Cellar's Finest | Exclusive Opportunity To Invest In The World's Rarest Bottles Of Wine...

Cellar's finest - The Exclusive Picks is a recurring, albeit far from frequent, concept at RareWine Invest. Here you get a unique opportunity to add extremely exclusive wines to your portfolio. We're talking about the most legendary and rarest wines that are impossible to acquire in large quantities.

What the wines in this format have in common is that they all represent producers that are attractive to both collectors and investors - also in the future.

Today, the headline is Burgundy, but a single Champagne treasure has also deservedly sneaked in.

But the headline for this edition of Cellar's finest is also: Price corrections - attractive acquisition opportunities. The best, most exclusive and most expensive wines have also been the subject of the biggest price drops over the past year's turmoil, although they are also the ones that have seen the biggest price increases before this.

The basic premise for investment remains unchanged, and there's nothing to suggest that wines of this calibre won't once again set record high prices. Right now, however, the price corrections offer a very attractive opportunity for investment.

2020 Domaine de la Romanée Conti Assortment

This Domaine de la Romanée Conti Assortment is based on the critically acclaimed 2020 vintage, which stands out especially in terms of quality. It contains wines from the most celebrated vineyards in Burgundy, and therefore the world.

We have compiled a number of statements from the Burgundy specialists at Burghound that tell the one-sided story of how great the 2020 vintage really is:

• Romanée-Conti: Only one Romanée-Conti has ever received 100 points from BH (1945 vintage). The 2020 vintage gets 99 Burghound points.
• La Tache: Only one vintage has surpassed the 2020 vintage with 100 points: the 1962 vintage.
• Grands Echezeaux: With the exception of two vintages (1948, 1966) that scored 97 points, 96 is the highest a Grands Echezeaux has ever scored.
• Echezeaux: 95 points is the highest score an Echezeaux has ever received from Burghound. This is also only given to the 2019 and 2020 vintages.
• Richebourg: Only one vintage has surpassed the 2020 vintage with 98 points - the 1934 vintage.
• Romanée St. Vivant: With the exception of THREE vintages (2019, 2010, 2005) that scored 97 points, 96 is the highest score an RSV has ever received.
• Cuvee Duvault Blochet: Wine Advocate: "Flamboyant but nicely balanced, this is a real success in 2020."

2020 DRC Assortment contains the following wines:
1 x Romanée-Conti 2020
BH: 99 WA: 100 VI: 99
Total production: 6003

1 x La Tache 2020
BH: 99 WA: 99 VI: 98
Total production: 12,844

1 x Grands Echezeaux 2020
BH: 96 WA: 97 VI: 96
Total production: 11,520

1 x Echezeaux 2020
BH: 95 WA: 95 VI: 96
Total production: 15,360

1 x Richebourg 2020
BH: 98 WA: 95 VI: 98
Total production: 11,904

1 x Romanée St. Vivant 2020
BH: 96 WA: 96+ VI: 97+
Total production: 20,616

1x Corton 2020
BH: 94, WA: 95, VI: 92
Total production: 6.500

3x Corton-Charlemagne 2020
BH: 96 WA: 97 VI: 97
Total production: 10,000

2x Cuvee Duvault Blochet, Vosne-Romanee
BH: 92, WA: 93, VI: 94
Total production: The exact production for 2020 is unknown, but in the 2021 vintage the total production was 1,500 bottles.

 

2018 Armand Rousseau Chambertin

"The 2018 vintage is a great success at Domaine Armand Rousseau"
- William Kelley, The Wine Advocate

Chambertin is not just a suffix to the commune of Gevrey-Chambertin. It is also one of the best vineyards in Burgundy, perhaps in the world. It is often deservedly recognised alongside Romanée-Conti and Musigny as the trifecta that delivers the absolute best wines on the market.

Even if Domaine Armand Rousseau maximises the yield from its 2.56 hectares of Chambertin, they can only produce 12,700 bottles a year, which is nowhere near enough to satisfy demand.

Add to this the fact that price corrections as a result of a turbulent market have also hit Rousseau. In June 2023, a 2018 Armand Rousseau Chambertin by RareWine Trading was traded at €3,600. Today, your price is €2,800. If you believe it will regain momentum when the world market normalises, you've already won. Add to that the cheapest offer on wine-searcher.com for 2018 Rousseau Chambertin at the time of writing is €3,274*.

According to Liv-ex, the last ten vintages** of Rousseau Chambertin that have been on the market for five years have, over the past five years, yielded an average annual return of 12.6%.

