Grape of the Art LRV 2001 #82 70cl
This Armagnac was produced in 2001 by LaRoche-Vacquié (LRV) from Colombard and Ugni Blanc grapes in Haut Armagnac, France.
It matured for 23 years in cask no. 82 in a dry warehouse and was bottled in 2026 (01/2026) by Grape of the Art at 51.8% cask strength. An Alambic Armagnacais (Column Still) was used for distillation.
Sadly, the LRV 2001 is already sold out in our shop, but a few bottles are still available from our GotA partners.
LaRoche-Vacquié is pretty much the only house in Haut Armagnac that still has casks from the 90s and early 2000s in its cellar. Depending on the year, their own vintages therefore cost between €400 and €600 for 70cl, while our bottling from cask #82 came to market with a Suggested Retail Price of €195, because Morgan Compagnon likes GotA and together we found a good compromise.
For me, the 2001 is one of the three best Armagnacs we have bottled with Grape of the Art so far, because after 23 years in a dry cellar it tastes much older than it is. It went into the bottle in January 2026 at 51.8% cask strength, with no additives and limited to 150 bottles.
Tasting Notes
On the nose it opens with intense cherry notes that remind me of the old bourbons from back in the day, joined by mango and prunes, spice from the cask and vanilla. On the palate it arrives with real intensity, yet the 51.8% is well integrated. Fruit and spice play together so well that you discover something new with every sip.
In the finish, oak and spice step further forward and linger for a long time. Overall it tastes far older than its 23 years in the cask would suggest, which is why for me the LRV is an Armagnac for everyone who loves American whiskey.
The Producer
At the end of the 1980s, Bruno Compagnon was convinced that a great terroir was lying fallow in Haut Armagnac, since hardly any Armagnac had been made there since the phylloxera disaster at the end of the 19th century. So he replanted the vineyards of LaRoche-Vacquié above Lectoure, the historic capital of the Counts of Armagnac, until the whole estate was a wine estate again, just as it had originally been. In 1997 the French Minister of Agriculture made him a Knight of the Ordre du Mérite agricole for this work.
Today Bruno and his son Morgan run the estate together, and in 2022 Morgan relaunched the LaRoche-Vacquié brand internationally. Our 2001 was distilled by Jean-Pierre Gimet in the Alambic Armagnacais, and the cellar master is Bruno Compagnon.
Why does the label only say "LRV"? That is part of the compromise that keeps this release considerably cheaper than the vintages sold under the house's own name. The label was designed by Theresa Plos.
Flaschenanzahl: 150 Flaschen Zusätze: No additives Flascheninhalt: 70cl Artikelgewicht: 1.3 kg Hersteller: Grape of the Art (LaRoche-Vacquie, 32700 Lectoure, France)
