With less than four weeks until the 2025 Hospices de Beaune auction, there’s a palpable sense of anticipation at Honest Grapes as our crowdfunded barrels start to fill up. We’ve talked (or boasted!) about the two incredible growers we are working with this year – cult winemakers Pierre Duroché (of Domaine Duroché) and Charles Ballot (of Domaine Ballot-Millot) – so now we’re shining the spotlight on the 2025 vintage at the Hospices itself.
Yesterday we spoke with Jeannie Cho Lee MW, Sotheby’s Hospices consultant, to get her thoughts on the new vintage. The early signs look very promising indeed.
The cuvées are still in their infancy, shifting and evolving by the hour, yet already giving glimpses of what the vintage will bring. For 2025, that picture is becoming clearer — and it’s a vintage that promises classical balance, beautiful definition, and superb harmony across both colours.
This year’s Hospices line-up comprises 57 cuvées and 539 barrels, putting it on the smaller side of average. The key story, according to Jeannie (who has been tasting and re-tasting the wines across several sessions), is all about timing. The harvest began around 22–23 August, allowing most growers to bring in their fruit before the September rains arrived. Those crucial few days made all the difference, preserving freshness, purity, and concentration.
Whites: Consistency and Clarity in Meursault
The white wines show impressive consistency this year. While total acidity is slightly lower than in 2024, so too is the pH, resulting in a poised, energetic style with great freshness, finely integrated flavours and a satisfying sense of lift.
Jeannie notes a distinct qualitative leap from village to premier cru level. Among the highlights, Meursault Genevrieres and Poruzots were particularly praised, the latter described as her “top Meursault premier cru” for 2025, with striking balance and texture.
Ludivine Griveau, the Hospices’ talented régisseuse, continues to refine the estate’s barrel programme — favouring seasoned oak and low-toast casks from Damy to let the terroir shine through. The result is a more transparent, less overtly wooded style that beautifully suits the elegant, mineral energy of 2025’s whites.
For collectors, it’s an excellent year to secure a share in Meursault 1er Cru through our Ballot-Millot Syndicate, which promises wines of precision, finesse, and quiet authority.
Reds: Structure and Purity from Pommard to Corton
If the whites speak of harmony, the reds convey structure and composure. Small berries and excellent phenolic maturity have yielded deep colour, fine tannins, and a classic Burgundian texture — supple yet firm, fresh yet full of character.
Harvest timing again proved decisive. Around 80% of the Hospices’ fruit was picked before the September rains, ensuring clarity and avoiding dilution. The resulting wines show purity, vibrancy, and beautiful definition of fruit.
In the Côte de Beaune, Jeannie was particularly impressed by the Pommard 1er Crus, with Les Epenots singled out as “superb” and Dame de Charité described as “fabulous.” Fittingly, the Presidents’ Barrel for 2025 is a Pommard Rugiens, cementing the appellation’s stature this year.
Further north, the Cortons were among the stars of the vintage, harvested early and retaining full aromatic intensity. The Bressandes (Charlotte Dumay) is “beautiful, really sensual,” while the Renardes (Bertinet Sweeny) shows structure and depth — a perfect match for Pierre Duroché’s meticulous, finely tuned winemaking style. These sites offer a thrilling opportunity for collectors to acquire truly age-worthy wines that embody both power and poise.
Refinement at the Hospices
One of the most encouraging developments over recent years has been Ludivine Griveau’s quiet evolution of the Hospices’ winemaking. The shift toward gentler oak use and finer balance has brought greater transparency to both reds and whites. The 2025s show this maturity of approach clearly — confident, elegant, and precise, without excess weight or extraction.
Partnering with Pierre Duroché and Charles Ballot for the 2025 Hospices is a real feather in our cap — these are truly bucket-list wines. We can’t wait to wave the paddle on 16th November, and with barrels already filling fast, now’s the time to secure your place in the Syndicate before it’s too late!