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The Hospices de Beaune wine auction - Burgundy made simpler? by Rosi Hanson
At the end of October a tall, elegant, Frenchman and a more rotund compatriot were to be found addressing audiences of wine lovers in Hong Kong, Beijing and Shanghai. Nothing new here you may think. French wine traders have been beating a path to where they think the money is for some years. But it has been Bordeaux that the Chinese have been seduced by, and now here are some Burgundians on a mission to find a niche market.
Antoine Jacquet, the tall one, is a hospital administrator, which sounds odd, but his hospital is the Hospices de Beaune. This unique institution is at the same time a modern hospital within the French health care system, a charity caring for the elderly, a much visited historic architectural site, and – the bit which concerns us here - owner of over 60 hectares of top Burgundian vineyards.
The rotund one is Roland Masse, regisseur, (or manager), of the vineyards and the Hospices’ winemaker. I don’t think he would mind my description of his physique as it is typical of many Burgundians who are, after all, people who enjoy a good meal; his weathered face tells the tale of a man who spends time in the vines.
The message for the Chinese that Mr Jacquet was in Asia to deliver is that the Hospices de Beaune is Burgundy made easy. It is no secret that many people find buying Burgundy a complicated business. So many village names, so many named vineyards within them, and those vineyards owned by many different vignerons each with their own style of wine-making – no wonder new markets can’t get to grips with it. His argument is that the Hospices, with its elegant and historic label, is the equivalent of a chateau name, a kind of brand, if you like.
Founded in1443 by Nicolas Rolin, chancellor to Philippe Le Bon, Duke of Burgundy, and his wife Guigone de Salins to look after the impoverished sick, the institution has been partly funded ever since by legacies, many of them gifts of vineyards. The custom is to name the cuvees after the benefactors and the tradition continues to this day. Most recently a donation was made of red Santenay Les Hates, by an American, William Friedberg, in memory of his wife Christine. Most of the cuvees come from Grand Cru and Premier Cru appellations, mainly reds ie Pinot Noir, largely on the Cote de Beaune.
On the third Sunday in November every year the Hospices de Beaune’s newly made wines are sold at auction in barrel, another unusual feature. It is rare in Burgundy to be able to buy en primeur. Traditionally, some historic lots go for high prices, others can be bargains. They claim it is the oldest charity wine auction in the world - it has been happening since 1859 and provides a chance for locals and visitors to party in a very Burgundian fashion.
The cobbled streets of Beaune are filled with visitors and locals bent on having a good time. Banks of Chrysanthemums are everywhere, there seems to be a marching band round every corner, and in the main square there’s an overwhelming smell of garlic as people queue for snails in garlic butter or frog’s legs. Local artisans man craft stalls, barrel-making is demonstrated and a bottle-opening contest is run in heats. There are open cellar tastings, hot chestnut stands, and through the middle of all this will come some of the 3000 or more runners taking part in a half-marathon which will take them via vineyards to Meursault and back.
Most importantly, the Hospices opens the doors of its vat-house so that, for a small entrance fee, the public can taste the wines about to be auctioned.
The weekend centres round three main events, known as the Trois Glorieuses. On Saturday evening at the Chateau du Clos de Vougeot, 600 members of the Confrerie des Chevaliers du Tastevin and guests, dressed in their finest, arrive at the spectacular floodlit building in the eponymous vineyard to eat their way through a formal banquet, accompanied by much blowing of hunting horns, speeches and singing of traditional Burgundian drinking songs.
Sunday is the day of the auction, which takes place in the covered market opposite the beautiful Hotel-Dieu, famous for its coloured tiles and elegant spire. It starts at 2.30, thus giving time for the local restaurants to serve special Vente des Vins lunches to as many people as possible. Excitement is intense. For the locals it has been mounting throughout the autumn. 700 potential bidders cram into the hall; the proceedings are relayed to an overflow room and into the square outside. People bid on line and by telephone. Local negociants, who are the biggest buyers, find themselves competing with private clients from anywhere in the world. A barrel may sound a lot of wine, but, increasingly, ordinary people get together to form syndicates and split the 24 cases. It’s a fun way of taking part in a bit of French history.
Each year, to add to the excitement, the committee in charge of running the Hospices chooses one or more celebrities to “preside” over the sale – these are usually French actors, sporting heroes, or fashion names, and generate lots of publicity in the local media.
On the third day, in a final burst of conviviality, the growers of Meursault host a banquet in the cellars of the restored Chateau de Meursault, officially the last of the week-end’s events. It’s a hot ticket and there are never enough places to satisfy demand. You can see why – during a lunch that starts at about 12.00 noon and never finishes till well into the evening, the participants, including some of the most sought after winemakers, share their best bottles. Everyone is on his or her mettle to bring something good to pass around, sometimes something very old and rare.
A day later Beaune has gone back to being a quiet, picturesque town, and Antoine Jacquet can return to his normal life as a hospital administrator. I am sure that when he started his career he did not expect to run a hospital whose budget is affected by the quality and quantity of the wine harvest.
If you want more information about the sale, including vintage report and
tasting notes, go to www.christies.com/beaune
By Rosi Hanson
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