Burgundy - or Bourgogne - may be small in size, but its influence on the French fine wine market is vast. Home to really just two grape varieties - Chardonnay and Pinot Noir, the complexities of the region are much simpler to understand that its sibling region, Bordeaux. Therefore to produce such complex wines from just one grape variety shows a superlative understanding of winemaking. An understanding that Joseph Drouhin shows off to perfection, year after year after year.

One of the oldest winemakers in Burgundy, the domaine (no chateaux here) dates back to 1756. In the Drouhin family since 1880 when grandfather Joseph took over the management aged just 22, today the estate is owned and managed by Joseph’s four grandchildren, each of whom has a very specific role. However, it was Robert, Joseph’s son, who really put Drouhin on the map. A visionary who sought to expand the land, Robert set about buying up much of the neighbouring parcels (including a large vineyard in Chablis), and at 38 hectares the domaine is one of the largest in Burgundy. The four grandchildren (Robert’s children), Frederic, Phillippe, Laurent, and Veronique, brought in biodynamic farming in 1997.

Today the Maison Joseph Drouhin spans an astonishing 90 different appellations. Many of those wines, however, stand head and shoulders above the rest, and merit a closer look from fine wine investors. This was particularly noticeable when in 2014, Maison Drouhin released 2,000 of their ex-cellar wines for auction including Bonnes-Mares, Griotte Chambertin, Clos des Mouches, Musigny, Clos de Vougeot and Corton-Charlemagne. Selling all lots, the sale reached more than €809,000 (almost $1M USD), far surpassing the original estimate, with 79% selling for over their original highest estimate. A half case of Musigny 1978 almost doubled its original estimate, selling for an extraordinary €17,000.

However, there are still some Burgundy wines that are sadly overlooked in the fine wine investors market. The sale proved that Drouhin was now a “power seller”, making fine wine investment company London International Vintners (Liv ex) finally put Drouhin on their radar. Maison Drouhin has announced a further sale in the near future - a calendar must for any serious fine wine investor or aficionado.

However, it is not all €2,500 bottles of wine. Montrachet Marquis de Laguiche, offers superb quality for a fraction of the price (although prices are still high: expect an average €465 for a bottle of 2017, or higher in Asia and North America. An example of the superb ageing potential of the wine can be seen with the 1997 vintage, which now commands approximately €830 a bottle by today's current market value. Investors should note that availability is scarce and investment opportunities may be ripe due to the demand.