L'Encantada XO Armagnac (LOT 3.0)

Rating: 19/23 Blind Armagnac tasting. N: Woody and spicy with sort of a candy sweetness that leads into a little fruit - orange and cherry. The wood and spices have tremendous complexity and are intensely hedonistic. They're rich and fairly full. Just a delight to nose. P: Tart, then rich, then very woody, then spicy, then tart again. It burns a bit from all of the spice, but it isn't harsh. This is much drier than I'd expected. It isn't as sweet or laden with varnish as Delord 25 and it has a much punchier flavor. Though there is some varnish here. Taking another sip, The tartness starts developing into kind of a blood orange flavor. Faint, faint cherry is hidden deep in the bitterness. Occasionally, a faint hint of chocolate. Quite a complex palate! And aside from being a bit too woody, the flavors are all good. That said, the woodiness really does border on over-oaked. This is Armagnac, so the intense bitterness is acceptable, but it isn't delightful I think that the bitterness might have gone a little bit far here though, interfering with the other flavors. Still, this is quite a sippable and enjoyable dram. F: Wood, spice, varnish. Very bitter and quite long-lasting, though not the most complex. Super dry. - Conclusion - The nose here is the best part and it is stunning! The palate is very good as well, but the finish is a bit flat. Despite having a bit too much of a varnish flavor, I think that the Delord 25 (20) is a bit better executed than this is with its lesser austerity and greater sweetness and fruitiness. I do like the increased fullness here though. I am kind of thinking that I might have overrated Delord 25 a bit at a 20, so maybe it's more of a 19. With that in mind, I'm looking at an 18 or 19 for this. Yeah, I'm thinking a 19 for the Delord and an 18 for this. I like spicy, woody brandy and this is great, but it's just a bit too much in those directions for me. Coming back for a final side-by-side, I like the balance of the Delord better, but this is more complex and doesn't have that excessive varnish flavor. The Delord actually tastes young in comparison to this. I'd guess that this is at least 30 years old. The more I sip this, the more its spiciness grows on me and I start to get a little bit of brown sugar sweetness from the spice. It seems competitive with Delord 25, A De Fussigny XO (18), and Hennessy XO (20). I can see this going as high as a 21. It certainly isn't below an 18. I'm leaning toward a 20 for this right now, but considering that I was at an 18 to 19 originally, I'm going to give it a 19. A very fine Armagnac. Thanks for sharing this, @Bourbon_Obsessed_Lexington ! I like maturity and nuance that this one expresses. I really only wish it were a bit less woody.

Nose - grape must, butterscotch, coffee, toffee, dulce de leche, vanilla, pineapple skin, white pepper, clay, herbal notes, strawberry jelly, orange zest, cinnamon, allspice, sweet oak, mild to moderate ethanol burn. Taste - grape skin, sour apple, lemon zest, ginger, chili pepper, dark chocolate, mocha, caramel, brown sugar, vanilla, allspice, clove, tannic oak, moderate alcohol bite, finishing medium length with citrusy grape, caramel, and spicy chocolate flavors. The final of my blind tastings, and due to a logistical mishap on my end, this one isn’t so blind. But while I know it’s L’Encantada XO Lot 3, I have so little experience reviewing Armagnacs, it might as well be blind. So the grape is unmistakable on the nose, but it’s beautifully accompanied by sweet coffee and dulce de leche aromas. There are some interesting pineapple skin, fruity pepper, and earthy herbal notes as well. The palate is deeply citrusy and not quite as intoxicating as the nose, but this is usually the case with Armagnacs in my experience. Other than that, many of the same qualities transfer to the taste. Overall, this is very good Armagnac, but it veers slightly too far into bright, sour, and bitter territory on the palate for me to rate it as great Armagnac. I want to say a huge thank you to @Bourbon_Obsessed_Lexington for providing these nine blind samples for my tasting pleasure! It’s been a great experience. I think I’ll continue down the Armagnac path for the next few reviews.

So L’Encantada is a group of blending hunter-gatherer types with a reputation of unearthing casks from closed or obscure distilleries (or something along those lines, brandy is still very new to me). This bottling comes from five single vintage casks: Domaine Lassalle 1983 -barrel #13 Domaine Castillion 1988 -barrel #8 Domaine Lassalle 1991 - barrel #11 Domaine De Bellair 1998 - barrel #7 Domaine De Bellair 1999 - barrel #141 Labeled as “barrel raw” (no sugar, water, coloring) and cask strength (though still under 90 proof) this blend generated 1980 bottles. It’s not clear to me when these casks were dumped or how brandy/Armagnac continues to mature in a storage tun but 21-37yo elixir will top the charts at being the oldest spirit I’ve had the privilege of consuming. The pour appears to be downright viscous. The color is a beautiful light copper. The nose… there’s a lot. Heavy, rich and sweet. Musty grapes, oranges, pears, strawberry preserves and milk chocolate alongside dusty library book funk and light tannic oak notes. There is an almost nutty/funky Oloroso note as well. Bright oranges and heavily tannic on entry with bits of lemon zest, raspberry and plenty of oak. Not as oily as the appearance in the glass but still coating. No heat to speak of. Long finish with bits of bright fruit, tannic (just shy of bitter) oak and bits of blonde espresso and cacao in the distant background. Floral and black tea notes also come out minutes later. Compared to what… my experience again is limited. It really reminds me of the nearly metallic cognac elements of Joseph Magnus triple cask finished and has less overall sweetness and tobacco than Chateau Labaude. Also less chocolate than Pierre Ferrand double cask. This just tastes, and is, older but older how I do not know. I can’t imagine this has been living in a barrel since 1983 but it wouldn’t really surprise me if that was the case. I like this very, very much - but I do not love it. Like other hyper-aged spirits the tannic elements are a bit out of balance and I miss the sweetness that, as an American, I so often experience. I hold this in the highest regard and the price seems fair but I [might] not buy another.