THE 62ND HOSPICES DE NUITS-SAINT-GEORGES WINE SALE

GENEROSITY, QUALITY AND TYPICAL BURGUNDY

The 62nd edition of the Nuits-Saint-Georges Hospices Wine Auction will take place on Sunday March 12, 2023. It will take place, as every year, at the Château du Clos de Vougeot and will be broadcast live on the site. www.interencheres.com. The sale is open to everyone, both for the charity piece, sold by the bottle at a fixed price by subscription, only for parts sold for the benefit of the hospital establishment

61st Wine Sale- March 2022
©Studio Morfaux – Hospices de Nuits-St-Georges

AN AUTHENTIC AND GENEROUS 2022 VINTAGE

“For many years now, while the quality of the wine may have lived up to our hopes, the amount harvested has often been below our expectations. Vintages meeting both criteria of quality and quantity are rare. 2022 is a member of this elite club.”

Jean-Marc Moron, Technical Manager of the estate.

Sun-drenched and opulent, , the 2022 harvest offers a fine volume for sale with 160 pieces to be auctioned across 19 different cuvées, representing the diversity and authenticity of each cru. This generous year has given wonderful grapes, beautifully ripened and aromatic. Perfectly balanced with nice freshness, the wines can be enjoyed young, but also have great cellaring potential, characteristic of a great vintage. Burgundian classicism in all its majesty.

Cellar of the hospices Nuits-St-Georges
©Studio Morfaux – Nuits-St-Georges hospices

TWO UNIQUE CUVEES

A NEW CUVÉE “HOMAGE À HUGUES PERDRIZET”, FIRST HISTORICAL DONOR OF THE NIGHTS-SAINT-GEORGES HOSPICES

The quality of the vintage made it possible to create a new cuvée, the Nuits-Saint-Georges 1 er cru Saint-Georges “Vieilles Vignes” Cuvée Hugues Perdrizet, paying tribute to the first donor of the Domain of the Hospices de Nuits. From a proposed selection of the oldest vines of the estate, this cuvée can be tasted beautifully from an early age and promises a classic wine for the patient wine lover. Of the rich, powerful, complex aromas, an incredible and wonderful length in the mouth, this cuvée is a small revolution in The Hospices de Nuits-Saint-Georges Wine Sale.

The quality of the vintage made it possible to create a new cuvée, the Nuits-Saint-Georges 1 er cru Saint-Georges “Vieilles Vignes” Cuvée Hugues Perdrizet, paying tribute to the first donor of the Domain of the Hospices de Nuits. Resulting from a rigorous selection of the oldest vines of the estate, this cuvée can be tasted beautifully from an early age and promises a classic wine for the patient wine lover. Of the rich, powerful, complex aromas, an incredible and wonderful length in the mouth, this cuvée is a small revolution in The Hospices de Nuits-Saint-Georges 62nd Wine Sale.

Cuvée Hugues Perdrizet
©Studio Morfaux – Hospices de Nuits-St-Georges

SECOND EDITION OF LA PIÈCE DE CHARITÉ (THE CHARITY PIECE) MADE WITH A UNIQUE ASSEMBLY OF THE FIRST CRUS FROM THE DOMAINE AND CONTINUED THIS YEAR UNDER THE NAME OF “CUVÉE DES BIENFAITEURS”

Building on its success in 2021, the Nuits-Saint-Georges Premier Cru charity PIECE, known as “Cuvée des Benefactors”,(the benefactors’ cuvée), produced from a subtle blend of the estate’s nine premier crus, have been renewed this year for its second vintage. This unique cuvée reveals both the full character of the Nuits-Saint-Georges appellation and the singularity of each of the crus that compose it, while emphasizing the imprint of the vintage.

In 2022, this wine presents itself with finesse and elegance, with rich and deep aromas and a dense texture, prolonged by a superb length. The second edition of this cuvée therefore promises to be just as promising as the first vintage. A unique vintage to absolutely keep in your cellar, to build up a beautiful vertical of the vintages to come.

