If ever there was a white wine worth keeping, Château d’Yquem is it. Described by numerous sources as “the best sweet white wine in the world”, this Sauternes is holder of the auspicious title of “world’s fifth most valuable wine” after a single bottle of the 1811 vintage sold at auction for €87,133 in 2011 (1st, 2nd, 3rd and 4th places were won by Château Cheval Blanc 1947, Heidsieck 1907, Château Lafite 1869 and Château Margaux 1787 respectively). It is the only Bordeaux wine (either red or white) to be classified as Premier Cru Supérieure.

Because of its superior ageing and slow growth, Château d’Yquem is the perfect wine when choosing an investment opportunity that offers substantial gains over a long period of time. From a tasting point of view, the best vintages mature at about the 100-year mark, so if you are looking for something for immediate drinking or return, we advise against this lovely white. Wine investors should note that in 2006, a single lot of Château d’Yquem containing every vintage produced from 1860 until 2003 was sold for US$1.5 million, still one of the highest price wine lots ever purchased. Rivalled only by Cheval Blanc in terms of sustained growth potential, this is a wine that will keep on earning, as long as the cork stays in!

Since Bernard Arnault, CEO of LVMH took over the estate in 1996, the wine has stabilised its investment status, but there is no doubt that pre-LVMH wines offer the best returns. Nevertheless, it is worth mentioning that the 1996 vintage was scored at 95+ points and compared on an equal footing as the 1997 – and makes the best case for investment. The 2001 vintage which scored 100 points and received widespread acclaim, currently trades around €4,531 per case. Expect to pay in the region of €3,020 for an average case with prices going as low as €1,743 for the 2012 vintage or as high as €10,107 for the 1982 vintage.

It is no secret that Bernard Arnault paid over $50million for a half-share of the estate, leaving little doubt that LMVH wines (others include Dom Perignon, Ruinart and Clos de Lambrays) are something worth keeping. Château d’Yquem, is released onto the market 4-5 years after their harvest, and unlike most Bordeaux white wines, it is not sold as a future.

Further proof that the luxury goods giant purchase of Château d’Yquem was a strategic one came in the shape of the 2010 lift of Hong Kong’s embargo on importing wines with over 250 mg of sulphur. Prior to this date, the sale of all Sauternes had been prohibited and with LMVH at the helm, investment opportunities for the white wine became rife. Seen as a must have due to its low yield (just 65,000 bottles a year compared to Château Lafite’s 420,000) Yquem quickly became white wine of choice, thus pushing prices even further up. 2011 also saw Arnault invest $640 million in establishing LCapitalAsia (now L Catterton), a luxury investment firm based in Asia.