The 163rd Hospices de Beaune Wine Auction: 4 days of celebrations
The 163rd edition of the annual Hospices de Beaune wine sale on Sunday, 19 November will present a total of 51 different cuvées of the 2023 vintage produced from vineyards across the Hospices’ 60-hectare holdings, now in its third and final year of organic conversion.
These 51 cuvées will be divided into 753 lots: 574 barrels of red wines and 179 barrels of white wines. With the addition of the unique Presidents’ Barrel and 16 barrels of eaux de vie, this year’s sale comprises 770 barrels in total.
Sotheby's is working with the Hospices de Beaune, in preparation for the 163rd edition, for the third consecutive year. Funds raised from the sale will be used to finance major new structural projects in 2024. These include the construction of a new hospital building to replace the first building of the modern era which dates to 1971 (due to open in four years), the rebuilding of the hospital in Seurre, the renewal of hospital equipment with cutting edge technology, and a modernisation of the winery.
Earlier this year, the Hospices Civils de Beaune pledged its commitment to support the issue of healthy ageing, in response to a concern about this public health priority. The proceeds from the sale of the special Charity barrel, also known as the Pièce des Présidents (Presidents’ Barrel), will be sold in aid of the Fondation pour la Recherche Médicale (FRM) and the Initiative de Recherche pour une Longévité en Bonne Santé (IRLB) – both of which are dedicated to maintaining life expectancy in good health for all. Distinguishing this year’s Charity barrel is not only the wine within – a Mazis-Chambertin Grand Cru – but also the material with which it was made: the wood of an oak tree used to restore the spire of Notre Dame in Paris.
The secateurs have been packed away and the cellar doors have closed after a harvest that began in the scorching heat at the end of August and ended more comfortably, with milder temperatures at the end of the summer.
To everyone’s delight, the harvest was a good one, both in terms of quality and quantity, particularly for the Chardonnay. The Pinot Noir grapes were not to be outdone: large volumes meant they could be sorted for quality, allowing us to keep the best of a bumper year.
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Although affected by a lack of water, which has persisted since the 2022 vintage, the 2023 harvest is shaping up to be a generous one: stormy showers came at just the right time throughout the summer. The sunshine concentrated the sugar in the grape berries and enriched them with flavour and colour.
This autumn, the Cité des Climats et vins de Bourgogne is launching its first series of conferences (in French).
Starting in October, a monthly gathering will take place in Beaune, followed in the spring by Chablis and Mâcon which will take turns to host the conferences. These will cover a range of subjects relating to the world of vines and wine, and will be led by experts from far and wide.
A good first summer season and a try to score in 2024:
Since mid-June, the official opening date of the Cité des Climats et vins de Bourgogne network [Chablis, Beaune and Mâcon], the Cité already appears to have been a big hit with its various visitors.
In three months, nearly 33,000 visitors have passed through the doors across its three sites. Beaune accounts for 70% of the total, with 25,000 visitors for all activities combined.
Chablis and Mâcon each attracted around 4,000 visitors. The vast majority of visitors - 80% - came from the region and the rest of France, with Belgians and Germans making up 20% of foreign visitors.
Although Beaune came top in terms of visitor numbers, which is hardly surprising given its location, its visitor capacity and the breadth of its offer, each site has its own specific attractions that encourage visitors to explore the Bourgogne Climats and wines from north to south.
Bourgogne wines are heading to the UK for a professional wine tasting organised by the BIVB as part of the Bourgogne Week 2024.
The event will be held on January 10 at London's Lindley Hall and promises to be a fantastic opportunity to showcase the treasures of Bourgogne wine, while enjoying the excitement and enthusiasm that characterise the Bourgogne Week.
During this event, the focus will be on the lesser-known Régionale and Village appellations, an important theme that addresses customer demand.
A large number of hand-picked visitors are expected to attend: wholesalers, sommeliers, restaurateurs, wine merchants, buyers from supermarkets, e-commerce actors and, of course, journalists!
For this year's Bourgogne Wine Tastings, a common theme has been introduced. All the tastings will be based on the world of cinema.
They will play on the parallel between what happens behind the scenes in the making of a film and the making of a wine. The communication plan and the set-up on the day, will reveal the hidden aspects and the reality of the daily lives of Bourgogne producers, so that wine professionals can see Bourgogne wines in a new light.