For the 4th consecutive year The 62nd edition of the Nuits-Saint-Georges Hospices Wine Sale has been entrusted to a duo that has successfully injected new momentum into the traditional wine auction: Auctioneer Hugues Cortot and wine expert Aymeric de Clouet. “No more sale by “candle”, live streaming on the internet, the auction of each pièce as a lot, the creation of a brand new and unique cuvée for the charity pièce and, this year, the creation of the Hugues Perdrizet cuvée; the Wine Auction offers new ideas and innovations every year.

This wonderful dynamic has been crowned with success in recent years, and growth has been stunning.

After the great progress already seen in 2021, sales from the 2022 auction hit a record sum of €2,486,000 – that’s an increase of almost 30% on the previous year despite five fewer pièces going under the hammer. Between 2020 and 2022, sales have risen by 54%, going from €1,614,500 to €2,486,000.

The average sale price for a pièce of red wine has now reached €22,482 compared to €16,688 in 2021 and €13,036 in 2020. That’s a spectacular increase of 72%.

And another strong sign of the enthusiasm generated by the Hospices de Nuits-Saint-Georges wines is that the number of buyers has grown and diversified constantly since 2020.

Vignobles – Vineyards
Burgundy, France
©THE FINE GUIDE – ArtTravelInt. / F. Glz 2022

THE HOSPITAL AND THE HOSPICES DE NUITS-SAINT-GEORGES ESTATE

It was in the 13th century, around 1270, that the Hospices de Nuits was founded, as Saint Louis IX’s reign drew to a close and Robert II, Duke of Burgundy, came into power. So this hospital vineyard actually came into existence two centuries before its illustrious neighbour, the Hospices de Beaune, which was established in 1443. Less well-known but just as prestigious, the Hospices de Nuits operates in exactly the same way, combining a functioning medical establishment with a high-quality wine-growing estate.

THE HOSPITAL

The Hospices de Nuits-Saint-Georges hospital was originally a lazaretto, a home for lepers. It opened its doors in 1270 and was completely destroyed during civil and religious wars. In 1633, the hospital, hosting just four beds, moved to a modest house on the banks of Le Meuzin, purchased by Guillaume Labye, the King’s crown prosecutor. The site being unsuitable, in 1684 the decision was taken to relocate the establishment. So, in 1689, construction began on the current hospital, under the responsibility and devotion of the chaplain Antide Midan. The Saint Laurent ward, with its 16 beds, thus opened in 1692. Over time, the lazarettos of neighbouring parishes were attached to it and a Management Committee made up of Nuits dignitarie was created. This would guarantee its financial autonomy and, despite difficulties, the establishment is still running, mainly thanks to donations which gradually built up the estate. The hospital is now a public health facility that has been part of the Hospices Civils de Beaune since January 1, 2016.

From December 2016 to July 2018, work was carried out as part of the construction of new facilities that would bring together all activities on the same site. The new Saint-Laurent hospital opened its doors on Tuesday, September 4, 2018, in premises offering all the comfort and security of a modern and adapted care and reception establishment. One of the main challenges with this architectural project was in uniting everyone involved around a common goal: supporting and caring for the elderly in the best possible way. To achieve this, two new buildings have opened. The first houses 80 beds, transferred over from the old site, and the second, near the winery, combines the logistical functions of laundry, kitchen, store and workshop. These new, more functional buildings were financed thanks to accumulated excess revenue of the Hospices de Nuits-Saint-Georges’ wine-growing estate.

The Winegrowers
©Studio Morfaux – Hospices de Nuits-St-Georges

THE DOMAINE OF THE HOSPICES DE NUITS-SAINT-GEORGES

The estate is an integral part of the hospital with its own operational budget. Four vineyard workers are employed on a full-time basis. Some seasonal work is carried out by a viticultural contractor and around 40 extra hands are taken on during the harvest.

