Chateau Peby Faugeres 2011 | Wine Investment Offer

Background of the Owner

Silvio Denz purchased both Château Faugères and Chateau Péby Faugères back in 2005 and has very quickly established his wines as heavyweight newcomers to the Right Bank of Bordeaux. Denz made his fortune as a perfume maker, then in 2007 he took ownership of the prestigious French crystal maker Lalique. His arrival in the French countryside has been widely noted because of his eye catching architectural projects and in line with the rules of the Saint Emilion Grands Crus Classés system (each château name in the ranking has to have its own winemaking facility), Silvio Denz was compelled to launch this newest project.

Renovation to the Estate

In 2009, Chateau Faugeres underwent a complete renovation. Following the completion of the renovations, the owner, Silvio Denz renamed his top wine Peby Faugeres. The architecturally stunning, state of the art facility, designed by Mario Botta, is one of the most modern wineries, inside and out.

It is clear that Silvio Denz has a firm handle on how best to set about the management and production of high end goods from crystals to perfumes and now with his wines. Pingus is widely considered the very best wines from Spain, so his shrewd involvement with Peter Sisseck is not to be sniffed at. He has been equally as savvy in assembling his team in Bordeaux; Stephan von Neipperg has worked wonders with la Mondotte whilst the Midas touch of Michel Rolland has unsurprisingly already brought Péby Faugères to Robert Parker's attention.

Saint Emillion Classification

Much furore followed the most recent 2012 re-classification of Saint-Emillion and certain rumblings of discontent are still ongoing. Both wines purchased by Silvio Denz; Chateau Faugeres and Chateau Peby Faugeres were awarded their first recognition as a Grand Cru Classes. With the next revision in a matter of years, it would be not be surprising to see Peby Faugeres move up again to Premiers Grand Crus Classes (B) status.

Peby Faugeres 2005 - the first 'perfect' score

Denz has maintained exceptional standards since purchasing the estate and it seems only too convenient that the first vintage under his ownership received the ultimate accolade in Parker's retrospective review in June '15.

"A perfect wine in this vintage, the 2005 Péby Faugères has the classic liqueur of blueberries and spring flowers. Dense purple and full-bodied, with unbelievable richness, this tastes like a great Napa Cab from the Beckstoffer To Kalon Vineyard, even though there's no Cabernet Sauvignon in it. This is a sensational wine - rich, full and multi-dimensional, with a skyscraper-like mid-palate and finish. Kudos to Péby Faugères for producing one of the perfect wines of the vintage. Drink it in about 3-4 years as well as over the following two decades."

Robert Parker | Score: 100 | June 2015

Achieving a perfect score from Parker is a landmark moment for any estate. To achieve this accolade in the first year of ownership with a wine that only debuted in 1998 is an achievement in a league of its own. This was a defining moment for the estate, engaging a broader market demand. We are pleased to note that this momentum is gathering pace & we believe Peby Faugeres has the potential to become the next big name out of Bordeaux.

The numbers on the 100pt 2005

Peby Faugeres 2005 was released at £600 per case and could still have been purchased at £1,000 per case ahead of the rescore last year.
Today there are only a handful of single bottle and magnum listings at the equivalent case value of £4,000 per 12.

Parker's Thoughts

Robert Parker's admiration for the wine is obvious, here are some of his quotes;

One of the '24 best Bordeaux wines' and 'legend of the future'.
'This property continues to overachieve in virtually every vintage'.
'This is a thrilling wine, as it has been in nearly every vintage where it has been produced'.
'Peby Faugeres is usually one of the best wines in all of the top vintages'.
'One of the super classics of the vintage, the 2011 Peby Faugeres'.
'One of the up-and-coming stars of St.-Emilion'.
'The 2009...was impressive from barrel but is even more remarkable from bottle. One of the superstars of the vintage'.
'This has always been a good estate, but the new proprietor, Silvio Denz, has pushed things to a higher standard by lowering yields and doing an even stricter selection'.
'Kudos to Péby Faugères for producing one of the perfect wines of the vintage' (2005).
'The Cuvee Speciale Peby has been a blockbuster since its inception in 1998'.
' Peby Faugeres is the real deal'.
'This awesome St.-Emilion represents the essence of flavor, with an elegance, complexity, and overall symmetry that sets it apart from many of the so-called garage wines'.

Parker Scores

Looking at comparable estates within Saint-Emillion, Bellevue Mondotte looks the most similar at first glance. If we take Silvio Denz' purchase of Peby Faugeres as proverbial inception, this comes 5 years behind that of Bellevue Mondotte in 2001. Both wines are produced in miniscule quantities and have been achieving similarly high scores over the past decade;

Bellevue Mondotte

Peby Faugeres

Across the last 8 physical vintages (since Denz took over) Peby Faugeres and Bellevue Mondotte have achieved relative parity for critic scores. Bellevue Mondotte however, averages a 65% price premium and inevitably Peby Faugeres will close this gap over the next 5 years.

Less tangible comparisons can be drawn with two of Bordeaux's most expensive offerings; Chateau Le Pin and Petrus, both of which are also made up of 100% Merlot. Both situated in the tiny neighbouring region of Pomerol, we won't get too carried away with comparisons here. Those romantics amongst us, however may remember times not too long ago when both Petrus and Le Pin were released at little more than £1,000 per case. With prices now soaring over 15 times higher, Peby Faugeres certainly looks fantastic value as a nearby Merlot alternative.

The last 8 physical vintages under Denz's ownership have received an average score of 95.6 pts. Which is not far off Petrus (96.3 pts) and considerably better that Le Pin (94.5pts)...certainly food for thought.

Investment Value

With such little availability in top vintages, it is important to seek value in well scored 'off prime' vintages of Peby Faugeres. Below is a 'price over points' value chart POP Value Chart.

*POP value gives a loose indication of value, generating a ratio comparing market price to Parker score

Summary Points

The 2011 was awarded 95 points from Parker upon physical release and is the best value vintage (under the ownership of Silvio Denz).

We are especially excited to be able to offer this wine and please note that the 2011 is in very short supply and will be allocated on a first-come, first-served basis.