Ten of the best bordeaux wines to invest in right now

Certainly a decent vintage, still en primeur (meaning it is still held in barrel at the chateau, but can be bought as a ‘future allocation’) and is available at a significant discount to bottled vintages of similar quality such as the 2006 or 2008. Chateau Lafite is noted for its elegance and subtlety rather than power and is able to age well for decades. Between 2008 and 2011, off vintages of this wine grew in value by more than 300 per cent, whereas in the last couple of years, mid vintages have grown by more modest figures (2006 up 30% over the last two years, 2008 up 29%), they will still comfortably outperform your average ISA. vin-x.com

It is yet to be seen if this vintage is as good as the 2005/2009/2010, but it is certain that Carruades 2015 is significantly more affordable than older back vintages. Surprisingly it is even price competitive with the 2013 and 2007, some of the poorest vintages in recent memory. Carruades Lafite is the second wine of Chateau Lafite Rothschild – another label from the same vines, using those grapes which don’t make the Grand Vin. Between 2008 and 2011, off-vintage Carruades Lafite increased in price by an astonishing 357 per cent – the highest increase in any Bordeaux wine over that boom period. vin-x.com

The Wine Advocate’s Neal Martin, who has picked up the baton from Robert Parker as the greatest authority on Bordeaux, recently rescored and upgraded this wine to 100 points. Prices have risen as a result. Vin-X believes they are likely to continue growing as availability is limited due to its age. Margaux is another First Growth and fans of this fine wine are in good company: it was enjoyed by former British PM Robert Walpole and US President and founding father Thomas Jefferson. In the last 6 months alone Margaux 1996 has seen its prices rise by more than 33%. vin-x.com

One of a number of 100 point wines from this great chateau, linked to First Growth Haut-Brion, and rescored by Parker in 2015 resulting in significant rise in value in the wake of that change. However, it still remains more affordable than other 100 point La Mission Haut-Brion’s from the 2009 and 2000 vintage and is around half the price of the celebrated 1989. Pre-eminent critic Parker said he had more bottles of La Mission Haut-Brion in his cellar than any other wine because of its consistency. Off vintages of La Mission Haut-Brion saw a 100 per cent increase in value between 2008 and 2011. Since 2014, La Mission 2005 has appreciated by more than 50%, with 2009 and 2010 showing 15-20% growth. vin-x.com

With a decent amount of time in the bottle, Petrus 2004 has a reasonable score for an off vintage of 93+. It is coming into its drinking window next year according to Parker’s 2007 review.  The 2004 vintage has a better score than the similarly priced 2002 (93 vs 90) and is more affordable than the 91 point 2013. Due to its rarity, (only 2,500 cases made per annum in contrast to Lafite 16,000) trade levels of Petrus are thin but as one of the most powerful wine brands liquidity is never a concern, and performance has seen 26% growth over the last two years. Sir Alex Ferguson raised more than £5million from the sale of part of his wine collection via Christie’s in 2014, with a case of 12 bottles of Petrus 1988 one of the highlight lots. Petrus was also enjoyed by the future Queen Elizabeth II at her wedding and US president John F Kennedy was also a fan. vin-x.com

Both wines have 100 points and both also have 100 points in the 2009 vintage, which are more expensive.  With older 100-point super second growths costing £4,000 these wines can be considered a bargain at under £2000 per case. Pontet-Canet saw growth of around 100 per cent for prime, mid and off vintages between 2008 and 2011 after a dramatic improvement in its quality. Prime vintages have risen in value by 20 per cent since the start of the year. In 2010, Pontet Canet was the first major Bordeaux estate to be certified as organic. In January, Pontet-Canet’s Alfred and Melanie Tesseron bought the late comedian Robin Williams’ Napa vineyard after its asking price was slashed to US$22.9 million (£16m). Montrose – like Pontet Canet – held its value better than a number of First Growth wines during the bear market of 2011 to 2014. This year, the 2010 Pontet Canet has seen an increase of 21%, and the Montrose 2010 has seen its values increase by 19.9%.  Most vintages have seen similar growth, but we believe these are some of the best long-term bets for future growth. vin-x.com

With a very high score of 99+ points, and coming from perhaps the greatest Bordeaux vintage in living memory, Lafite 2009 could be the centrepiece of any collection of Bordeaux. While it may never receive the seal of a Parker 100 point score (although who would bet against him bookending his career with rescores of the 2009s & 2010s) it has high scores from a number of other reviewers, and 10 year on tastings will be coming sooner than later. In the boom period of 2008 to 2011, off vintage Lafite grew by 307 per cent. Lafite prices have been on a bit of a roller coaster since then, but the 2009 is up 18% in the last 6 months.  In 2010, an 1869 Lafite sold for £147,000 – then a record – to a Chinese investor at a Hong Kong auction. vin-x.com

A great mid vintage wine investment, this has another advantage in its recent (October 2016) score upgrade from Neal Martin at the Wine Advocate, the 2012 has a similar score to the more costly 2006 and 2005. Mouton Rothschild is the only wine to have been originally classified as a Second Growth but then get promoted to First Growth since the original classification in 1855. Mid-vintages have seen an increase in price of more than 25 per cent this year. The great innovator, Baron Philippe de Rothschild introduced new technologies and marketing strategies to the industry, one of which was the design of the bottle labels. Since 1945, bottles of Mouton Rothschild have been adorned with labels designed from great artists including Miro, Chagall, Picasso and Dali and notable personalities such as Prince Charles. vin-x.com

Angelus has been one of the very best and most consistent performers for wine investors over much of the last decade, and there are a number of interesting vintages offering value to investors now.  The unique gold embossed labelling on the 2012 is reflected in a higher price than we might otherwise expect, but the differential is much smaller than we see when we consider Mouton 2000’s gold labelling and the price of similar quality Mouton Rothschild’s such as the 2006 or 2012. Compared to the other top wines Angelus shares a classification with – Cheval Blanc, Pavie and Ausone – since a 2012 upgrade to Grande Cru Classe A of the St Emilion region, Angelus remains a bargain and in the high scoring 2009 and 2010 (both at 99+ points) there lies the possibility of further upgrades in future. Mid-vintage Angelus has risen in value by 33 per cent since the start of the year. In the James Bond film Casino Royale, Daniel Craig’s Bond is seen dining with Vesper Lynd (played by Eva Green) with a bottle of Angelus prominent on the table, and featured again in 2015’s “Spectre”. vin-x.com

Cheval Blanc is of course a worthy investment-grade wine with the 100 point 2005 increasing in value 14.6 per cent since the Brexit vote and a great example of potential returns from a sale of an Imperial (8 bottles) Cheval Blanc 1947 achieving a record sale at Christies Geneva of £188,712 in 2010. vin-x.com