Hospices de Beaune Vintage 2023: quality first!

Report and analysis of the 2023 vintage by Albert Bichot

Video interview: vintage 2023 overview, vinification choices and challenges, wines’ style : Ludivine Griveau shares with us all you need to know before the Hospices auction.

October 23, 2023. One month before the 163rd Hospices de Beaune auction, Ludivine Griveau welcomes Jean-David Camus from Maison Albert Bichot, the first buyer of the famous charity sale for more than 25 years. This moments gives the opportunity for Ludivine Griveau to review the conditions of the 2023 vintage, her choices for white and red vinifications, then to present the main appellations and vintages which will be sold at auction on November 19, 2023 in Beaune.

She then tells us about the famous charity barrel, also known as the Presidents’ Barrel, which will be sold this year for the benefit of 2 associations supporting the cause of aging well: an exceptional cask of Mazis-Chambertin Grand Cru presented in an splendid oak barrel, made from the same wood as that used to reconstruct the spire of Notre-Dame Cathedral in Paris.

Finally, she discusses the future projects of the Hospices estate, including replantings and the arrival of new vineryards and hence cuvées in the coming years.

Do you want to participate to the next Hospices de Beaune wine auction? It’s easy! Albert Bichot offers amateurs and professionals from all over the world the opportunity to purchase these “great wines for a great cause”, from a bottle to a full barrel.

Video interview: Last day of harvest! Ludivine Griveau shares with us the details of the 2023 vintage conditions at Domaine des Hospices de Beaune.

The 2023 vintage began with an extremely mild winter and very little rain, so there was a clear water deficit until February. This situation was reversed in the spring and the vines never ran out of water thanks to the claylimestone soils, which capture and store water.

The storms that followed had a significant impact, particularly on 11 July over a fairly narrow area, which saved the vineyards from disaster. After that, things were fairly calm until the heatwave in September, which I would describe as a climatic hazard.

As a result, all these climatic factors meant that our decisions in the vineyards were not linear. Very quickly, the quantity was such that we thought we’d have a harvest close to 2022, but the diverse rainfall, water conditions and the context of the weather meant that the growth of the vines was very slow. The vines were irregular within the same plot or from one plot to another. 2023 should therefore be singled out for its highly diverse nature.
The 2023 harvest, which began on 6 September in Pouilly-Fuissé and finished on 19 September in Saint Romain and Monthelie, was meticulously sorted both in the vineyards and in the winery to ensure that the quality of the grapes met the estate’s high standards. The focus was firmly on quality rather than quantity.

At present, the vinification is going very well, with the whites fermenting efficiently and a fairly severe settling to remove the lees, which were not of sufficient quality. The juices are fairly clear and are fermenting as usual in barrels on the basis of a whole, uncrushed harvest. The whites can be described as very pure aromatically, with good body, quite voluptuous on the palate, and good levels of acidity.

The 100% de-stemmed reds are already showing lovely colour and polyphenolic richness. They are in vats for two to three weeks of maceration. They seem round and fruity, and the tannins derived from the pips and skins are likely to be silky and round. The smell of red fruit is already wafting through the winery.