Covering more than 12 hectares, the Domaine des Hospices de Nuits-Saint-Georges is mainly comprised of crus of the Nuits-Saint-Georges appellation, notably six village appellations and nine Premiers Crus that cover a large part of the appellation’s slopes and terroirs. This prestigious vineyard makes it possible to produce 19 cuvées with a Nuits-Saint- *- Georges 1er cru monopoly appellation, “Les Didiers”. The vineyard manager Jean-Marc Moron keeps a close eye on each parcel. The hospital’s historic vine holdings have been built up over time, following the Burgundy tradition, thanks to numerous donations and bequests since 1633, particularly of vines since 1688, with two plots donated by Mr Hugues Perdrizet. Over the centuries these were followed by donations from local families, the most recent being the Gevrey-Chambertin “Champs-Chenys” by Mrs Irène Noblet, and parcels of Nuits by the Jeanniard family.

There are spiritual motivations for donating these vines, but also a desire to ensure a renewable income, in order to improve the conditions in which patients and the elderly are received at the hospital. This charitable impulse has continued through the centuries and its effect endures to this day, with the annual profits from the estate providing considerable support for hospital investments. In order to pay tribute to the generosity of donors, it was agreed to sell a charity piece each year for the benefit of a charity devoted to a humanitarian or medical cause.

Jean-Marc Moron – régisseur
©Studio Morfaux – Hospices de Nuits-St-Georges

THE 2022 VINTAGE: QUANTITY AND QUALITY FOR A VERY GREAT CLASSIC!

The characteristics of the vintage.

Jean-Marc Moron, Technical Manager of the Hospices de Nuits-Saint-Georges estate, and Aymeric de Clouet, wine expert, present the characteristics of the vintage:

We are looking at a hot year but one during which the vine did not suffer. The old vines, in particular, which make up the main base of the Domain, gave us a good yield of nicely ripened and aromatic grapes. So this is the moment to present our new Nuits-Saint-Georges premier cru, the Saint-Georges “vieilles vignes” which will be a perfect example of this new vintage.

The year was not affected by unwelcome turns in the weather, apart from a little hail which Nature quickly made up for thankfully, and the beginnings of hydric stress in a few parcels towards the end of the season. Severe disbudding in the spring allowed us to manage the load all through the growing period. Thanks to the very favourable weather conditions, there were no outbreaks of cryptogamic diseases.

The harvested grapes were magnificent – plump berries on tight bunches with no shrivelling – with a volume that enabled the Hospices de Nuits estate to produce a record number of pièces for our sale.

This opulent vintage can be compared with 1990, 1999, 2009 or 2018, but in a lighter, less alcoholic style. Flowering was early, starting on May 20 and finishing two weeks later. There was a real spurt in the vegetation in June and we spotted the first grapes changing colour in mid-July. After a sluggish start, veraison accelerated at the end of the month and was practically over by the end of the first week of August, consistently across all parcels. A cycle that was a bit all over the place!

Vignobles – Vineyards
Burgundy, France
©THE FINE GUIDE – ArtTravelInt. / F. Glz 2022

The main challenge with this vintage was therefore being able to react quickly to the general maturity, without letting the parcels ripen for too long. In the south of the appellation the grapes had a very high sugar content, and in the north there was perfect balance, but the early harvest meant we were able to maintain freshness across all parcels, to produce quite diaphanous wines with strong typicity. The grapes were extremely healthy and sorting, mainly consisted of removing leaves!

Les Didiers, the first parcel harvested, gave us an instant indication of the year’s potential volume, with 39 pieces planned. Once in the vat, maceration lasted five to six days, before the onset of fermentation, which was very quick thanks to lots of indigenous yeast on the skins. Few pigeages were carried out, because of the short fermentation, and some pumping over were carried out to finalize the elaboration of the cuvées.

Malolactic fermentation started rapidly, except for the whites. In less than a month they were finished, producing a fine outcome overall. The wines naturally reached an ideal degree of alcohol, with all the “Villages” cuvées notably being over 14%, giving them great character.

The wines entered the winter with great homogeneity, the diversity of the crus and their differences appearing better than ever, on the eye, on the nose and on the palate.

