The Ultimate Guide to Investing in Bordeaux Wine (2024)

by Elaine Lau

Bordeaux wine has long been a favored investment choice for wine collectors, given its superb quality, price appreciation, and consistent global demand.

While investing in Bordeaux wine can yield impressive returns, it’s important to know which wines to invest in, what factors to track, and the best ways to invest in them.

In this post, you’ll discover what makes Bordeaux wine a good investment, how to select the best bottles, ten great vintages, and how Vinovest can help you start investing in wines from this iconic region.

What Makes Bordeaux Wine a Good Investment?

The main reasons Bordeaux wines make a great investment option are:

Impressive Price Appreciation
Stellar Performance at Auctions
Exceptional Aging Potential
Consistently High Quality
Strong Global Demand

1. Impressive Price Appreciation

Fine wine yields higher returns than alternative investment options like art, bonds, and even rare stamps.

When it comes to Bordeaux, the First-, Second-, and Third-Growth wines generally show stellar price appreciation trends.

Even in 2021, despite shaky international markets, First Growth Bordeaux wine prices rose an impressive 13.2%, according to Liv-ex.

Perhaps one of the best performing Bordeaux wines in the past year was Château Rieussec Premier Cru Classé Sauternes 2011 - its value rose a record high 52% in just 12 months.

2. Stellar Performance at Auctions

Bordeaux wines perform consistently well at auctions and are known for setting records.

For example, in 2010, a rare bottle of 1869 Château Lafite Rothschild sold for $232,682 at a Sotheby’s auction in Hong Kong. At the time, it was the most expensive 750ml bottle of wine ever sold!

But it isn’t just First Growth Bordeaux wines that perform well at auctions. In an Acker Wines auction in 2021, a lot containing six bottles of Third Growth 1961 Chateau Palmer sold for $32,129.

3. Exceptional Aging Potential

Bordeaux wines also age splendidly, which increases their investment potential. Generally, red wines age better than whites and 90% of Bordeaux’s total wine production comprises of red wine blends of Cabernet Sauvignon, Cabernet Franc, and Petit Verdot.

Most premium wine labels from Bordeaux reach their peak after a minimum of ten years, and the finest vintages can be cellared for a few decades.

So, it’s best to purchase young investment grade wine vintages and cellar them as they mature and increase in value.

4. Consistently High Quality

Bordeaux winemakers maintain consistently high standards, partly due to the region’s strict winemaking regulations.

Bordeaux's regional wine rules determine which grape varieties can be grown in which areas and under what growing conditions (no irrigation, all wines are dry-farmed, and other regulations.)

This ensures consistently high Bordeaux production standards and quality wines, which is why investors clamor to get their hands on a bottle.

5. Strong Global Demand

Since Bordeaux wines are considered to be of high quality, they are also extremely sought-after - demand usually exceeds supply.

In recent years, Bordeaux wines accounted for 80% of the fine wine traded globally (totaling around $2.2 billion annually.) This means you can always find a buyer somewhere in the world, making Bordeaux a relatively liquid asset.

These wines are also a favorite within the Chinese fine wine market and among wine investors throughout the Far East.

In 2009, China became Bordeaux’s key First Growth buyer, despite the global financial crisis at the time. Although demand in the Far East wine market has cooled slightly in recent years, Bordeaux wines are still highly sought-after.

Next, let’s find out how to select the perfect bottle of Bordeaux.

Selecting The Best Bordeaux Investment Wines

When selecting Bordeaux wines for investment, here’s what you should consider:

Sub-Region
Producer Reputation
Vintage
Critics’ Reviews

1. Sub-Region

There are more than 30 sub-regions within the Bordeaux region, and some are more prestigious than others.

When looking for a Bordeaux wine, you should consider buying from acclaimed sub-regions like:

Left Bank Regions: Médoc, Sauternes, and Graves are situated on the Left Bank of the Gironde Estuary. Wines from this sub-region are known for their distinct strong flavor and significant aging potential.
Right Bank Regions: Esteemedsub-regions on the Right Bank include Libournais, Bourgeois, and Blayais. Wines that originate in these sub-regions are typically balanced, with a more subtle flavor profile.

2. Producer Reputation

When deciding on the ideal Bordeaux investment wine, you’ll also need to consider the producer. There are around 6,000 wineries in Bordeaux, but certain estates are more highly regarded than others.

Generally, wines most likely to provide a good return on investment are First Growth (a.k.a. Premier Cru) and Second Growth (Deuxième Cru) wines.

First Growth Producers (Premier Cru)

The most prestigious First Growth producers are:

Top Second Growth Producers

Several Bordeaux producers are considered “super seconds,” and their wines make a good investment, especially if you’re new to the wine investment market.

Second Growth wines are more affordable than First Growth wines, but they still offer excellent investment opportunities in the long run.

Prestigious Second Growth producers include:

Château Cos d’Estournel
Château Ducru-Beaucaillou
Château La Mission
Château Léoville-Las Cases
Château Léoville-Poyferré
Château Montrose
Château Pichon Longueville Baron
Château Pichon Longueville Comtesse de Lalande

Note: Certain Bordeaux wine labels are known as cult wines - they’re highly sought-after among wine lovers, produced in limited quantities and usually sell at extremely high prices.

3. Vintage

The vintage plays a particularly important role in determining the aging potential of a Bordeaux wine.

Some of the best vintages to look out for are:

Old Vintages: 1949, 1953, 1955, 1959, and 1961
More Recent Vintages: 2005, 2009, 2010, 2015, and 2018

Remember, before purchasing any investment wine, it’s vital to do your research and find out what reputable wine critics have to say about the vintage.

