1959

What we would buy, and why

There is no need to compromise here, but there is every need to pay attention, because a famous year attracts poor bottles wearing good labels. Buy on fill and provenance before name: neck to very top shoulder, one documented cellar, and chateau bottling rather than a merchant's later bottling. Classed-growth Bordeaux runs 700-1,500 euro and the first growths well beyond, while a 1959 German Riesling Auslese at 300-600 euro is the decade's most underpriced great wine and, thanks to its acidity, among the likeliest to still be thrilling.

1959 in the world

The Mini went on sale in August 1959 at £496, Alec Issigonis having turned the engine sideways so four adults could fit into ten feet of car. That November the first stretch of the M1 opened, with no speed limit, no crash barriers and no lighting.

Best bets for 1959

• Medoc classed growth 1959 - Ducru-Beaucaillou, Lynch-Bages or Cos d'Estournel at around 700-1,300 euro
• Chateau Haut-Brion 1959, the vintage's most admired wine, for a milestone with a budget to match
• German Riesling Auslese 1959 from a Mosel or Rheingau estate such as J.J. Prum or Schloss Johannisberg, 300-600 euro
• 1959 Champagne from Dom Perignon or Krug, with Sauternes 1959 as the sweet alternative

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