The wines are already proving to be very interesting in terms of taste, with good balance and lovely freshness. They can be enjoyed from an early age and yet retain a great ageing potential. It This is the sign of a magnificent vintage which promises to be remembered as a great, a very great classic!

Maître Hugues Cortot – 61eme vente des vins 2022
©Studio Morfaux – Hospices de Nuits-St-Georges

160 BARRELS FOR AUCTION

The 2022 harvest has enabled 160 barrels to be put up for auction: 157 of red wine and 3 of white wine.

3 barrels – Nuits-Saint-Georges 1er cru Les Murgers – Cuvée Guyard de Changey

6 barrels – Nuits-Saint-Georges 1 er cru Les Corvées Pagets – Cuvée Saint-Laurent

20 barrels – Nuits-Saint-Georges Les Maladières – Les Brûlées – Cuvée Grangier

3 barrels – Nuits-Saint-Georges 1 er cru Les Porrets-Saint-Georges – Cuvée Antide Midan

4 barrels – Nuits-Saint-Georges 1 er cru Les Boudots – Cuvée Mesny de Boisseaux

13 barrels – Nuits-Saint-Georges 1er cru Les Didiers – Cuvée Fagon

19 barrels – Nuits-Saint-Georges 1 er cru Les Vignerondes – Cuvée Bernarde Delesclache

1 barrel – Nuits-Saint-Georges 1 er cru Vieilles Vignes – Les Saint-Georges – Cuvée Hugues Perdrizet 1 barrel

6 barrels – Nuits-Saint-Georges 1 er cru Les Rues de Chaux – Cuvée Camille Rodier

5 barrels – Nuits-Saint-Georges Les Lavières – Les Bas de Combe – Cuvée Guillaume Labye

6 barrels – Nuits-Saint-Georges 1 er cru Les Saint-Georges – Cuvée Georges Faiveley

13 barrels – Gevrey-Chambertin Les Champs-Chenys – Cuvée Irène Noblet

3 barrels – Nuits-Saint-Georges 1 er cru Les Terres Blanches – Cuvée Pierre de Pême

11 barrels – Nuits-Saint-Georges 1 er cru Les Didiers – Cuvée Cabet

4 barrels – Nuits-Saint-Georges Les Saint-Julien – Les Plateaux – Cuvée Claude Poyen

8 barrels – Nuits-Saint-Georges 1 er cru Les Saint-Georges – Cuvée des Sires de Vergy

16 barrels – Nuits-Saint-Georges 1 er cru Les Didiers – Cuvée Jacques Duret

13 barrels – Nuits-Saint-Georges Les Fleurières-Les Plantes au Baron – Cuvée des Soeurs Hospitalières

6 barrels – Nuits-Saint-Georges 1 er cru Les Terres Blanches – Cuvée Saint-Bernard de Cîteaux

THE CHARITY PIÈCE:

THE “CUVÉE DES BIENFAITEURS”, HAS FOR THE SECOND YEAR RUNNING BEEN MADE FROM A UNIQUE BLEND OF THE ESTATE’S NINE PREMIERS CRUS.

As every year, this auction is a chance for the Hospices de Nuits-Saint-Georges to support an association by donating the profits from the auction of a pièce of wine: The Charity Pièce. Last year, for the first time in the history of the Domaine, the Hospices de Nuits-Saint-GeorgesLast year, had presented for auction an unprecedented and outstanding charity pièce, created specially for the occasion:a Nuits-Saint-Georges Premier cru made from a blend of the estate’s nine premier crus.

This was such a success that this year it will once again constitute the charity pièce, for the 2022 vintage.

With this special cuvée, the Hospices de Nuits-Saint-Georges wishes to both express all the character of the Nuits-Saint-Georges appellation and highlight the character of the vintage.
Its subtle blend is therefore a reflection of the vintage but also the expression of each cru, combining the qualities of the northern crus with those of the south, upper and lower slopes, old and very old vines. In 2022, this wine is full of finesse and elegance, in perfect harmony with its highly complex character, its powerful, intense nose, and its depth of aromas and dense texture, prolonged by superb length.

