When the US President visits the Queen, you’d expect only the finest wines to be served. But President Obama had to endure a vin very ordinaire at Buckingham Palace, as guests at the occasion of his state banquet were given a wine civil servants had secretly judged to be ‘soapy’ and ‘harshly acidic’. Officials in charge of the Government’s wine cellar, which is managed by the Foreign Office, provided bottles of 2004 Chablis Grand Cru Les Clos, despite the batch having been found wanting according to the Government hospitality stock report. Royal toast: The Queen and President Barack Obama during a state banquet at Buckingham Palace in May 2011 . Listing the drinks to be served to visiting dignitaries, the 60-page document has been obtained by this newspaper under Freedom Of Information laws. The Queen’s banquet for Mr Obama at Buckingham Palace on May 24, 2011, was the culmination of his first state visit to Britain. The 170 guests included Prince Charles, David Cameron and film stars Kevin Spacey and Tom Hanks. On the menu were dishes of sole, Windsor lamb and charlotte a la vanille mousse for dessert. The guests were given a selection of wines and ports, including the Chablis. Robert Alexander OBE, head of Government Hospitality, inspects a bottle inside the Government's Wine Cellar . The stock report grades wines with a rating of A1, A, B, or C and records what officials think of them after tastings. Bottles of 2004 Chablis Grand Cru Les Clos were served to President Obama despite the batch having been found wanting . The Burgundy is rated B and in October 2008 was described as being ‘slightly soapy’. A tasting in February 2011 noted the wine, which can sell for up to £100 a bottle, had a ‘harsh acidity’. But despite these concerns, it was served up at the banquet three months later. Shortly after the meal, the following note was added to the file: ‘Used on US State Visit. Feedback from the Palace.’ There is no explanation of what that feedback might have been, although a comment added a month later suggests it might not have been positive. An official wrote: ‘Bottle variation, drink by 2013.’ MoS Event magazine wine expert Olly Smith said: ‘The notes seem to suggest there might have been issues with “bottle variation” which occurs as a wine ages. 'Individual bottles can be affected in different ways, depending on the amount of oxygen which has interacted with the wine.’ The Foreign Office said: ‘All wines for use on state visits are carefully selected… the Palace regularly offers informal feedback on wines supplied for state visits.’ Bottles of Chassagne Montrachet Cru Virondot 2002 lined up in the Government's wine cellar .
Barack Obama was served Chablis at a Buckingham Palace state banquet . Civil servants had already found 2004 Chablis Grand Cru Les Clos wanting . It was rated B and described as being ‘slightly soapy with a ‘harsh acidity’