4. Critics’ Reviews

Reviews by well-known critics are a good indication of whether or not a bottle of wine will make a good investment.

The famous wine critic Robert Parker popularized a wine scoring system, rating wines on a 100 point scale. Wines that score above 90 are considered outstanding quality, but the most extraordinary wines receive scores between 96-100.

The Wine Spectator is another popular alternative for reliable wine reviews.

Wines with the best reputations received good reviews and ratings from acclaimed critics and usually fetch the highest prices.

For example, today the rare and coveted 1989 Chateau Haut Brion Blanc which received a perfect score of 100 from Robert Parker, is sold for an impressive price of $2,839.

A more recent vintage, the 2005 Chateau Ausone, Saint-Emilion Grand Cru, which The Wine Advocate also awarded 100 points, sells for $1,661 a bottle.

Now, there’s another aspect of Bordeaux wine you should consider:

Investing in Bordeaux Wine Futures (En Primeur)

If you want to be one of the first to acquire a newly released vintage, consider investing in Bordeaux wine futures or en primeur. This practice is common in famous wine regions like Bordeaux and Burgundy, where producers sell wine to select buyers before bottling.

Here are the benefits of purchasing Bordeaux wine futures:

Price: By purchasing wine at the first release price, buyers can secure high-quality wines at the best prices.
Access to rare wines: It’s a good way to secure allocations of difficult-to-find wines. It’s also an opportunity to purchase rare wine bottle sizes, including magnums, double magnums, and imperials, as soon as they’re available.
Provenance: Buyers can ensure the perfect provenance (a record of ownership used as a guide to quality and authenticity) by owning the wine from its first release. If you decide to release the wine on the secondary market later on, having this record of authenticity will ensure you sell it at the highest possible price.

When purchasing en primeur Bordeaux wines, it’s best to opt for highly sought-after wines like Château Margaux, Château Lafite, Mouton Rothschild, and Haut Brion.

10 Great Bordeaux Wines to Invest In

Here are ten great Bordeaux wines, worth investing in this year:

2009 Chateau d'Yquem, Sauternes, France ($624)
2019 Petrus, Pomerol, France ($6,343)
2019 Chateau Lafleur, Pomerol, France ($1,789)
2016 Chateau Mouton Rothschild, Pauillac, France ($877)
2018 Chateau Ausone, Saint-Emilion Grand Cru, France ($1,001)
2015 Château Margaux, France ($1,971)
2009 Chateau Latour, Pauillac, France ($1630)
2018 Chateau Haut-Brion, Pessac-Leognan, France ($743)
2017 Chateau Cheval Blanc, Saint-Emilion Grand Cru, France ($636)
2015 Chateau Lafite Rothschild, Pauillac, France ($1,059)

Now let’s look at the best ways to purchase these iconic wines.

How to Invest in Bordeaux Wines

There are several ways to invest in a rare bottle of Bordeaux wine, including:

Through A Wine investment Platform like Vinovest
Purchase from Traditional Retailers
Purchase Directly from the Wine Producer
Investment Houses or Wine Funds

1. Through A Wine investment Platform like Vinovest

One of the easiest ways to invest in Bordeaux wine is through a wine investment platform like Vinovest.

The great thing about this wine investing method is that you can easily buy, store, and sell the finest wines from leading producers worldwide, including acclaimed New Zealand, French, and Italian wine labels.

Vinovest sources wines directly from winemakers, global wine exchanges, and trusted wine merchants, ensuring you get the best prices.

Here’s how it works:

Simplysign up on the Vinovest website.
Complete a quick questionnaire so Vinovest can assess your risk tolerance and wine investment preferences.
Add funds to your account.
Vinovest’s Master Sommeliers combine their expertise with AI-driven investment algorithms to curate your wine investment portfolio.
Add coveted bottles of Bordeaux and other collectible wines to your fine wine investment portfolio!

It’s that simple.

2. Purchase from Traditional Retailers

You can also purchase investment-grade wine bottles from your local retailer. Unfortunately, the selection is often limited, and if you’re interested in cult wine investment, you probably won’t find what you’re looking for here.

Also, retail pricing is usually higher, so you may need to shop around for the best prices.

3. Purchase Directly from the Wine Producer

Another way to purchase premium wine from the Bordeaux region is directly from the winery.

This method of sourcing fine wine bottles is efficient, cost-effective, and guarantees authenticity.

But it can be difficult to gain access to top producers on the wine market or make it onto allocation lists for cult wines.

4. Investment Houses or Wine Funds

Investment houses like Farr Vintners let investors purchase wine stocks or shares in a wine fund and pool together investor capital.

With this wine investment method, the investor doesn’t have to pay for the storage and transport of the wine.

But the transaction costs vary for different investment houses and may be expensive. Moreover, certain investment houses are only open to accredited high net worth investors, while others require a long-term commitment.

Spice Up Your Investment Portfolio With A Spectacular Bordeaux

Like other famed French wine regions, Bordeaux has built up an unsurpassed reputation in the wine investment world. Bordeaux wines are renowned for their exceptional quality and aging potential, making them a favorite among both novice wine lovers and seasoned wine investors.

But investing in prestigious Bordeaux wines isn’t reserved only for experienced investors anymore.

Simply head over to Vinovest to buy coveted Cabernet Sauvignon, Petit Verdot, Cabernet Franc Bordeaux blends, or any other fine wine on your wishlist.