Hospices de Nuits auction’s ambitions ride high despite dip in prices

By Andrew Catchpole

Published: 11 March, 2024

The 63rd Hospices de Nuits Vente de Vin, which took place this Sunday (10 March), marked another step in the evolution of this more modest rival to its glitzier cousin in Beaune.

With some 151 lots from the Hospices’ estate going under the hammer at the historic Château du Clos de Vougeot, the well-lunched bidders had the opportunity to bid for barrels of the generous 2023 vintage, which estate manager Jean-Marc Moron described as “a year that is exceptional in its identity… offering wines with a perfect balance between power and elegance”.

Laurent Delaunay, head of the BIVB, told Harpers just ahead of the auction that with “2023 being the biggest ever vintage in Burgundy, prices may be slightly lower than the very good 2022 vintage”, and this proved the case, with the charitable sale totalling €2,281,500 as auctioneer Hugues Cortot’s gavel dispatched the final lot, down by a third on last year.

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However, this had to be offset by both a consistent rise in total sale prices of 123% over the previous four years, with 2023’s auction raising a record €3,603,000, and the more general backdrop of the globally straitened economic situation.

Delaunay, who bought five barrels on behalf of his Nuits-Saint-Georges-based Edouard Delaunay house, remained upbeat about the event, which has been striving since changes in 2017 to grow a more international following, though while keeping a distinct identity from its co-managed Hospices de Beaune cousin.

“There was a drop in prices this year after a record year last year, but we were expecting some slight reductions as the market is a bit less dynamic right now after two big vintages, and the date of the auction this year also clashed with the first day of Prowein, which unfortunately had an impact on attendance,” said Delaunay.

“However, I was very impressed by the work done by the oneologist for the Hospices de Nuits, Jean-Marc Moron, with a very high level of quality across all of the cuvées this year,” referring to the pre-auction barrel tasting where Harpers had joined him the day before.

And, set against the upward spiralling prices for Burgundy, there were relative bargains to be found, evidenced by both the buzz among the bidders in the room, and (one presumes) the growing number of remote bidders following the live streaming of the auction, which was introduced four years ago.

Speaking to Harpers, Guillaume Koch, who recently took on the role as director across both the Hospices de Nuits and Hospices de Beaune activities, outlined the vision for the former auction, which is seeking to grow its international standing and recognition, while retaining its own individual character, with its more niche size part of its appeal.

“From a legal point of view, Hospices de Nuits and Hospices de Beaune fused in 2016, but we keep the two vineyards different, which is very important, because the philosophy is different, the winemaking is different and the history is different,” he said.

Auctioneer Hugues Cortot, who has been deliberately engaged for his local Burgundy credentials for the past few auctions (in contrast to the international auctioneers Sotheby’s at Beaune), said that the Nuits auction was “very different”, being younger than Beaune, which held its 163rd auction last year).

He added that the Hospices de Nuits vineyards only extend to 13ha, overwhelmingly rooted in Nuits-Saint-Georges (although with the recent addition of some Gevrey-Chambertin), “but being the domaine that best represents the terroirs” in the Nuits-Saint-Georges appellation.

Koch added: “We want to have a local tradition, to keep it different, and having two different [auctions] allows us to speak twice a year”.

Despite the lower prices this year, however, the efforts to grow the international reach of the Nuits auction appears to be succeeding, not least judged by the bidders from the Chinese market that were visible this year.

“I am a local auctioneer, but I’m able to attract international customers because I know with whom I have to work, and I have people around me who can help attract those foreign buyers,” said Cortot.

“And this is going well we’ve seen the results, and attracted a lot of new buyers, from the European Union and Asia, plus buyers from the United States, but it is more complicated for them, so they mostly buy via an intermediary.”

Koch is also hoping that “a new strategy of communication, including digital, across both the auctions” will help spread the message and attract current buyers at Beaune to the lesser-known Nuits auction.

“But it is only the beginning,” he concluded, suggesting that we will be hearing much more about the Hospices de Nuits Vente de Vin in the near future.

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