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Bordeaux Wine
December 2008
In uncertain times there has been one glowing beacon in the markets and that is Bordeaux wine. While the financial markets have been in meltdown the great names in Bordeaux wine have continued to hold their value well in relation to other investment vehicles.
It has literally been a case of supply and demand when top Bordeaux estates such as Lafite or Mouton-Rothschild only produce 25,000 cases of wine in a year and the number of buyers exceeds that many times over. As a result we have seen incredible prices rises such as Lafite-Rothschild 2005 which was released en primeur at what many thought an astronomical price of £3750 per case now trading hands two years later for more than double that value.
When investing in wine it pays to buy only the best and over 90% of wines that produce good returns are the classified growths of Bordeaux wine. First Growth names Mouton, Lafite, Latour, Margaux and Haut-Brion and Right Bank wines such as Petrus and Cheval Blanc are amongst the most sought after and buyers of these wines have seen their purchases' values far outstrip the average growth in wine values over the last year of 9.5%.
However buying wine can be a minefield with terms such as en primeur, under bond, classified growth, which can sound like another language to the uninitiated. It is extremely important to seek advice and buy from a merchant with a strong reputation and good links with the wine markets.
From our offices over looking the River Thames, H&H Bancroft provides our clients with fine wines sourced by the buying team led by David Round, Master of Wine. Our success is based on long-term relationships with clients, winemakers and the great estates of the wine world. We have an expert team dedicated to supplying fine wines to private buyers along with many prestigious restaurants and hotels around London and the UK.
Our Private Clients team, led by Piers German, Fine Wine Director, prides itself on the highest levels of personal service and every customer is assigned their own account manager to ensure they receive consistent advice and that all their requirements are tailored to them. We welcome the opportunity to meet our customers either at our offices or at a venue they select.
Whether you are buying purely for drinking pleasure or for long-term cellar investment we are on hand to advise on your buying strategy as well as reviewing your holdings on a regular basis.
The best time to buy into the Bordeaux wines is when they are still at the chateaux (in fact still in the barrel rather than a bottle!). These releases are called en primeur and before each vintage is offered our team goes out to Bordeaux, Burgundy and the Rhone to taste the wines from the barrel to ensure that the advice we offer is first-hand and up to date along with reviews from the world's leading wine critics.
With Christmas fast approaching wine plays an increasingly important part in everyone's plans and H&H Bancroft have a range of services and wines to fulfill every requirement you could possibly have.
If you would like to hear more about how you can buy into vintages at the best prices please contact the Fine Wine team on 020 7232 5440 or e-mail us at sales@bancroftwines.com
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