Scores: BH: 97, WA: 97, VI: 98

So it's not a question of quality - it's a question of availability.

*ex. Duty, VAT and tax. In whole cases and perfect condition
** Vintage: 2007-2016

2017 Domaine Dujac Chambertin

The prestigious wine house Domaine Dujac owns approximately 15 hectares of vineyards in Burgundy, spread around Morey-Saint-Denis. On these 15 hectares, Dujac has a total of seven Grand Cru vineyards, from which they produce wines of the highest calibre. One of these parcels is Chambertin, and we dare say that every winemaker dreams of belonging here.

The whole of Chambertin measures approximately 15 hectares, where Domaine Armand Rousseau and Domaine Leroy also operate. Out of these 15 hectares, Dujac has a small 0.73 hectares, from which they produce an almost invisible amount of just 1,500 bottles.

We don't have historical data on the 2017 Dujac Chambertin, but according to wine-searcher.com, the average asking price of these has dropped about 20% over the past year.

By the way: The cheapest price of 2017 Dujac Chambertin is currently € 2,949*. Your price is € 2,400*.

Scores: BH: 93-96, 94-96, VI: 94-96

*ex. Customs VAT and tax. In full boxes and perfect condition

2014 Domaine Dujac Romanée-Saint-Vivant (magnum)

Domaine Dujac today belongs to the elite of producers in Burgundy. A position the domain has secured through hard work and focus on quality since its foundation in 1968.

At Romnaée-Saint-Vivant, they have 0.16 hectares, from which they can produce a maximum of 800 bottles per vintage - and only a fraction are magnums. There are currently no offers at all for 2014 Dujac Romanée-Saint-Vivant: neither in regular format nor in magnum. Needless to say, this is an extremely rare wine.

Last summer, RareWine Trading traded the 2014 Domaine Dujac Romanée-Saint-Vivant in magnum for €5,500*. The price today is € 4,750*.

Scores: BH: 93-96, WA: 95-97, VI: 94-96

*ex. Duty VAT and tax. In full cases and perfect condition

2018 Georges Roumier Musigny

Musigny is one of the most sought-after vineyards in Burgundy, and indeed in the world.

Musigny from Roumier is produced in less than 600 bottles per year and often far fewer, making this one of the smallest productions of top Burgundy and, as a result, also one of the rarest and hardest to obtain - and if the wines are only a few years old, the global supply is virtually non-existent.

Roumier Musigny is a worthy crown jewel in any portfolio and ranks right up there with the greats. The quality is sublime and the hyper-limited production only makes this case even more interesting.

According to Liv-ex, the last ten vintages* Rumier Musigny, which have been on the market for five years, have averaged an annual return of 10.5% over five years.

As mentioned, the best and most exclusive wines have been subject to the biggest price drops. Roumier Musigny is no exception. In fact, the average asking price on wine-searcher.com has also fallen by 26.4% since July 2022, making the investment price look even more attractive.

Add to this the fact that the cheapest price for 2018 Roumier Musigny (loose bottle) on wine-searcher.com right now is €15,652**. Your price is €13,500***.

Scores: BH: 97, WA: 96-98, VI: 95-97

*Vintage 2007-2016
**ex. Customs VAT and tax.
***ex. Customs VAT and tax. In full cases and perfect condition.

2008 Salon Limited Edition Oenotheque Case

Quantities at Salon are already limited. However, that didn't stop Salon president Didier Depond from further reducing the number of bottles released for the highly anticipated 2008 Salon vintage. Production was limited to just 8,000 bottles, and they were only produced in magnums.

Apparently, it wasn't exclusive enough. The only 8,000 Salon Cuvée "S" on magnum were released in September 2019 - as part of a Collector's Case titled: 2008 Salon Limited Edition Oenotheque Case. The case contains a magnum bottle of 2008 Salon Cuvée "S" as well as 2x 2004, 2006 and 2007 vintages in regular bottles of the same wine. And this is the case you can now invest in here.

The market situation has also affected the 2008 Salon Oenotheque, as it was valued at €11,000 by RareWine Trading in the spring of 2023. Now it costs €10,000.

This Oenotheque box is a unique collector's item whose existence has already been reduced, but the longevity of its contents remains very long. Set aside and let consumption make the supply even smaller. The 2008 bottle alone makes this collector's box one of the future winners - and then there are six "regular" bottles of Salon included.

Scores:
2008 | RJ: 98, WA: 100, VI: 100
2007 | RJ: 92, WA: 96, VI: 97
2006 | RJ: 95, WA: 95, VI: 96
2004 | RJ: 96, WA: 96, VI: 97