All the tastings will have the same name:
“Bourgogne: the Winemakers’ Cut”. This theme will set the event apart from the many other tastings and wine fairs organised all year long.
Unlock Chablis, the interactive game
Unlock Chablis, the virtual escape game for the wine trade to learn more about the Chablis AOCs…
In an increasingly digital world, the question of how to educate people about wine is an important one. Chablis wanted to tap into this digital realm, by transporting wine professionals virtually to the region. And so, "Unlock Chablis" was born.
The game takes players on a virtual journey to one of the purest expressions of Chardonnay. As you play, you'll learn, among other things, about the history of Bourgogne, the Climats, winemaking methods, and some food and wine pairings. Designed as a digital Escape Game concept, Unlock Chablis tests your knowledge of Chablis.
Developed and tested by the Bourgogne Wine Board (BIVB), this game strikes the perfect balance between being challenging and entertaining.
Unlock Chablis has now been expanded to include a fourth round devoted to the vagaries of the weather, particularly spring frosts. It explains, in a fun way, what the winegrowers of Chablis, in the north of Bourgogne, are doing to limit the impact of the cold.
The game is available to play individually or in groups, via live video streaming.
After being launched in the United States at the end of 2022, it is now available in the United Kingdom and Canada. A French version is planned for 2024.
Economic report on Bourgogne wines
A mixed start to 2023 for Bourgogne wines on the export markets.
The 2022-2023 campaign, which has just ended, marked a definite return to normal. The abundant 2022 vintage made it possible to partially replenish stocks and/or meet back orders waiting for stocks to become available.
The marketing results for the current year need to be seen in the context of big changes in the last two years, when many economic and geopolitical uncertainties were making the markets more cautious.
The 2022 harvest (around 1.75 million hectolitres, or just over 233 million bottles) has partially replenished stocks, even though the average harvest over five years remains below 1.5 million hectolitres (around 190 million bottles).
As a result, at the end of July 2023, stocks at the estates remained well below the five-year average.
In this context, export sales continue to grow. Export volumes are down slightly, after a good year in 2022, but remain higher than in the pre-Covid period (2019): an increase of 5.3% in terms of volume (the first six months of 2023 compared with the first six months of 2019).
News of the vineyard : new video for the Viré-Clessé appellation
A collective effort honours the latest Mâconnais appellation: Viré-Clessé.
25 years ago, in 1999, producers joined forces to create the Viré-Clessé appellation.
Today, the appellation has nearly 95 producers, including around 40 family cellars and four cooperative cellars.
After a year working together, they are now proud to share their brand new video promoting the appellation! You can watch the work in the vineyard - season by season over the course of a year - and also see the cellars, the landscapes and learn about the wine's heritage... culminating in the tasting.
Dynamic, fast-paced and natural, this video reflects the daring DNA of the Viré-Clessé AOC.
You can watch this video on the appellation’s website and social networks (Facebook and Instagram).
Winegrowers & Maisons : First bottling at the Domaine “La Mutine” in Vézelay
A new estate in Bourgogne is always good news! Domaine La Mutine was established in Vézelay in 2022 and just harvested his second vintage.
After starting out in the restaurant industry, Jean-Paul Pando decided to go into winegrowing. He began in Provence, his native region, and then moved to Margaux, where he did a work-study BTS qualification in Viticulture and Oenology. After graduating, he relocated to Meursault before settling in Vézelay.
Domaine La Mutine, created in January 2022, comprises 2.5 hectares of organic vines planted with Pinot Noir, Chardonnay and Melon de Bourgogne grapes.
After 18 months of work, the first wine was bottled in June 2023. Several AOCs have been produced: Vézelay, Bourgogne in red, and Melon under the AOC Coteaux Bourguignons.
The grapes are harvested by hand and the Pinot Noir is vinified in whole bunches. There is minimal intervention in the vat room, and only indigenous yeasts are used. Sulphur is used sparingly and the wines are not filtered.
The wine labels are designed in collaboration with French artist Geoffroy Pithon, who does illustrations of the estate.
The estate is now producing its second vintage and has incorporated a new Climat into the Vézelay appellation.
Bourgogne vs. Burgundy: to re-affirm their identity, the region and the producers are reverting back to the original French iteration of the name, Bourgogne.
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