more than grapes or plums. The mouthfeel and taste are very bourbon like with lots of woody sweet flavors and some fruity peaches/pears. There are some classic brown sugar raisin notes in there but they take a backseat to more traditional whiskey notes. This drinks more like a bourbon than an Armagnac as it's more wood and wood sugars than grape and grape sugars. It's almost like I took some EHT single barrel and mixed it with an old Armagnac. Dangerously easy to drink for 50%. I've never had anything like this and like it a lot. Rating: B+

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Thoughts: I'm well aware there's a trend where my ratings go up as the proof goes up but that should correct itself a little in upcoming reviews. Up next in part 2 I will branch out beyond Armagnac and try some Calvados brandies. Spoiler alert, I seem to be more partial to corn and grapes than apples.

Note that price is not considered when assigning a rating.