Hospice de Nuits sale hails ‘abundant and sun-drenched’ 2022 harvest

The 62nd edition of the Hospice de Nuits, which is being held this Sunday (12 March) at the Château du Clos de Vougeot , will see 160 barrels from the landmark 2022 vintage, across 19 different cuvées, offered for sale. 

The wines are sold by the barrel or pièce, which contains the equivalent of 24 cases of 12 bottles, as well as a charity pièce. Estimates start from €9,000 per barrel for some of the village wines with the top lots estimated at €38,000.

Prices reached are often well in excess of this however, with the average sale price for a pièce of red wine reaching €22,482 compared to €16,688 in 2021 and €13,036 in 2020, the organisation pointed out – an increase of 72%.

This year, that includes a special cuvée, created by technical manager Jean-Marc Moron due to the high quality of the 2022 vintage. The Nuits-Saint-Georges 1er Cru Les Saint-Georges ‘Vieilles Vignes’, Cuvée Hugues Perdrizet (€38,000) is the second vintage of a wine created in homage to Hugues Perdrizet, the first person to donate land to the hospice, back in the 17th century, but is the first time it is available to buy. The wine has been made from some of the estate’s oldest vines.

Meanwhile the charity pièce aims to build on the success of last year’s sale with a second edition of a unique blend of the estate’s Premiers Crus, the ‘Cuvée des Bienfaiteurs’ (the benefactors’ cuvée). This cuvée is described as “revealing both the full character of the Nuits-Saint-Georges appellation and the specificity of each of the crus that it comprises while bringing out the vintage’s own personality”.

The proceeds will benefit the Blouses Roses (Pink Blouses), a charity set up more than 80 years ago to help the well-being of vulnerable people (children, adults, and the elderly) in hospital and in retirement homes.

Moron said that while the quality of the wine had lived up to hope for “many years”, the amount harvested had often been below expectations. However the “sun-drenched and abundant” 2022 harvest meant they could offer a “fine volume” representing the diversity and authenticity of each cru.

“Vintages meeting both criteria of quality and quantity are rare. 2022 is a member of this elite club,” Jean-Marc Moron, of the estate said. “This generous year has given us 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 fine vintage. This is the Burgundian classicism in all its majesty.”

The auction will be conducted by auctioneer Hugues Cortot and wine expert Aymeric de Clouet for the fourth year in a row, and will be live-streamed online.

The Hospices de Nuits-Saint-Georges was founded in 1270, and like its better-known but younger neighbour, the Hospices de Beaune (founded in 1443), it combines medical charity with a prestigious wine estate. The vineyards were originally donated to the Hospice during the 17th century, and now comprises almost 13ha, the majority within the limits of Nuits-St-Georges, although some lie in the village of Gevrey Chambertin.

The annual auction, which is open to all, generally takes place on the second Sunday of March. Last year, it achieved a record  €2,486,000 – up nearly 30% on the previous year.