We all know that James Bond is something of a wine connoisseur. Indeed, he is able to spot villains at least twice in the films due to of his superior knowledge, and he often judges his adversaries based on their particular preference for a certain vintage.
However, in 2006, we were introduced to a new James Bond, a tougher, darker, more rough-and-ready 007, whose rebooted timeline suggested he had not yet achieved the level of sophistication we had come to expect from the suave secret agent.
Despite this, when Daniel Craig's diamond-in-the-rough Bond is on his way to Montenegro to defeat terrorist financier Le Chiffre at Poker, he shows exceptional taste in wine, ordering a bottle of Château Angélus, Premier Grand Cru Classé Saint-Émilion '82 with his skewered lamb.
At the time, Château Angélus was classified as Premier Grand Cru Classé B, the second highest Classification of Saint-Émilion wine. However, in 2012, Château Angélus was promoted to Premier Grand Cru Classé A - a distinction only held by three other châteaux.
To celebrate this achievement, Château Angélus have created a new bottle for their 2012 vintage, the first to bear the distinction of Premier Grand Cru Classé A. The traditional green glass bottle and yellow label have been replaced with an elegant black bottle bearing an imprint in embossed gold.
To create these striking bottles, an enamel imprint is fired at 600°C before vitrifying to become entirely part of the glass. It is then covered with a gold print that undergoes a second firing at 500°C, during which the gold totally adheres to the layer of enamel. Finally, the imprint is completed by brushing the 21.7 carat gold to enhance the lustre of the metal.
The distinctive bottle was unveiled over lunch at The Connaught Hotel in London's Mayfair earlier this month. Sadly, as the 2012 harvest is still maturing, the 2012 vintage was unavailable to taste, however, guests were served the 2011, 2007, and the 2006 vintages, of which the 2006 was a particular treat.
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The 2012 harvest is due to be delivered in autumn 2014 and will be exclusively available in these impressive bottles, purchasable partly in a limited edition of large capacity bottles, ranging from magnum to imperial.
In the interim, we suggest you try the Château Angélus 2006. We feel confident that 007 would approve.
About The Author
Ben is a freelance writer living in London, with a passion for architecture, design, fashion, food & drink, and travel. Ben has contributed to a number of event reports as well as historical content relating to James Bond lifestyle. He maintains the weblog: doubleonothing.com.
