ALBERT BICHOT AND THE HOSPICES DE BEAUNE: A STRONG, ENDURING RELATIONSHIP
The wine house made its first purchase at the Hospices de Beaune auction back in 1876. A tradition that has continued ever since. It is not surprising that the Maison Albert Bichot has been an important player at the Hospices de Beaune’s wine sale for 15 years, because there are in fact very strong ties between this institution and the celebrated Beaune wine house, founded in 1831:
In the early 19th Century, François Blondeau, the husband of a Maison Bichot heiress, bequeathed his estate to the Hospices, including a superb plot of vines in Volnay. This was then sold at auction under the name of Volnay «Cuvée Blondeau».
This pièce regularly reaches a price level that reflects the quality of the wines. It was also one of the cuvées that we selected in 2009 and offered for sale to the public.
THE TRUST OF OUR CUSTOMERS, THE WINE TRADE AND WINE LOVERS, THE WORLD OVER
The wine house enjoys a very special relationship with prestigious customers, who willingly entrust us with the purchase and maturing of «their» pièces. These include the Intercontinental Hotel in Berlin and the Plaza in New‐York.
In 2004, the charity pièce, a Mazis‐Chambertin Grand Cru «Cuvée Madeleine Collignon» was bought for € 51,000 by James Thomson, a Scottish restaurateur and a faithful customer of Maison Albert Bichot. In 2008, it was again James Thomson who bought the charity “pièce”.
Since 2009, many members of the public have bought one of the selected cuvées en primeur (there were 2 in 2009, 4 in 2010) or an entire pièce through the www.hospices-beaune.com. Whether they are wine enthusiasts or just looking for an original gift, we are extremely proud of the trust they place in us. On this page you will find some customer stories in which customers share their experience and the reasons why they chose Albert Bichot.
A GREAT FESTIVE WEEKEND TAKING PLACE EVERY YEAR IN NOVEMBER
The sale of the Hospices wines takes place every third Sunday in November. Along with the Chapitre (Chapter meeting) of the Chevaliers du Tastevin wine brotherhood on the Saturday evening and la Paulée de Meursault on Monday, this is one of the highlights of the “Trois Glorieuses” (three glorious feasts), a time of great celebration in Burgundy.
Throughout the weekend, a traditional festival animates the streets of Beaune, a medieval town and the capital of Burgundy wines. Parades (including that of the Confrérie de Belnus, a wine brotherhood that takes its name from the ancient name for Beaune), tastings, concerts, ….no shortage of fun for children, adults, family and friends from all over the world.
ALBERT BICHOT, THE ART OF ENTERTAINING
In parallel with these events, Albert Bichot welcomes over 200 guests from around the world who have come to enjoy this great weekend in our company. Dinners, tastings in the cellars of the Domaine du Clos Frantin, meetings with the technical teams who comment on the vinification of the current vintage. There is no shortage of opportunities to have a great time in good company with a few nice bottles of wine! .
On Sunday morning, after a final tasting at the Hospices winery, the buyers give Albéric Bichot their auction bid for whatever wine they have selected. Jean-David Camus does likewise for the selected pièces and the purchases from the general public. At 2 pm, the sale starts and everyone waits with baited breath…
