Somewhat counterintuitively, the wines of the Rhone Valley were the top performers in the first half of 2017 after Burgundy and California Cults, surpassing the advances of First Growth Bordeaux and several other indices. Generally speaking, the wines followed the rest of the market with a respectable gain of 6.90% over EOY 2016, and by 3.28% over Q1. For the novice investor, the wines of the Rhone offer a relatively affordable entryway into the secondary market, and the finest examples include Cote Rotie and Hermitage from the Northern Rhone and Chateauneuf du Pape from the Southern Rhone.  That said, it is important to note that approximately 90% of the investment-grade wines in this category are red, as white wines are also produced in each of the aforementioned appellations. Superior recent vintages include 2003, 2009, 2010, and 2015 in the Northern Rhone, and 2000, 2001, 2007, and 2010 in the Southern Rhone. At present, Estate Wine Brokers features a robust selection of blue chip Rhone wines with tremendous aging potential including the 100 point Domaine Jean-Louis Chave Hermitage 2010, Henri Bonneau Chateauneuf du Pape Reserve des Celestins 2007, and a rare double magnum of Chateau de Beaucastel Chateauneuf du Pape Hommage a Jacques Perrin 2000.