The Hospices de Beaune lexicon:
key words to bid at the auction

Domaine de Hospices de Beaune

Domaine des Hospices de Beaune consists of its vineyard, as well as the buildings (winery) and equipment needed to cultivate the vines and transform the juice into wine (vinification). Over the centuries, the Hospices de Beaune vineyard has been built up through donations from benefactors. It covers 60 hectares, including prestigious Premiers Crus and Grands Crus appellations, which account for 85% of the Domaine's total surface area. Since the 2024 harvest, the Domaine des Hospices de Beaune has been certified organic.

Régisseur des Hospices (winemaker)

The Régisseur is the person in charge of both viticulture (planting, vine cycle) and vinification. Since the 2015 vintage, this role has been filled by Ludivine Griveau. She is supported in her mission by a team in the cellar and by more than 20 salaried wingrowers on the estate, each of whom is responsible for a part of the estate (a few hectares)

Vin primeur

The wine sold by Hospices de Beaune is known as "primeur", or as futures. It is wine from the year's harvest, already put into barrel, but not yet aged. These primeur wines must be aged for 12 to 18 months to reveal their full potential. A delicate mission for which choosing Albert Bichot is a guarantee of quality.

White wines, red wines, Marc and Fine de Bourgogne from the Hospices de Beaune
More than 50 Cuvées* (wines) are auctioned each year. In 2024, these include 33 red wines and 18 white wines sold in full 228-liter barrels (288 bottles after aging), as well as two alcohols (Marc and Fine de Bourgogne) sold by the hectoliter (100 liters).

A Cuvée des Hospices de Beaune

The sale of Hospices de Beaune wines at the auction is organized by Cuvées. The Cuvées presented in the auction catalog designate a wine from the same parcel of vines, or a blend of several parcels from the same appellation. There are just over 50 Cuvées on sale (around 2/3 reds and 1/3 whites). Each bears the name of the wine or appellation village and the name of a benefactor or historic donor of the vineyard, for example: Mazis-Chambertin Grand Cru [name of wine] Cuvée Madeleine Collignon [name of vineyards donor] or Beaune 1er Cru [name of village] Cuvée Cyrot Chaudron [name of vineyards donor].

A Pièce

A pièce is the local name for a barrel and corresponds to 228 liters, or 288 bottles after the aging period in our Albert Bichot cellars.

A lot sold at the auction

In an auction, a lot is an item or a set of items put up for sale together. Each lot has a number that determines its order of sale. In the Hospices de Beaune sale, each barrel, called a pièce in Burgundy, constitutes a lot in the sale. In addition, the faculty of multiplication gives the buyer the possibility of purchasing one or more lots within a series*, at the hammer price of the first lot for which he has bid.

A Series in the Hospices auction

Each Cuvée offered for sale is subdivided into series of several barrels, called pièces in Burgundy. Within a series, the buyer may, at any time, choose to exercise the faculty of multiplication* by deciding to acquire a single piece, or several, or all the remaining pieces of the same series, and to do so at the hammer price (purchase price excluding costs) of the first piece for which he has bid.

The Faculty of Multiplication at Hospices auctions

All pieces of the same Cuvée are identical (same wine, same quantity) and each piece constitutes a lot. Each Cuvée offered for sale is subdivided into series of several pieces, within which the multiplication faculty can be applied. This means that the buyer of the first piece of a series will have the possibility of acquiring other pieces at the same auction price (purchase price excluding costs), within the limit of the number of pieces in the series. If the buyer of the first piece does not wish to avail himself of the multiplication faculty on other pieces or even on the whole series, preferring to acquire only one piece, the multiplication faculty will be passed on to the buyer of the next piece*, who in turn may choose to acquire one or more pieces, and so on within the series.

Village / premier cru / grand cru

The classification of Burgundy wines is hierarchized into four main levels. The Domaine des Hospices de Beaune owns vines in villages, premiers crus and grands crus only.
1/ Grands Crus: These are wines of the highest quality, representing around 1% of Burgundy production. They come from specific vineyards whose names appear on the label. Example: Corton-Charlemagne Grand Cru
2/ Premiers Crus: These represent around 10% of production. These wines come from specific vineyards within villages, and their name appears on the label after that of the village. Example = Beaune 1er Cru Clos des Avaux
3/ Les Villages: These wines come from vineyards located around famous Burgundy villages. The name of the village appears on the label. Example: Pommard.
4/ Les Appellations Régionales: These are the entry-level wines, representing around 50% of production. These wines can come from anywhere in the Burgundy region, and bear general appellations such as "Bourgogne Rouge" or "Bourgogne Blanc". The Hospices do not market cuvées at this level.