In the labyrinthine world of investable Burgundy wine, you would be excused for not knowing where to put your money. Should you go for Dugat-Py, Georges de Vogue or Faiveley? Or just bite the bullet and invest in Romanee Conti (although at over €23,000 a bottle for the 2016 vintage you might need to bite hard). Well, yes to all of the above. But there is a strong case for Domaine Armand Rousseau too. In fact, if you are looking for a titan of a wine both on your table or in your portfolio, Armand Rousseau is it.

In fact, when it comes to Burgundy wine and notably the Chambertin and Clos de Beze vineyards, it has been said that “that there is Rousseau, and then there are the rest”. A fine 14-hectare estate with no less than half of those dedicated to their seven Grands Crus, Armand Rousseau is something of a giant among men. Of the 11 wines in total, all benefit from old vines, up to 60-years in some cases and only replanted where necessary every generation. Yields are very, very low - frustratingly so if you are looking to get a bottle on the open market, as the wines tend to be allocated rather than sold.

However, perfection does come at a price; a 2009 Chambertin-Clos de Bèze Grand Cru was selling at around €1,800 in 2018. The stellar prices are worth it though, particularly from an investment point of view. The vineyard gained 10 places in two years in the Liv-ex 1000 (up from 29th place to 19th), and rose an astonishing 84.5% from 2012 to 2017. In the Burgundy wine sub-category, the vineyard was placed in 5th place in 2019. These figures place it comfortably alongside Romanée-Conti, Leflaive, Jacques Prieur, plus a small handful of names that are the stuff of Burgundy legend.

Data shows that prices have steadily risen over the past 10 years, and do not show any sign of slowing down. The lack of product coupled with the outstanding quality make Armand Rousseau very covetable indeed.