Chateau de Pellehaut 1983/2013, Ugni Blanc, K&L, 47.8%

[numen]

gift sample

Nose: Broadly rich and syrupy fruit, molasses/brown sugar, spicy oak. Soft cinnamon, candied ginger, and cardamom with anise playing in tandem with vanilla and caramel. It's in a medium-intensity prune, grape, and fig compote. Oak turns a little tannic with orange zest. Hints of cocoa and teak in a forest. A little tough at turns, but in very good territory.

Palate: The entry is a mixture of the caramelly stewed fruit, spicy and tannic oak, and baking spices, soft and sweet. The oak is more bitter here, but it works if you don't mind some of it here - and what else would you expect in a 30 year spirit? Prune, quince, botrytis give the fruit a go. Ginger, cocoa, and pepper close it out.

Finish: Nice and lengthy finish. The same fruits from the palate, syrupy and stone fruit. The whole take a spin on the earthy side (graphite). Fairly typical ugni blanc armagnac of this age, with good oak and balance. Great stuff, and a nice entry for those curious about the spirit. B+

[Pierre]

The UB armagnac from Pellehaut displays this tannic bitterness indeed, not my favourite sensation but it's still manageable imo. As a vintage I tasted only their 1973, I do remember some lemon zest and a clear presence of licorice (on the nose and tongue both), the finish was nice, but it didn't strike me that much overall for such an old spirit...
I'm much more attracted to their FB stuff, so let's go to your next post !