[LONDON] Demand for recent vintages of celebrated Bordeaux such as Chateau Mouton Rothschild is showing signs of revival as investors see opportunities after three years of declining prices.

The Liv-ex Fine Wine 50 Index tracking 10 recent vintages from the five Bordeaux first growths had its first back-to-back monthly gains since March 2013, rising 0.8 per cent in December and 1.8 per cent in January.

"Buyers appear to be returning to Bordeaux in force," Chris Smith, investment manager at The Wine Investment Fund in London, wrote in his market commentary for January.

"There are plenty of potential buyers when there is a reason on which to base an investment." The price of Chateau Mouton Rothschild 2005 has climbed about 25 per cent in six months while Chateau Montrose 2005 advanced 13 per cent, according to a market blog published by the London-based Liv-ex online market on Jan 29.

They were among the biggest gainers after US critic Robert Parker raised his rating for the quality of those vintages last year.

From April 2013 to November last year, the Liv-ex Fine Wine 50 fell in all but two months, as prices slumped about 40 per cent from a June 2011 peak amid cooling demand from Chinese buyers and as collectors turned to other regions including Burgundy, northern Italy and California.

The five Bordeaux first growths tracked by the index are Chateau Haut Brion, Chateau Lafite Rothschild, Chateau Latour, Chateau Margaux and Chateau Mouton Rothschild.

BLOOMBERG