2017 Bouchard Corton-Charlemagne | The Finest White Wine From Burgundy

“Classic Corton-Charlemagne is considered to be amongst the finest of Burgundy's whites […] Corton-Charlemagne ranks among the world's more expensive white wines, although it still does not reach the prices commanded by its Montrachet counterparts”

– Wine-searcher.com

White wines from Corton-Charlemagne are definitely among the finest white wines in the world, although prices do not (yet) match those of Montrachet. However, there is not much of it. And with a globally increasing demand for white wine, it is not hard to figure out that it might be wise to position yourself towards white Burgundy. Especially if the "still [...] not" in the above wine-searcher quote turns out to disappear in the long run?

Now you have the opportunity to invest in white Burgundy: From Bouchard Pere & Fils. From Corton-Charlemagne. At a particularly favorable price.

Corton-Charlemagne | The World's Best White Wines Come From Burgundy

Large quantities of white wine are produced all over the world, but if you are looking for white wines in the fine & rare category, the final destination is definitely Burgundy. In Italy, they are not known for white wine production. Nor in Bordeaux. And sure - Screaming Eagle from California's stronghold Napa Valley produces a nearly unobtainable and sought-after sauvignon blanc - but that's about it.

There are, of course, many skilful white wine producers - but the absolute best come from Burgundy, and if the vineyard is called Montrachet or Corton-Charlemagne, the demand is immanent and even enormous.

And Bouchard Pere & Fils' Corton-Charlemagne is available for investment in this investment tip. In the 71.8 hectare Corton-Charlemagne appellation, Bouchard has 3.56 hectares at its disposal. In 2017, the domaine harvested 40 hectoliters per hectare, giving them a final production of 19,200 bottles - and while that sounds like a lot, it is nowhere near enough to meet the massive demand for white Burgundy Grand Cru.

Price Corrections... Not For White Wines

It is no longer news that 2023 rhymed with turmoil, which also affected the world of wine. For many wines, this has meant price corrections, but according to Liv-ex, white wine prices remained remarkably stable in 2023.

The reason for this is the limited supply and sustained demand. And the French agricultural disaster of 2021 in particular has brought supply to its knees: especially for white wine. Therefore, wine connoisseurs have had to act both quickly and expensively if they have had to secure white burgundy in the 2021 vintage. This obviously means that the white burgundies that are available will be in high demand, and therefore people will naturally seek out earlier vintages.

Increasing Demand For White Wine

According to the OIV (International Organisation of Vine and Wine), the growing demand for white wine and rosé means that these colours now account for more than half of global wine consumption. It also states that white wine consumption has grown at a relatively high rate since 2010.

"Over the past decades, the world wine sector has seen an overall positive trend of production and consumption of white and rosé wines, while red wines have decreased. This structural shift can be mainly attributed to overall changes in consumer preferences.", continues the OIV.

And when it comes to white wine, it's very hard to ignore the giants of Burgundy.

Bouchard Pere & Fils: Burgundy Giant With An Eminent Reputation

In 1731, Michel Bouchard laid the foundation for what the world would come to know a century later as one of the Cote d'Or's largest landowners - Bouchard Pere & Fils.

Bouchard had some good cards in their hands from the start. Chateau de Beaune had been their home since 1820 - a 17th century fortress with a royal character. The cellars under the castle are optimal for wine storage - and it is even a cellar that is famous for containing a unique collection of up to 2,000 bottles of wine from the 1800s. Including a Meursault "Charmes" from 1846.

Artémis Takes Over The Reins: So What?

For almost 200 years, Bouchard Pere & Fils was a family business, but in 1995 the domain was bought by the Henriot family. And with the new ownership, Bouchard became part of the Maisons & Domaines Henriot group. In September 2022, however, another prominent figure was added in the form of the French private equity fund and luxury giant Artémis, which secured a significant share of the shares in Maisons & Domaines Henriot.

Bouchard Pere & Fils could thus strengthen Artémis' already impressive portfolio, which includes recognised wine houses such as Clos de Tart and Chateau Latour.

So what?

Artémis is, of course, constantly looking for profits to satisfy its shareholders. And so Artémis is naturally on the lookout for companies with growth potential. And when a luxury giant buys a company like Bouchard, it is expected that they will bring capital, expertise, know-how and a large marketing structure to the traditional domain - with growth as the destination. A journey that you, as an investor, have the opportunity to join.

Continuous High Quality

When it comes to Bouchard Corton-Charlemagne, the headline is consistently high quality. 2017 Bouchard Corton-Charlemagne scores 93 points from Burghound, 93 points from Wine Advocate and 92 points from Vinous. Across the three critics, it thus lands with a score of 92.7.

This places the 2017 Bouchard Corton-Charlemagne neither at the bottom nor at the top of the hierarchy, but represents the continuous level that exists here. Across the last ten releases, the average score across scores from the above three critics is 92.8 points. It is worth noting that the 2020, 2021 and 2022 vintages have only received so-called barrel scores, which is why their justification in the statistics is debatable.

To summarise: right here, the recommendation is not a specific vintage of Bouchard Corton-Charlemagne, but rather Bouchard as a sublime white burgundy investment.

2017 Bouchard Corton-Charlemagne - Performance And Favorable Price Point

It has been two years since 2017 Bouchard Corton-Charlemagne was first valued by RareWine Trading and at that time the price was €130*. Today the price is €175*, which means that in two years it has returned 35%, equivalent to an average annual return of 16%.

Liv-ex's narrative of white wine prices remaining stable in 2023 fits perfectly with the 2017 Bouchard Corton-Charlemagne. But even if prices have not fallen here, there is still a unique investment opportunity.

At the time of writing, there are only two offers for 2017 Bouchard Corton-Charlemagne in whole cases and perfect condition on wine-searcher.com. And the cheapest price here is 31% higher than your price of €175, leaving us with two favourable conclusions.

1. This investment option is favourably priced.
2. The fact that there are only two offerings in whole cases and perfect condition only emphasises how low the supply of Bouchard Corton-Charlemagne and white burgundy Grand Cru is.

Add to this the fact that both 2012 and 2014 also score 92.7 points across the same critics, making them comparable to the 2017 vintage. According to price trends on wine-searcher.com, 2012 Bouchard Corton-Charlemagne has seen an average annual price increase of 8% in ten years, while the figure for 2014 Bouchard Corton-Charlemagne is 9% on average per year over eight years.

*ex duty, VAT and tax, in whole cases and perfect condition.

Rarewine Invest's Opinion

The 2017 Bouchard Corton-Charlemagne is already off to a great start, but as we all know, it is often when quantities disappear from the market that the biggest price increases tend to appear. According to Wine Advocate, this has a drinking window of 2022-2040, so it can be stored for a number of years, while a steadily rising global white wine demand reduces the quantities available on the market.

The world demands the white wine pearls. And the best ones are in Burgundy, with Montrachet and Corton-Charlemagne as the big players. The supply is low, and therefore price corrections have not hit the whites as they have hit their red and bubbly counterparts. Add to this the fact that the price here is still very favourable compared to the cheapest offer on wine-searcher.com.

This is both an investment in a recognised wine house with prominent ownership, but it is also an investment in white Burgundy Grand Cru.