Auction of wines of hospices of Beaune beats a price record

The “charity”, a Grand Cru corton drum sold 800,000 euros, while the vintage is marked by very low volumes.

Le Monde with AFP

161 e Auction of the Hospices of Beaune, which serves as a first indicator during the courses of the Grands Crus of Burgundy, recorded record prices, Sunday, November 21, for a vintage marked by a Historically low harvest.

“absolutely hallucinating”, summarized François Poher, the director of civil hospices by announcing a partial result of 11.67 million euros (excluding expenses) at the end of the charitable auction, the oldest and most famous of the world. In the end, the total will exceed the sale of last year, with almost twice less batches.

Record for the “Charity Room”

The nail of auction, the “Charity Room”, or “President’s Piece”, a Corton Corton Drum Grand Cru, left 800,000 euros (excluding expenses) against 660,000 last year and far away From the previous record, 480,000 euros in 2015, great vintage. The profit is intended for women’s solidarity, an associative network dedicated to victims of domestic violence, and at the Curie Institute, for research against breast cancer.

With a harvest reduced almost half because of the weather, only 349 “pieces” from red and white primeurs (228 liter barrels) were proposed to the acquirers, against 630 last year. The field that brings together on 60 hectares the largest wines of Burgundy (Pommard, Volnay, Meursault, Chassagne-Montrachet, Corton, Pouilly-Fuissé, Mazis-Chambertin …) saw its yields down “at 14 hl / ha, against 30-35 usually “, as the Ludivine Griveau supplier said.

An indicator for the Burgundy raw

The American House Sotheby’s has taken over the auctions held since 2005 by its British competitor Christie’s in order to develop its wine market in France. In 2020, the 630 covered items had reported 13.4 million euros (no charge), an average of about 20,200 euros the barrel. Fifteen years ago, the average price was 4,803 euros. The benefits are intended for the maintenance of the heritage and the modernization of the hospital equipment of the institution founded in the XV e century in the heart of Burgundy.

Beyond their charitable aspect, Beaune auctions are considered by experts as a price indicator for the Burgundy Crus. “We have never sold so many good wines and produced as little,” said Frédéric Drouhin, the Chairman of the Interprofessional Bureau of Burgundy Wines (BIVB). The expected volume for the vintage 2021 will be 900,000 to 950,000 hectoliters against 1.56 million in 2020.

/Media reports.