Hospices de Beaune
Auctioning Burgundy’s Best
The Domaines des Hospices de Beaune is a charitable organisation and leading Burgundy wine estate that owns 60 hectares of vineyards across the Côte d’Or. Covering 85% in Premiers and Grands Crus, the vineyards of the domaine have been bequeathed over the centuries to support the Hotel-Dieu/Hospices de Beaune alms house, built in the 15-century to look after the region’s poor and destitute.
The wines of the Hospices de Beaune are sold at an annual charitable wine auction launched in 1859 to raise fund for the historic Hotel-Dieu. Held within the stunning 15-century Hotel-Dieu complex, the auction takes place on the third Sunday in November and, coinciding as it does with the launching the new vintage, it is one of the most important in the Burgundy calendar.
The auction includes 45 different cuvees which are labelled with the name of the benefactor who donated the vineyard, or a celebrated personality in the institution’s history. Top lots at the auction include the Grands Crus Clos de la Roche, Mazis-Chambertin and Corton. These wines attract huge sums of money, their value increases steadily for many years after the initial purchase.