The second vintage of this cuvée looks to be just as promising as the first. It is a unique wine that you should absolutely have in your cellar in anticipation of a fabulous vertical of future vintages. For this 62nd edition of the Hospices de Nuits-Saint-Georges Wine Auction, this charity pièce will be sold on benefit of the Blouses Roses, an association whose mission is to contribute to the well-being of vulnerable people (children, adults, and the elderly) in hospital and in retirement homes. Its ambassador is the actor, Constance Dollé.

THE BLOUSES ROSES

The Blouses Roses(Pink Blouses) founded in 1944 by Marguerite Perrin, is an association whose mission is to contribute to the well-being of vulnerable people (children, adults, and the elderly) in hospital and in retirement homes.

Present in more than 378 cities, the charity’s 4,200 volunteers visit more than 360,000 hospitalised children and 330,000 elderly people in care homes every year (except during COVID-19). Their role consists of bringing a smile and a distraction through various activities, stimulating children’s imagination, organising games suitable for adolescents, and recreational, artistic, and fun workshops for the elderly. Recognized as non-profit association since 1967, the association is renowned for its seriousness and for providing quality services in the care facilities where it operates. It is approved by the Ministry of youth and sports. The Dijon committee includes 90 volunteers and made more than 500 animations in 2021.

PROJECTS

With the proceeds from the Charity Pièce from the 62nd Hospices de Nuits-Saint-Georges Wine Auction, the Blouses Roses want to set up two projects for disabled children:

– ANIMAL THERAPY FOR CHILDREN IN DIJON BOURGOGNE UNIVERSITY HOSPITAL’S PSYCHIATRIC

The role of the medical-psychological centre at Is-sur-Tille is to treat the psychological problems of children and adolescents aged 0-18. One of the ways the care team does is using various therapies, including work with animals for the sensory group. This group holds weekly therapeutic mediation sessions at a riding school. The horse is a warm and calming support which in encourages relaxation and a reconnection with the senses. During this equestrian therapy, the riding instructor seeks, through various exercises, to gently indue feelings, emotions or verbal expression. This therapy offers numerous benefits both on a mental and physical level.

– MUSIC THERAPY SESSIONS

The aim of music therapy is to restore and maintain mental well-being through sound. Rhythmic expression, the exploration of sounds and their organisation helps to structure thoughts and provides a form of non-verbal communication which can complement a child’s speech. For children with serious conditions, the sessions facilitate social interaction and even allow some with access to language.

A WORD FROM CONSTANCE DOLLÉ, AMBASSADOR of THE 62ND HOSPICES DE NUITS-SAINT-GEORGES WINE AUCTION

My attachment to the Blouses Roses charity is manifold.

Firstly because my mother worked there with dedication and passion for several years, sharing with me the many happy, and sometimes difficult, moments. She, who always managed to find so much time outside of her professional and family life for others, clearly found the association fulfilling. And I am very proud and in admiration of her commitment.

And also because I had the chance several years ago to play in the film adaptation of Éric Emmanuel Schmitt’s Oscar et la Dame Rose. I played little Oscar’s mother and even if an actorknows how to keep a necessary distance in their work, spending time with this young boy, his head shaved for the role, and playing the extremely difficult and gruelling journey the parents went through, deeply moved me. I had a glimpse of just how hard it must be for a family facing illness and what a great relief it is to be supported and aided by medical staff, but also by charities such as the Blouses Roses through the incredible work they do.

The psyche often holds unexpected surprises; I became pregnant the day after the last day of filming, and I like to tell myself that a pink lady cast a very happy and restorative spell on me. I am very honoured that the Blouses Roses asked me to be patron of this event this year. I look at my support as payback time – a way of offering my endless thanks.”

THE FINE GUIDE

THE 62ND HOSPICES DE NUITS-SAINT-GEORGES WINE SALE