Hospices de Nuits-Saint-Georges auction to showcase ‘structured, elegant and atypical’ 2025 vintage

The 65th edition of the Hospices de Nuits-Saint-Georges auction, which takes place in March, will highlight the 2025 vintage –  “a serious contender for a great, or even an excellent vintage” albeit one that was “atypical”, according to technical director Jean-Marc Moron. 

The wines are both structured and elegant following  favourable summer conditions in Burgundy between May and September, Moron noted, although he noted them as “atypical: combining the characteristics of a warm year with the hallmarks of a cool vintage”. Regular rainfall helped to preserve soil moisture and prevent any water stress on the vines until harvest time. However, yields were lower than expected, averaging 21 hectolitres per hectare, despite being more generous than those of 2024, which averaged only 9.5 hl/ha.

The charity barrel, which is offered by subscription and bought by the bottle rather than going under the hammer, will this year comprise a Nuits-Saint-Georges Premier Cru which the organisers said “represents the quintessence savoir-faire of the Domaine des Hospices de Nuits-Saint-Georges”.

Turning Point

The 65th edition of the auction marks a turning point for the organisation, after the historic Hospices de Nuits-Saint-Georges building was sold in November 2025 to a real estate group specialising in the renovation of heritage buildings. It will be converted into a luxury residence. This decision was made will allow the Hospice to focus fully on its healthcare activities, without having to juggle the competing pressures imposed of caring for the building, alongside the running of a modern hospital.

Another change being introduced this year is a new label, for the 2025 vintage. More understated, with classic typography and a white background, it features the historic building of the Hospices de Nuits-Saint-Georges framed by the town’s coats of arms.

Guillaume Koch, director of the Hospices Civils de Beaune, welcomed these changes, saying the investments will enable new projects to be carried out. He noted that the charity auction was “much more than a wine event”.

“It is an essential lever for supporting the hospice’s mission,” he said, “The choices made today strengthen our ability to invest in patient care while affirming an identity that remains faithful to the history of our institution.”

End of an era

The 2025 will be the last vintage for Jean-Marc Moron, the long-term technical director who has devoted 35 years to the Domaine des Hospices de Nuits-Saint-Georges, becoming “a true custodian of the estate’s strong reputation”, who has overseen its major developments. This has included overseeing the modernisation of the winery, the implementation of sustainable viticultural practices adapted to climate change, and a shift towards wines that combine both finesse and elegance.

Moron will hand over the reins of the estate to Laurence Danel who joins the team from Domaine Fery in the Côte de Nuits, at the end of the auction itself. Danel, who has previously worked in key winemaking roles at Bouchard Père & Fils and Domaine Faiveley, will build on Moron’s work, further improving the quality of the wines and the estate’s reputation, while strengthening practices that respect the environment and the terroir, the organisation said.

The estate has recently expanded its holdings by 45 acres in the Nuits-Saint-Georges appellation following a bequest of two parcels of vines. Overall the estate comprises almost 23 acres (9.5ha) of premier cru vines.

Charity barrel

This year’s charity barrel will be sold in aid of the Ani’nomad charity this year, an association that pioneers the field of animal-assisted therapy, with funds raised through the auction being used to finance the development of the association’s premises and outdoor spaces in Plombières-lès-Dijon, which offer playful and adapted spaces for people with reduced mobility.

Last year saw nearly €860,000  raised for the Hospices Civils de Beaune, an increase in the average hammer price of the pieces by +41.5% to  €22,422, which as iDealwine pointed out, was “remarkably close to the all-time record set in 2022 of €22,807. The sale contained a one-one set of back vintages of Nuits St George wines from 2005 to 2017, in order to compensate for the shortfall of the vintage and boost the appeal of the auction, which raised €60,950, equivalent to €127 per 750ml bottle. Meanwhile, the charity piece raised more than €53,900 for Coucou Nous Voilou, a French charity that works to brighten the lives of children and teenagers in hospital through trips, games and murals.

The 65th edition of the Hospices de Nuits-Saint-Georges auction will be held on the afternoon of Sunday 8 March at the Château du Clos de Vougeot in Burgundy, organised for the second consecutive year by iDealwine.

Related news

Kylie Minogue to attend Wine Paris

Bordeaux grants official status to a lighter claret style

Ancestral Chilean vineyards seek investors amid generational shift