Rarely Offered Napa Wine | 2019 Hundred Acre Ark Vineyard

It is extremely rare for Hundred Acre Ark Vineyard to find its way onto this investment platform, and the last time we were able to offer some of Napa's finest via an email campaign, 2022 was the year on the calendar. This says something about just how rare this opportunity is. And how much demand there is for Hundred Acre.

In this case, 2019 Hundred Acre Ark Vineyard is available for investment. It is accompanied by 99 points, a flamboyant creator, limited supply, and a flattering price tag. Dive into the potential below.

Jayson Woodbridge Had A Dream Of Creating Masterful Cabernet Sauvignon

"That his unconventional ideas and ways of doing things clearly get the results only compounds the prevailing notions of a kind of mysterious, unseen, dark matter element that accounts for his success."

—Lisa Perrotti-Brown, Wine Advocate

Just before the turn of the millennium, Jason Woodbridge set his Canadian feet in California's Napa soil. And if you are not familiar with Napa Valley, you need to know that in the northern part of California lies a famous valley protected by two mountain ranges. The valley is bathed in sunshine and the volcanic soil spoils with minerals.

The valley is home to around 475 wineries, and although the valley is small, most wine connoisseurs know of its existence. From here, some of the world's best winemakers grow some of the world's best wines. And Jason Woodbridge wrote himself into that narrative when he turned his life in the investment industry around in 1999 and made Napa his home.

And he did so because he dreamed of creating exceptional Cabernet Sauvignon. And perhaps it is Woodbridge's personality that has been crucial to his success. He has been described as brilliant, passionate, flamboyant, arrogant, volatile, and visionary. And perhaps it was precisely this and his massive attention to detail that was crucial for him to create masterful Cabernet Sauvignon almost from the start.

Hundred Acre: Rooted In Art Appreciation, Children's Stories, And Ancient Greek Literature

Woodbridge named his winery after the fictional forest from the books about our honey-loving, carefree Winnie the Pooh - for the simple reason that his first visit to the winery reminded him of the hundred acre forest: Woodbridge wanted to encapsulate a carefree atmosphere in his wines. And to make his wines just a little more mythical. A little more mysterious. Woodbridge printed the opening of Homer's Odyssey on his labels. The story of a man's unrivalled quest that Woodbridge can perhaps vividly relate to?

In any case, the wine mission was paved with cultural ambitions. And the result is highly regarded wines that consistently receive scores at the very elite end of the points scale. 

Hundred Acre Ark Vinyard | “It’s A Complete Wine By Any Measure”.

At the foot of Howell Mountain in Napa Valley lies the 6-hectare Ark vineyard from which Hundred Acre produces its Ark wine. A wine that, since its first release with the 2005 vintage, has averaged 97.7 points from Wine Advocate. And when it comes to Hundred Acre Ark, only Wine Advocate has consistently tasted and rated all 15 vintages, with 2019 being the latest addition. Wine Advocate awards 99 points accompanied by the statement that: "It's a complete wine by any measure". And Woodbridge seems to agree with that observation.

“I think 2018 was a legendary vintage," he says. "In 2017 we had a little fire—2018 then was so easy, so natural, the fruit just matured slowly and beautifully. The problem was that 2019 was even more wonderful.”

- Jason Woodbridge

The 2018 received 97 points, while the 2017 received 98 Wine Advocate points. So, while Woodbridge and Wine Advocate deservedly praise the 2019 vintage, with Hundred Acre Ark we are dealing with a wine at a consistently high level. And to put that into perspective, Wine Advocate tasted and rated 1631 2019 wines from Napa Valley, and only 14 of those received 99 points.

Woodbridge has reportedly chosen to harvest only one cluster per vine, which is both extremely time-consuming and also results in very low yields. At the time of writing, for example, there are only 12 offers available for the 2019 Hundred Acre Ark Vineyard, of which only four are in full cases.

Add to this the fact that you have to sign up on a waiting list at Hundred Acre to buy their wines, and that we only managed to obtain 60 bottles of the 2019 Ark Vineyard vintage. That is how limited it is. 

Great Start, Favourable Price, And Great Historical Returns

It is extremely rare that we have the opportunity to offer Hundred Acre widely for investment, which is of course due to the immanently high quality and ditto demand. In July 2022, we at RareWine Invest got 2019 Hundred Acre under administration for the first time, and since then it has risen 5.2%. So, it is off to a great start, but as we all know, it is often when the volumes start to disappear from the market that the price increases really start to occur.

According to Liv-ex, the last 10 vintages^* Hundred Acre Ark Vineyard that have been on the market for at least five years have returned an average of 59.8%, which equates to an average annual return of 10%. Add to this that the cheapest price on wine-searcher.com right now is €555^**. Your price is €500^**.

*Vintage 2006-2015

**Ex duty, VAT, and tax. In full cases and perfect condition.

RareWine Invest's Opinion

This investment case has it all. A great winery whose unique creator has managed to make world-class wine. There is just not a lot of it, because Woodbridge will promote quality over quantity at all costs. And along with immanent demand due to consistently high quality, these are the reasons why Hundred Acre rarely finds its way into an investment tip like this.

99 points never goes out of fashion, so this 2019 Hundred Acre Ark Vineyard will likely have a hungry audience as long as the wine's drinking window is open. And according to the Wine Advocate, it will not open until 2025 and then close in 2045. So, this one has a long life ahead of it, which speaks in the investor's favour.

Predecessors have performed well. And the price of this one seems particularly favourable right now, cf. the cheapest price on wine-searcher.com. We expect a lot of interest in this one, so as always, it is first come, first served.