Château Meyney, Prieuré des Couleys
France, Saint-Estèphe, 1961
Cognac
Apellation Controlée Saint-Estèphe
Bottle 75 cl
Signed and dated by Gagarin, Vladimir Komarov and further collegues in ballpen ’11.2.67 …’
Provenance: Collection Andora, Germany
Yuri Gagarin consumed this bottle on 11.2.1967 Moscow after he was nominated as a backup commander of Soyuz 1

The cognac bottle was consumed by Yuri Gagarin on 11.2.1967 after he was nominated as a backup commander of Soyuz 1. This exquisite French cognac ‘Prieuré des Couleys’ is the year 1961 of Château Meyney in Saint-Estèphe. The nomination was an important moment in Gagarin’s career as a cosmonaut, the first man in space. Gagarin question Vladimir Komarov’s nomination as the first commander because he desired to take his position. However, his wish was neglected due to the high danger of this flight and due to Gagarin’s status as a hero of the Soviet Union. In 1967, Komarov tragically died during the flight. Less than a year later, Gagarin lost his life in a crash during a training flight with a fighter aircraft.



The cognac bottle is signed and dated in ballpen ’11.2.67 Moscow’. The bottle is embossed underneath with the letters ‘BX’ and behind on the corpus lower side ’75 cl’. The bottle is empty, but besides that in a very good condition according its age. The tag is browned and abraded. At the date is a small piece of the paper missing. The cognac bottle is kept in a white wooden box with a hanger at the back and a Perspex pane in front. The dimensions of the bottle are 31 x 8 cm and the wooden box is 37,5 x 14 x 13,5 cm (height x width x depth) in size.

Shipping costs excl. statutory VAT and plus 2,5% (+VAT) shipping insurance.