Albéric Bichot, No. 1 buyer at the Hospices de Beaune sales, turns to the “Mister Hospices” of the house, Jean-David Camus, during the 2022 auction _Photo DR Clément L’Hôte
As every year, the charity event was mainly animated by a dozen bidders.
From auction records to auction records, the wines of the Hospices de Beaune are becoming more inaccessible each year. The 2022 edition is no exception to the rule, and has taken a new step by beating all historical records. At €39,000 the average price per piece (barrel), or around €130 per bottle of primeur wine, who can still afford to bid at this charity auction, the oldest in the world?
The biggest buyers are essentially Burgundians. As every year for more than 10 years, it is the Albert Bichot house that wins the prize, with 109 pieces and nearly 5 million euros in purchases. A tradition for this Beaune trader, privileged partner of the Hospices de Beaune. Some of these cuvées will be integrated into its range, others will be resold in bulk to major customers around the world.
Another 18 to 24 months of aging
Other local buyers follow: Lucien Le Moine, the haute-couture business of Mounir Saouma and Rotem Brakin (29 pieces, 2 million euros), the house of François Martenot, the Burgundy subsidiary of the Alsatian group Helfrich (66 pieces, 1, 6 million euros), and Version Vin, wine agent and distributor in Beaune (1 million euros, 24 rooms).
These primeur wines, freshly vinified by the Hospices de Beaune estate, will have to finish their aging for 18 to 24 months at a Burgundy merchant before they can be sold on the market. At prices, once again, records…
