Burgundy investment wines

Home to some of the most valuable wines in the world - discover which are the most important wines for investors from Burgundy.

Burgundy Wine Investment Region

Introduction to Burgundy Investment Wines

Burgundy is the market leader when measured by average trade price. The region’s elite wines command the highest entry point into wine investment and deliver the most impressive returns.

The blue-chip investment wines of the region have very low supply and are some of the most valuable in the world. For wine investors they are the most aspirational to own with a history of extraordinary wine investment returns. Burgundy can be the ‘Holy Grail’ of wine investments, and high-profile auction sales have seen single bottles of rare vintages sell for nearly US$500,000.

Around 30% of the value of wine traded on Liv-ex, the wine stock exchange, are Burgundy Grand Crus, and these are important drivers of growth for ambitious wine investors.

The history of Burgundy investment wines

Winemaking in Burgundy dates to the 6th Century with the arrival of the Romans, but it was the medieval monks that established the origins of the great vineyards of Burgundy in the 14th Century. Trade and reputation grew as the popes of the day, then located in Avignon, introduced Burgundy’s wine to a wider market.

Vineyard ownership shifted from the church to nobility during the 15th Century until the French revolution in 1789 where the advent of Napoleon’s equal inheritance law saw the region’s vineyards divided through generations. As a result, Burgundy’s vineyards are split into a myriad of small ‘domaines’. 

Burgundy’s classification system was first established in 1861 by the Beaune Committee of Agriculture, which ranks the best vineyards as ‘Grand Crus’ and ‘Premier Crus’. The system is driven by terroir focusing on the 400 different soil types in the region, compared to Bordeaux which is prescribed by Chateau ownership.

The Grand Crus of the Cote de Nuits region, and particularly the Vosne-Romanée village, are the most highly regarded investment wines. The very small supply of Burgundy’s highly sought-after Grand Crus is tightly controlled and can achieve significant prices, rare older vintages routinely sell for six-figure sums. Scarce Domaine de la Romanée-Conti vintages can achieve growth multiples similar to valuable art investments but at a more affordable entry point.

Global demand for Burgundy investment wines has seen the market broaden beyond high-profile labels. In 2021, thirty of the region’s producers were ranked in the Liv-ex Power 100 of the most important fine wine brands.

Cotes De Nuits

Burgundy wine facts

Burgundy is the top performing wine investment region in terms of fine values with the region's blue-chip wines often achieving five and six-figure sums on sale. 

The iconic Domaine de la Romanee Conti (DRC) wines enjoy super-star status with record auction sales seeing single bottles of the rare 1945 vintage selling for nearly US$500,000 in 2018. 

Burgundy's perfect terroir is based on Jurassic limestone, shaping the undulating hills of the region from Chablis to the Cote d'Or down to Pouilly Fuisse.

A continental climate produces cold, dry winters and cool summers that may endure hail and heavy rainfall. In recent years frost has become a major climate challenge and has seen some vintages suffer significant crop losses. 

Very small production levels for Burgundy Grand Crus have to supply growing global demand each vintage which supports sustained growth in some of the world's most valuable investment wines.

 

Grapes on Vine

Burgundy grape varieties

The great red wines of Burgundy shaped by the temperamental Pinot Noir grape. Challenging to grow in the northerly climate, some vintages may see insufficient sun for full ripening, but Burgundy's great vintage red investment wines are world-beating.

The local Chardonnay is very hardy and produces the finest, full-bodied white wines, the very best of which are now being traded on the secondary market.

Wine Investment Growth

How do Burgundy investment wines perform?

Burgundy as a wine investment region is the leader in terms of price. Very low production levels are a key driver. Where Bordeaux First Growth Chateau Lafite Rothschild will typically produce around 240,000 bottles each vintage, DRC, Romanee-Conti will make just 5,000 bottles. This supply has to satisfy growing global demand and drives impressive price growth.

Investors seeking value have driven wine investment growth in the region's other top wines, creating a broader, more robust secondary market in Burgundy, offering more choice to investors.

The Liv-ex Burgundy 150 is the top performing regional wine investment index, and generally outperforms financial markets such as the FTSE 100.

Find out more

Burgundy investment wines

Burgundy’s top Grand Crus are some of the most powerful fine wine investment brands in the world today and account for less than 2% of the region’s total wine production. 

Domaine de la Romanee-Conti

Classification - Grand Cru

Domaine Leroy

Classification: Grand Cru and Premier Cru

Domaine Armand Rousseau

Classification: Grand Cru and Premier Cru

Domaine Faiveley

Classification: Grand Cru and Premier Cru

Domaine Emmanuel Rouget

Classification: Grand Cru and Premier Cru

Domaine Joseph Drouhin

Classification: several

Domaine Comtes Georges de Vogue

Classification: Grand Cru

Domaine des Lambrays

Classification: several

Domaine Arnoux Lachaux

Classification: Several

Domaine Dujac

Classification: several

Domaine Ponsot

Classification: Grand Cru

Domaine Georges Roumier

Classification: several

Domaine Coche-Dury

Classification: Grand Cru and Premier Cru

Domaine d'Auvenay

Classification: several

Domaine Jacques Frederic Mugnier

Classification: several

Domaine Comte Liger-Belair

Classification: Grand Cru and Premier Cru

Domaine Leflaive

Classification: Grand Cru and Premier Cru

Domaine Sylvain Cathiard

Classification: Grand Cru and Premier Cru

Sign up to receive our Newsletter to stay up to date on essential wine investment news and events