1949

What we would buy, and why

1949 gives you a great vintage without the premium that 1945 and 1947 carry, and it is the pick of the decade for anyone who actually intends to pull the cork. In Bordeaux the sweet spot is a mid-field classed growth at 700-1,500 euro; in Burgundy the wines were superb but are fragile and widely faked, so buy only from a named cellar with an unbroken history. As with everything before 1990 we sell it as a collectible and check the condition before the bottle ships, but of the whole decade this is the year most likely to reward the corkscrew.

1949 in the world

Gene Autry recorded Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer in the June of 1949 and it sold two million copies by Christmas. That same July the de Havilland Comet made the first flight by a jet airliner.

Best bets for 1949

• A 1949 classed growth: Léoville-Poyferré, Gruaud-Larose, Calon-Ségur or Lynch-Bages — 700-1,500 euro
• 1949 Sauternes: Climens or Suduiraut at 700-1,200 euro, with Yquem beyond 2,000 euro
• 1949 Hermitage from Jaboulet or Chave — 900-1,600 euro, one of the great Rhône years
• Bas-Armagnac 1949 — 400-700 euro, the safe choice when the bottle must be opened on the night

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