This year, a total of 51 cuvées – divided into 33 red wines, 18 white wines and two cuvées of eaux-de-vie – will be offered across 449 lots, featuring: 321 barrels of red wines and 118.5 barrels (117 plus three half barrels) of white wines. With the addition of the unique Presidents’ Barrel and seven barrels of the eaux-de-vie, the sale comprises 447.5 barrels in total.
The full sale offering will be listed on sothebys.com (here), where the auction will also be livestreamed at 2.30pm CET on 17 November.
More on the Hospices de Beaune Auction:
Representing the pinnacle of the calendar in Burgundy, the annual Hospices de Beaune wine sale established in 1859 has become not only the world’s most famous wine auction but also a vastly important cultural phenomenon in the region. The sale is the centrepiece of a three-day weekend in November known as Les Trois Glorieuses, when wine lovers descend on the town of Beaune for the opportunity to acquire barrels of wine produced from vineyards covering 140 plots across the Hospices’ 60-hectare holdings.
Every year since 1945, during the auction, a special barrel called the Presidents’ Barrel – also called the Pièce de Charité, or Pièce des Présidents – is sold separately for the benefit of one or more charities of the Hospices de Beaune’s choosing.
The Presidents’ Barrel: This Year’s Charities of Choice
This year, the proceeds from the sale of the charity barrel will benefit Médecins Sans Frontières, the international medical humanitarian association founded in 1971 by doctors and journalists to provide medical assistance to people whose health or lives are threatened in France or abroad; and Global Gift Foundation of America, a humanitarian Non-Profit organisation founded in 2013 by the Spanish actress, businesswoman and philanthropist, María Bravo, with the aim of creating a positive impact on the lives of children, women and families, who are in a situation of vulnerability and / or at risk of social exclusion.
Represented at the auction by actors Dominic West and Zabou Breitman, MSF has chosen to allocate the funds to its fight against neglected tropical diseases, debilitating and fatal diseases with complex epidemiology, which mainly affect poor populations in rural tropical areas. Represented at the sale by actors Eva Longoria and Jean Reno, Global Gift Foundation has chosen to allocate the funds to Casa Ángeles, a day centre located in the city of Marbella created with the aim of improving the quality of life of children with special needs and their families.
The Presidents’ Barrel houses a unique Beaune Premier Cru, Les Bressandes, produced from a single plot within the estate which is usually used for four other cuvées (Nicolas Rolin, Guigone de Salins, Dames Hospitalières and Brunet). The barrel itself has been crafted by the Billon cooperage in Beaune, using wood from the Bertranges forest in Burgundy, one of the jewels of the Nivernais region. With its deep ruby colour, an intense bouquet of fresh red fruit and round tannins, and silky texture, the wine is already showing great balance.
To mark the occasion of the 164th sale and the estate’s first fully certified organic wines, the Hospices Civils de Beaune commissioned an illustration from Christophe Merlin to appeal both to long-time enthusiasts and newcomers. An accomplished illustrator and author of over 100 books, Merlin’s fresh design serves as a timeless symbol of Burgundy and its renowned wine auction.
