Gélas launched its Armagnac business in 1865 thanks to Baptiste Gélas, the son of a cooper who began his retail and bottling activities after taking over the family business. His son Louis took over from him in 1910 and bought vines and an estate in Manciet in the Gers. His son Pierre then began focused on exporting Armagnac and developing new markets. The house’s Armagnacs from Bas Armagnac and the Ténarèze are bottled at cask strength. He also launched a wine and spirits retail business in 1950 named Les Caves de Baptiste. Since 2001, Philippe Gélas has been at the head of the house and focused on single-variety cuvées.

A single cask Bas-Armagnac (#542) distilled in 1972 by Maison Gélas and bottled at cask strength in 2019 by Elite Selection Company after 47 years’’ ageing in oak casks stored in humid cellars. It is made from equal parts Ugni Blanc and Baco. In 2006, Michel Firino Martell, a former representative of Martell Cognac in America and Asia, created Elite Selection company, an independent bottler specializing in wines and spirits. A limited edition of 464 bottles.