Their vineyard of 45 hectares, is divided into 11 parcels, is located in the village of Lannepax. It is made up of the four traditional Armagnac grape varieties: 58% Ugni Blanc, 16% Colombard, 14% Folle-Blanche and 12% Baco. Throughout the season Rinaldo, the vineyard manager, takes the greatest of care of the vines throughout their development.
The four grape varieties are harvested, pressed and vinified separately in a winemaking cellar, a few metres from the distillery. Temperature control, must settling and racking are all techniques well mastered by Sylvain Delord. He is looking for an aromatic wine that is slightly acidic and low in alcohol which is the ideal wine for the distillation.
The distillery resides in Lannepax, the family’s native village. The distillation, an essential and fascinating step in the creation of Armagnac takes place in the heart of winter. Delord are one of the only Armagnac houses using the two methods of distillation; the continuous distillation method that is typical for Armagnac and the double distillation. Using two Armagnac alambics, one of which is a rare 'Sier' dating from 1900, both these column stills are equipped with particular plates called 'spider plates' which are ideal for the production of old Armagnacs. While the two 'double distillation' stills produce fruity eaux-de-vie destined for young Armagnacs.
Today, torch has been passed from generation to generation: Jacques and Pierre, then Sylvain and Jérôme, continue to glorify Armagnac Delord worldwide. From 2020, this latest duo honoured the family history by taking over Galaubas, an ancestral Delord estate, and venturing into organic Armagnac production. Delord cellars, hold more than 1000 barrels and a dozen oak tanks that age and protect the Armagnac eaux-de-vie date from the 20th century to the present day. The oldest vintages are kept in Bonbonnes (glass jars) away from the light, in a room called Paradise.
