1945

What we would buy, and why

Everything from 1945 is expensive, so the skill lies in choosing where the money goes rather than in finding a bargain. A first growth runs into several thousand euro and Mouton into five figures, but a 1945 Sauternes or a Vintage Port from a good second-tier house sits inside a serious gift budget and is far more likely to be singing on the night. This is the year above all others to pay for provenance: a single-owner cellar, a case that has not moved, a fill still in the neck.

1945 in the world

The war in Europe ended on 8 May. Days earlier a savage frost had gone through the vineyards of France, and Mouton marked the year with a V for victory drawn by Philippe Jullian, the first of its artist labels.

Best bets for 1945

• 1945 Vintage Port from Sandeman, Croft, Offley or Rebello Valente — 700-1,400 euro and still full of fruit
• 1945 Sauternes: Suduiraut, Rieussec or Coutet — 600-1,200 euro, the sweetness having done the preserving
• A mid-field 1945 classed growth such as Calon-Ségur or Gruaud-Larose — 1,000-2,000 euro with good provenance
• Bas-Armagnac 1945 — 450-800 euro, the affordable way to hold the year in your hand

How we grade a bottle

Fill level, label, capsule and cork, then provenance. Every bottle is checked by hand by people who have handled thousands of old bottles, and we write down the flaws as well as the good news. What the fill levels mean · How to choose a birth-year wine