Bordeaux wine still sets the pace in the fine wine market. Wether you think about a wine investment in terms of future enjoyment or a financial gain, most well-made wines, while storable for a number of years under decent conditions, do not really get much better, but more often than not are in danger of losing their freshness. This seems to be increasingly true since the advent of modern vinification methods. Very few wines in the world really profit from aging, but some indeed need time to unfold their potential qualities.
Red Bordeaux wines from leading Chateaux are still the center of the attention in this matter and will generally develop positively over 10-20 years, while the greatest from the best vintages may absolutely need several decades to reach their peak (and sometimes, rather common in older times, to mellow enough to become enjoyable).
Traditionally, the world-famous premier crus, Chateau Lafite, Chateau Latour, Chateau Margaux, Chateau Mouton-Rothschild and Chateau Haut-Brion come here to mind, but several of the originally non-classified from Pomerol and Saint-Emilion and a handful of the so-called super-seconds are not only suitable for this purpose, but command these days regularly even higher prices.
Demand is by now so high that most of these wines are only available by subscription, and have to be bought as primeurs, while still at an early stage of development in the cask, when their future is (even for recognized experts) difficult to predict. For the cost-conscious buyer the old rule “Better vintages, lesser crus – lesser vintages, better crus” is still valid, although more difficult to follow. Until the last decade of the last century it seemed to have been more easy to make a “safe” investment into a few cases of one of the famous reliables, bought young, or into a somewhat  undervalued deuxieme cru classe like Chateau Cos d´Estournel, when the quality already was apparent.
Still, one should not be discouraged – the most interesting things are just happening in front of our very eyes. In May 2010, a certain Mr. Parker unveiled his ratings on the 2009 vintage of red Bordeaux wines, claiming “The 2009 vintage may turn out to be the finest vintage I have tasted in 32 years of covering Bordeaux”. Other observers believe the Bordeaux 2009 vintage is “set to be the best in 60 years thanks to perfect weather conditions”, while at the same time concerns are raised it lacks consistency. Prices are expected to almost double within one year. While a Bordeaux wine investment is tempting to many, having access to an adequate wine storage facility or best, owning a good wine cellar providing no less than ideal conditions, should be part of the equation, too.
Bordeaux Wine Investment