Hospices de Beaune 2026

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In 1457, Jean Guillotte le Verrier donated a plot of vines to Beaune's Hôtel-Dieu. More than five centuries on, the donations continue, and every November the wines made from them go under the hammer at what is arguably the most famous charity wine auction in the world.

Our Hospices de Beaune Syndicate puts you in the room. Members club together, we bid for barrels at the auction on 15 November, and a leading Burgundy winemaker raises the wine. Only around 50 cuvées are sold each year, many named for the families who donated the vines, and each of our barrels makes just 288 bottles, split into 24 shares of 12 and bottled for Syndicate Members alone.

It's more fun than it sounds. We make the final selection with contacts at the Hospices and our winemaker, we drop the paddle if the prices turn daft, and there are events with me and the winemaker in London and Burgundy as the wine develops. You get the thrill of the auction without having to raise your own hand.

The wine is only as good as the hands that raise it, which is why we work with Burgundy's most sought-after winemakers. Last year that meant the legendary Pierre Duroché and iconic Meursault producer Charles Ballot of Ballot-Millot. We will be announcing this year's éleveurs shortly, but you can expect brilliance.

The historic 2026 harvest, the earliest on record, only adds to the appeal: Steen Öhman AKA Winehog says that "the fruit was of very good quality", "pure" and "healthy", and feels "that fine and rich wines will be produced". My own contacts out in Burgundy are bullish on the vintage, up there with some of the best of the last few decades, and yields are tiny, which makes every barrel rarer still.

This year's cuvées are indicative: a Premier Cru red, a Corton Grand Cru, a Meursault Premier Cru and, by popular request, a new village white, all delivered to bond in early 2029. Prices are estimates until the hammer falls. In previous years we've landed between 83% and 120% of the nominal price, and you authorise us to go up to 20% higher at most. Every barrel needs all 24 shares filled before we can bid, so the sooner you're in, the better.

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Hospices de Beaune 2026