Château Haut-Brion is the d’Artagnan of the 1855 first growths. While everyone knows of the top three (Lafite, Margeaux and Latour), Haut Brion is often forgotten. Grossly undervalued, like all good silent heroes, when Haut Brion steps out of the shadows, it shines brighter than its three famous neighbours put together.

This is the gentle giant of the fab four. A superlative wine by any measure, investment-wise it offers some of the best returns of the 20th century. A 100 point vintage such as the 1989 now trades (Q2 2019) at €26,146 per case, an unprecedented 6,150% increase on the original price. The legendary 1945, also a 100-pointer, is sold at €52,280 per case – when you can find it that is. Today, the average bottle price retails around €580, so if you are lucky enough to get a bottle, you would be wise to hang on to it as Haut Brion is heralded for its consistency above everything else. Being the only first-growth red Bordeaux in Graves makes Haut Brion even more special, with holy trinity of Lafite, Margaux and Latour hailing from Medoc.

There are two major categories to consider when creating a portfolio of Bordeaux wine investments. The first is vintage quality. Most recently, the best performing wines have come from mid-vintage, although we think the market may look towards prime vintage in the coming years. The second is classification and terroir. With its illustrious track record, pedigree, 1855 first growth ranking and gravelly soil, Haut Brion ticks all the boxes.

Haut Brion is not just about textbook perfect, full-bodied reds, however. Two of their whites Château Haut-Brion Blanc and La Mission Haut Brion Blanc are considered to be among the finest in all Bordeaux. With production of Haut Brion Blanc at just 800 cases (650 for some years), its rarity makes it even more covetable. To put that into perspective, annual production for the red ranges from 10,000 to 12,000 cases.

Perhaps the greatest thing about Haut Brion is its incredible potential. Both reds and whites have consistently been outstanding throughout the last three decades, and savvy investors could consider any of these vintages, bar the 1997 and 1991 in their portfolio. Great older vintages of red include 1990, 89, 86, 82, 75 and the astonishing 61 – one of the greatest wines to have ever been produced.