Typical investment guides for fine wine tend to stay within the same wheelhouse: classified Bordeaux and Burgundy, followed by the Rhône Valley, California, and certain wines from Italy. As pricing on top Bordeaux and Burgundy continues to skyrocket in the retail and auction markets, we’ve identified so-called silent risers - limited-production wines with proven track records of appreciation that lack the name recognition of DRC or Lafite:

The Rhône Valley - Henri Bonneau

Henri Bonneau’s Réserve des Célestins is one of the true legends of Châteauneuf-du-Pape, possessing an almost otherworldly beauty and complexity that ranks it among the great wines of the world. Savory, brooding, and traditionalist to the core, the Réserve des Célestins recalls how Châteauneuf might have tasted a century ago, a stark contrast to the ripe and fruity styles of modernity. On the heels of Bonneau’s death in 2016, we believe there will be increased demand for vintages produced by the master himself, and pricing will surely increase over time as consumption takes its toll on supply.

The Loire Valley - Clos Rougeard

For decades, Michelin-starred restaurants in France have clamored for allocations from the tiny Rougeard estate in Saumur-Champigny, yet the wines remained virtually unknown in the United States until the mid-2000s. All of that has of course changed, and the increased demand for the wines has been exacerbated by their extreme scarcity - Rouegard's total production is roughly 2,500 cases per vintage, and only 10% of that is exported to the US. Rougeard’s premier cuvee is “Le Bourg,” a Cabernet Franc sourced from 70 year-old vines, and while new releases are typically priced around $200-$300 USD per bottle, older vintages are now listed online by American retailers for $500-$750 USD per bottle.

The Veneto - Giuseppe Quintarelli & Dal Forno Romano

Dal Forno Romano and Giuseppe Quintarelli stand shoulder-to-shoulder at the top of the Veneto's quality hierarchy, producing wines of extreme intensity and richness that are highly prized by collectors of Italian wine. Both producers utilize the appassimento process whereby the grapes are dried on rush mats prior to being pressed and made into wine. This technique dramatically increases the sugar content and extract of the grapes, resulting in monumental, Port-like Amarones that require decades of aging to reach their full potential. To take one example, the 1990 Quintarelli Amarone della Valpolicella Riserva sold for as little as $217.50 per bottle at a 2002 auction at Acker Merrall Condit, but in 2018, the same wine was sold at a Sotheby’s auction for $797.14 USD per bottle.