James Bond drinks Angelus, `82 Angelus in Casino Royale

Chateau Angelus boss Hubert de Bouard was shaken – but not stirred – when Bond chiefs demanded his top vintage for the British secret agent, reports Decanter.

Although for years linked with Bollinger, James Bond has become rather more choosy, plumping now for the renowned St-Emilion premier grand cru classe.

And when de Bouard was approached by producer Barbara Broccolli for some bottles to be quaffed in the latest Bond film, Casino Royale, he found they weren't happy with anything less than the best.

'I considered giving the Broccollis the 1990,' he told decanter.com. 'But they said “you do realise James Bond has a taste for at least the '82?”'

This is the first time Château Angélus has featured in the films which are, with a few exceptions, generally devoid of claret.

The bottle of Angélus features prominently while Bond dines with Vesper Lynd, played by Eva Green, in a railway dining car on his way to the Casino Royale in Montenegro - transposed from the original novel's Monte Carlo.

Hubert de Bouard said he was 'overjoyed' to see his wines in the film. 'It will be seen by hundreds of millions of people and it gives Angélus a world image.'

When asked if future Bond films would feature the wine, de Bouard said no contracts had been signed but that he was 'very open' to any future collaboration.

Bollinger, which has been linked with the Bond franchise since Live and Let Die in 1973, plays a more low-key role than usual, with Bond ordering a bottle of Grande Année – vintage unspecified – which is never seen or drunk.

The first wine remark uttered by Bond (in the 1962 film Dr No) relates to a bottle of Dom Pérignon 1955. 'I prefer the '53 myself,' Bond says.

Casino Royale opens in cinemas across the UK on 16 November.

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