The government's oldest wines and spirits - tiredbees by James Balderson

Product	Vintage, region	Govt assessment	Malcolm Gluck’s view
SOURCE: FOREIGN AND COMMONWEALTH OFFICE (DEC 2010); MALCOLM GLUCK, WINE EXPERT
Oldest wine:Chateau Latour, 1er cru classe, Pauillac	1955, Bordeaux, France	“Drink on special occasions…Spectacular. The essence of a wonderful claret.”	“An arthritic liquid at least 40 years past its best.”
Oldest Champagne:Krug, Brut, Reims	1964, Champagne-Ardenne, France	“Drink slowly. Special occasions only.”	“You would need to drink it slowly otherwise you might think you were slurping some sort of cobwebby medicine.”
Oldest port:Quinta do Noval	1931, Douro Valley, Portugal	“A real ‘national treasure’…Sublime – best this century.”	“This might be interesting. Port is fortified and so lasts for decades.”
Oldest brandy:Grands Fins Bois Cognac, Charente	1878, Poitou-Charentes, France	“Drink very sparingly…Excellent…superlative even. Fiery and delicious.”	“Yep, though if it is fiery then it isn’t much good, as old cognac has to be mellow and luxurious.”

The government’s oldest wines and spirits