France harbours a vast multitude of talented growers, fascinating appellations, and many opportunities for fine wine investments. Even among this embarrassment of riches, however, the Roumier family’s domaine is a true jewel - an estate with a “singular level of excellence”, owned by the same family for many generations, with no break in tradition along the way.

Hailing from what is undeniably the best region for fine wine investment in Burgundy - Chambolles - Domaine Georges Roumier (there are two other Roumiers in the village of Chambolles so the Georges is vital) produces some of the most desirable, highly prized - and highly priced wines in Cote D’Or. Established in 1924, the domaine has consistently produced superb wines, raising the bar in 1945 when Georges began bottling his wine on-site. The acquisition of land over the latter half of the 20th century included the 1978 acquisition of parcels within famed Musigny, a complex Grand Cru comprised of very old vines, growing Georges' wife's dowry to the 14.2 hectare estate it is today.

Slow aging allows the seven Grands Crus and three Premiers Crus to be bottled without filtration, which in turnprovides greater ageing potential, ideal for fine wine investment. However, the scarcity (just 4,300 bottles are produced annually) and longevity of even the entry level wine do not come cheap - a bottle of the 2010 Chambolle-Musigny Premier Cru averaged about €280 per bottle in March 2019, up from €210 a year previous. This is well above the benchmark of €75 for Pinot Noirs of the same vintage. A case of the 2009 Bonnes Mares Grand Crus will set you back upwards of €23,000, or almost €2,000 per bottle, and a bottle of 2005 Domaine Musigny Grand Cru fetches an average of €17,223 in February 2019 - nearly 100% increase from €8,724 from March 2017.

This might all sound too good to be true but investors are advised to proceed with caution as six bottles of counterfeit wines from Georges Roumier surfaced for auction in 2006. Despite being sold for $95,000 ($118,000 or €105,000 in 2018), several inconsistencies were questioned, notably the 1923 date on the lot, given that Georges Roumier was not established until 1924. This led to notorious wine fraud Rudy Kurniawan eventually getting caught and convicted. However, it is estimated as many as 10,000 bottles created by Kurniawan may remain in private collections.