PARIS, 28 OCTOBER 2022 – The 162nd edition of the annual Hospices de Beaune wine sale on Sunday, 20 November will present a total of 51 different cuvées of the 2022 vintage produced from vineyards across the Hospices’ 60-hectare holdings, now in its second year of organic conversion. These 51 cuvées will be divided into 802 lots: 620 barrels of red wines and 182 barrels of white wines. This year’s offering will include two new cuvées: Corton Grand Cru cuvée Les Renardes and Beaune 1er cru Clos des mouches cuvée Hugues et Louis Bétault.
Sotheby’s is working once again with the Hospices de Beaune, in preparation for this year’s auction. As per tradition, funds raised from the sale will be invested in the hospital facilities and buildings managed by the Hospices Civils de Beaune. For its 162nd sale, the Hospices de Beaune will pay tribute to the late Louis-Fabrice Latour – the head of Burgundy négociant Maison Louis Latour, a leading figure in Burgundy and a loyal supporter of the auction who sadly passed away in September – with a unique charity piece, a barrel of a Corton grand cru from the hill of Corton.
The proceeds from the sale of this special Charity barrel, also known as the Pièce des Présidents (Presidents’ barrel), will support two organisations: the Princesse Margot association, which supports children with cancer, and the World Vision organisation, whose mission is to help the most vulnerable children.
Flavie Flament, presenter, and Benoit Magimel, actor, will preside over the sale of the Pièce des Présidents in the Halle de Beaune.
The full offering will be listed on sothebys.com (here), where the auction will also be livestreamed at 2pm CET on 20 November.
For the Presidents’ barrel – the star lot of the auction – the Hospices de Beaune has selected a part of its Corton Grand Cru Rouge production for a blend of three of the domaine’s most beautiful terroirs (Corton Renardes, Corton Bressandes and Corton Chaume). Both the wine and its container are unique: the wine is currently being housed in a special 228-litre barrel made by the tonellerie of the Maison Louis Latour, in which it will continue to mature. The Hospices de Beaune and the Maison Louis Latour were keen to ensure that it was faithful in every respect to the traditional methods practised and held dear by Louis-Fabrice Latour.
François Poher, Director and Chairman of the Board of Hospices Civils de Beaune, said: “In 2023, the main theme of the Hospices Civils de Beaune will be hospitality. This translates into a more human commitment in all our activities, for example, a more personal welcome in the hospital and on the telephone, in the wards and in the emergency room, which will be completely changed by March 2023. Our vocation is to combine health and the environment, and the winery is committed to organic conversion. We are a hospital and we care for the health of those who work in the vineyards, those who live around the vineyards and the health of our consumers. We are committed to continually improving the conditions in which we welcome our visitors and buyers to the winery, particularly in preparation for the 162nd wine sale. And looking ahead to next year, for the first time the Hôtel Dieu museum will offer a cultural programme based on this major theme of the institution, including an exhibition of photographs retracing the history of the hospital sisters and numerous events such as a night at the museum.”
Speaking about the 2022 vintage, Ludivine Griveau, Manager of the Hospices de Beaune wine estate, said: “This year’s vintage is characterised by a mild climate. We had a perfect start to the season in terms of rainfall and despite a big scare with the April frost, the spring was wet, and the summer was dry and hot with some rain. The bud-burst came early, with very generous fruit, and as this followed the previous year’s very poor yield, the prospect of bountiful harvest a sight to behold. From the start, the vines were in good shape and flowering took place under perfect conditions. The harvesting process was long, generous and healthy, beginning on 25 August in Pouilly-Fuissé, on 29 August in the Côte d’Or and ending on 16 September in Saint-Romain.
“To date, the whites of the 2022 vintage reveal a beautiful aromatic potential, with aromas of yellow fruit and a hint of aniseed. Our harvest date was optimal and allowed us to obtain a good balance between maturity and freshness. A cold maceration of the Pinot Noir grapes allowed us to extract beautiful dark ruby colours and intense aromas of black fruits. Silkiness is the key word of the 33 reds we have produced. Overall, this is a vintage with a thousand facets that once again allows each terroir to reveal its identity and will leave buyers with much to choose from.”
Marie-Anne Ginoux, Managing Director of Sotheby’s France, said: “For the past year, we have been fully aware of the historic significance of our support for the world’s oldest and most famous charity auction. In 2021, we had the honour of organising the 161st edition alongside the Hospices de Beaune for the first time. This new adventure began in the spring of 2021 and was punctuated by events held in more than 15 cities across the United States, Central America, Asia and Europe, before culminating in the Halle de Beaune with a huge success: a total raised of €12.6 million and a record price for the Presidents’ Piece, sold for €800,000.”
Amayès Aouli, Head of Auction Sales for Continental Europe, Sotheby’s Wine, said: “It is a great honour to work with Hospices de Beaune to organise the 162nd wine sale. Last year’s sale saw the smallest number of lots offered since 1977, but the size of the vintage did nothing to dampen the appetite of the buyers who turned out in force. For the 162nd edition, our programme is just as ambitious, if not more so, as we turn a spotlight on the quality of the wines produced by Ludivine Griveau and her team, and the wonderful 2022 vintage. Since her first vintage in 2015, Ludivine has transformed both the winemaking and viticulture of the Hospices de Beaune estate, achieving spectacular results. And now that the estate is undergoing organic certification, the sky is the limit in the years to come.”
Princess Margot Association
Created in 2012 by Muriel Hattab, the Princesse Margot association’s mission is to support children and teenagers with cancer and to help their families through the ordeal. Funds raised from the sale of the charity barrel will finance “La maison des Parents”, “Marg’Home”, an extension of the association’s mission to support young patients and their families. In order to remain close to their child, hospitalised for long periods, Princess Margot will offer temporary accommodation to families who live far from the hospital.
World Vision
World Vision, an international association that helps the most vulnerable children, is currently working in 12 countries through 18 long-term development programmes. Taking a comprehensive approach to development in six key areas – water, education, health, nutrition, child protection and economic development – the association is committed to working closely within each respective community. For the past 10 years, World Vision has been working in Kenya region by region, having joined the Big Dream project to make a national impact on the issue on female genital mutilation. It is now in the Samburu region, where it will focus all its efforts for a second five-year phase.
Beaune 1er cru Clos des mouches cuvée Hugues et Louis Bétault
This cuvée has been produced from a vineyard situated at an altitude of about 250m and facing east on a gentle slope. The vines are planted in a rather stony soil where beehives have given way to Chardonnay, allowing for the production of a wine of great finesse, with a strong structure on the finish. The parcel is arguably one of the most beautiful terroirs in Beaune and the wines have a huge potential for ageing with grace and elegance.
Corton grand cru cuvée Les Renardes
This terroir has a strong identity which is harmoniously expressed in the wine. The strength of its clay brings a tannic and full-bodied texture; the chalky and stony soil allows for the production of a pinot noir combining subtlety and complexity. This is undoubtedly what makes it one of the most renowned wine-growing plots in the Corton hillside, promising powerful wines with a high ageing potential. Since 2016, the Hospices de Beaune has separated its four Corton terroirs during the vinification process, a decision that makes sense both qualitatively and for the Burgundian identity of the Hospices.
