“The wines of highest quality are defined by balance and complexity, which will only improve…”
“Overall, the whites of Mersault and the reds of Volnay really stood out for the team and the brightness of the wines was well admired by all and judging by our impressions the 2024 Vintage is one to be greatly excited about.”
Brian Sieve, head winemaker Domaine de Montille, Hospices de Beaune tasting notes
It is always a tense afternoon, bidding at the auction, especially with volumes well down on 2023 and 2022, although not as low as 2021 and with the losses mostly affecting reds. As usual we had specific cuvées shortlisted and a clear bidding strategy, depending on how prices during the auction trended or fluctuated. Despite the challenges of the year, head winemaker Ludivine Griveau fully deserves Brian’s praise above, her team having selected only the very best grapes from the crop and keeping intervention simple. Overall, the resultant wines are elegant, concentrated, highly textured and with refreshing moderate alcohol levels leading to a pleasing sense of balance and harmony.
Bidding started off lower than last year, but there were a number exceptions to come – Clos de La Roche, Mazis-Chambertin and Pommard 1er Cru Dom Goblet bucked the trend early all hammering for more than 2023, and Volnay 1er Cru Blondeau was nearly 20% above last year’s average (largely due to a vertiginous bid for the first barrel that skewed the rest of the sets). We were really set on a Volnay this year, the cooler vintage and longer hang time on the vine allowing the full development of their glorious complex perfumes, but I’m glad we decided to leave this off our final selection and pursue one of the superior Santenots cuvées instead, bidding successfully for Volnay Premier Cru Les Santenots, Cuvée Jéhan de Massol, for a total of 88% of our nominal budget.
Bidding undulated between higher priced early lots which dropped off and some which hammered low to start but increased in price as the series continued. The latter was the case with our Corton Grand Cru Charlotte Dumay which we were thilled to pick up early in the run with a freak low bid at 71% of our nominal budget (our best performance at an auction yet). This was below the average of the other barrels in the cuvée (and 13% below the highest barrel): A real win. We last took Charlotte Dumay in 2021, when Jane Eyre completed the élévage, but it was one of Brian Sieve’s preferred cuvées so we were keen to see what he would make of it this year. Interestingly one of the steepest increases was for the Corton Clos de Roi Baron de Bay, which had been lower on our list of preferred Grand Cru red options this year but on average went for nearly 30% more than we paid for our barrel last year.
And finally our white barrel, which is typically the most daunting to bid on, as demand is deservedly high given the scarcity, quality and prestige of the domaine’s 1er Cru Meursaults. Every year we debate the merits of Charmes vs Genevrières but in 2024 all the cuvées were fabulous, showing intense minerality focus and poise. We were delighted to pick up, at only 90% of our nominal budget, Meursault Premier Cru Les Genevrières, Cuvée Philippe Le Bon, described by Hospices consultant Jeannie Lee Cho MW as “a majestic wine with great terroir. Excellent structure and length suggest this wine will age beautifully”.
This year’s Pièce de Charité was a special barrel of Beaune 1er Cru ‘Les Bressandes’ and celebrity auctioneers actors Jean Reno, Zabour Breitman, Dominic West and Eva Longoria encouraged the room to dig deep, the latter promising to join the successful bidder to drink the first bottle! It eventually hammered for €360,000. With buyer’s premium, élévage, labelling, shipping and taxes – you won’t get much change from £1,700 a bottle on your table! That’s a very pricy Beaune… but with funds, and an additional €100,000 donation from the room, being split between Médecins Sans Frontières and The Global Gift Foundation, it’s the worthiest Beaune you’ll drink.
Cuvée descriptions & Tasting Notes for our barrels are below. Many thanks to those who joined the 2024 Hospices de Beaune Syndicates. The barrels will shortly be transferred to Domaine de Montille to continue their élévage under the watchful eye of Etienne and Brian. They are in very safe hands.
Volnay Premier Cru Les Santenots, Cuvée Jéhan de Massol 2024
Cuvée
The Italian doctor Augustino Mazzoli, dazzled by the beauty of the town of Beaune, decided to take up residence there and became one of the first doctors of the Hôtel-Dieu, practising until his death in 1505. The cuvée takes its name from one of his descendants, Jéhan de Massol, whose name was Francisized. He was councilor at the Burgundy Parliament, and instituted the poors of the "Grand Hospital de Beaune" as heirs to his estate.
This wine is 100% Santenots, but with parcels that have important nuances in their proportion of clay. The Santenots du Dessous are not very stony, with deep clays that do not drain well. Those in the Plures sector are thinner and more chalky. It is certainly these differences that make this a complete, rich, dense wine with an assertive and rather "sustained" character for a Volnay. A wine that will undoubtedly keep for a long time.
Tasting notes by Jeannie Cho Lee MW
"Dense and complex, this cuvée shows the savoury, darker fruit side of Volnay Santenots. The palate is as savoury and earthy as it is fruity, complemented by firm, refined tannins and a lingering finish. A wine to cellar for at least 6 years to appreciate its full potential."
Meursault Premier Cru Les Genevrières, Cuvée Philippe Le Bon 2024
The Cuvée pays tribute to the Duke of Burgundy Philippe le Bon (1419-1467), who gave his support when Nicolas Rolin, his Chancellor, decided to build the Hôtel-Dieu in Beaune in 1443.
In the South of the Meursault appellation, the Genevrières cover about 16.5 hectares. It is the “Dessous” which make up 75% of this Cuvée. The limestone gravels rest on a rock of fissured plates, optimal for the storage of water and the installation of the root system. The resulting wine is often powerful and refined, with a silky texture and good body, both of which indicate good ageing potential.
Tasting notes by Jeannie Cho Lee MW
"An exceptionally fine nose combining white flowers, citrus, and subtle mineral notes. The palate shows outstanding concentration without heaviness, the flavours unfolding seamlessly on the palate revealing a majestic wine with great terroir. Excellent structure and length suggest this wine will age beautifully. This cuvée is a blend of Genevrières dessous (majority) and Genevrières dessus."
Corton Grand Cru Bressandes, Cuvée Charlotte Dumay
On Monday November 23, 1534, Charlotte Dumay offered the Hôtel-Dieu 10 acres of land, with a part planted with vines. This Cuvée is entirely made from one of the most prestigious Climats of the Corton hillside: Les Bressandes. Exposed to the East, the stony and airy soils of Les Bressandes contribute to the delicacy of a consistent and balanced middle palate with silky tannins. The whole offers a Pinot Noir to enjoy in its youth for those who like an assertive texture, but which will seduce with its density after five years and well beyond.
Tasting notes by Jeannie Cho Lee MW
"Medium-bodied and precise, this Corton has a leaner profile in 2024 with lovely raspberry and strawberry flavour definition and elegance. There is a joyous, graceful quality to this vintage that is well articulated in this cuvée. Best after 5-6 years of bottle age."
