1952

What we would buy, and why

Look to Burgundy and Champagne before Bordeaux here, and if it must be claret, go Right Bank. Old Champagne is a real pleasure and a real risk: buy only a late house disgorgement or a bottle from one documented cellar, expect 600-1,500 euro, and accept that the bubbles will be a whisper rather than a mousse. Whatever you choose, stand it upright for four days before opening - seventy-four years of sediment needs time to settle.

1952 in the world

Elizabeth II came to the throne on 6 February 1952, aged twenty-five. In November a modest thriller called The Mousetrap opened in the West End and simply never closed.

Best bets for 1952

• 1952 Champagne from Krug, Dom Perignon or Pol Roger, 600-1,500 euro depending on provenance
• Saint-Emilion or Pomerol 1952 - Cheval Blanc at the top, otherwise a well-kept Figeac or Vieux Chateau Certan
• Red Burgundy 1952 from a serious house such as Bouchard Pere et Fils or Joseph Drouhin, around 400-800 euro
• Barolo 1952 from Borgogno or Fontanafredda, both estate-bottling and cellaring their own wine at the time

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