Far left: The gated entrance to Clos des Mouches, a 1er Cru site in Beaune
“I adore the 2023 vintage”
Neal Martin, Vinous
“I adore the 2023 vintage. I am hard pushed to think of another vintage so pleasurable from barrel - pleasure that its best growers will translate into bottle”
Neal Martin, Vinous
All wines in the Clos Fine Wine Burgundy 2023 campaign are offered in bond and will be delivered to the UK in 2026. Case sizes vary and can be packed in cases of three, six or twelve bottles, depending on the producer and wine.
Famille Gagey, Pernand Vergelesses ‘Clos de la Croix de Pierre’ 6x75 £160
Domaine Louis Jadot, Meursault 1er Cru ‘Les Charmes’ 6x75 £430
Domaine Louis Jadot, Puligny Montrachet 1er Cru ‘La Garenne’ 6x75 £400
Domaine Louis Jadot, Puligny Montrachet 1er Cru ‘Les Referts’ 6x75 £400
Héritiers Louis Jadot, Chassagne Montrachet 1er Cru ‘Les Chenevottes’ 6x75 £385
Héritiers Louis Jadot, Corton Charlemagne Grand Cru 6x75 £1,200
Héritiers Louis Jadot, Chevalier Montrachet Grand Cru ‘Les Demoiselles’ 3x75 £1,600 Héritiers Louis Jadot, Domaine Héritiers, Le Montrachet Grand Cru 3x75
Héritiers Louis Jadot, Beaune 1er Cru, ‘Clos des Ursules’, Monopole 6x75 £340
Héritiers Louis Jadot, Corton Pougets Grand Cru 6x75 £520
Domaine Louis Jadot, Chambolle-Musigny 1er Cru ‘Les Fuées’ 6x75 £535
Domaine Louis Jadot, Gevrey Chambertin 1er Cru, ‘Clos Saint Jacques’ 6x75 £955
Domaine Louis Jadot, Echézeaux Grand Cru 6x75 £1,310
Domaine Louis Jadot, Chapelle Chambertin Grand Cru 6x75 £1,310
Famille Gagey, Clos Saint Denis Grand Cru 6x75 £1,710
Domaine Louis Jadot, Chambertin Clos de Bèze Grand Cru 6x75 £2,230
All prices are in bond, and all are wines offered subject to remaining stock. E&OE
Chablis Villages ‘Domaine’ 6x75 £120
Chablis 1er Cru ‘Vaillons’ 6x75 £250
Chablis 1er Cru ‘Vaulorent’ 6x75 £335
Chablis Grand Cru ‘Bougros’ 3x75
Chablis Grand Cru ‘Valmur’ 3x75
Chablis Grand Cru ‘Les Clos’
Meursault Villages
Puligny Montrachet 1er Cru ‘Les Folatieres’ 6x75
Beaune 1er Cru Blanc ‘Clos des Mouches’ 6x75
Montrachet Grand Cru “Marquis de Laguiche
Beaune 1er Cru Rouge ‘Clos des Mouches’
de Vougeot Grand Cru
Vosne-Romanée 1er Cru ‘Petits Monts’
Beaune 1er Cru ‘Cuvée Maurice Drouhin’ 6x75
Volnay 1er Cru ‘Cuvée Général Muteau’ 6x75
After several years of enduring a cocktail of Mother Nature’s worst, from frosts to floods, 2022 was a vintage that allowed Burgundy to breathe a sight of relief. Depleted stocks were topped up, quality and quantity were back and all that was needed, it was widely agreed, would be two more years of good fortune.
Well, two out of three ain’t bad. Whereas 2024 will go down as a damp disappointment with poor yields, Burgundy 2023 is a magisterial vintage which offers that rare thing: quality AND quantity. It must have been sweet relief for vignerons not to worry about just how they would scrape together enough healthy grapes to fill a few barrels and instead be faced with a decision on whether or not to chop off healthy bunches to preserve quality on their abundant vines.
The success of a vintage begins well before the vines enter a period of dormancy in winter and the success of a previous year creates a sort of ‘rollover jackpot’ effect for the next year. For 2023 the sheer number of sunlight hours experienced in 2022 served to charge up the vines’ energy reserves to leave plenty in the tank for the growing season ahead.Primed and ready to go, the year began dry and warm, with average temperature of 4.5C and modest rainfall, with above average temperatures in February and March. 57mm of rain in March helped to top up reserves ahead of an April budbreak that occurred between the 7-10 April.
There was happy equilibrium across the Côte d’Or from May to July, with warm temperatures that largely tracked those of the previous vintage, but also intermittent showers which saw that the vines never went thirsty enough to shut down completely. Flowering occurred towards the end of May and coincided with a fortuitous warm spell.
By mid-June it was a common sight across the region to see vines heaving with more than twenty bunches of grapes and the promise of a rare, abundant harvest. This led to the
conundrum of whether to ‘green harvest’ or not. This is a process by which vignerons secateur healthy bunches from the vine, ostensibly to ensure that concentration in the remaining grapes is not diluted.
However, this is not a straightforward process, as older vines (those seen in 1er Cru & Grand Cru sites) produce fewer bunches and concentrated fruit anyway, and generally the fruit being produced did not lack concentration at all. There are strict maximum yields in Burgundy to ensure that quality is maintained, so in many cases the process of green harvesting seems rather to have been done to satisfy the strict appellation boards rather than for any vinous dogma.
Whilst all seemed well until now, below average heat in July and August, plus a dramatic storm on 11 July meant that there were worries in some quarters that sugar accumulation might not have been optimum in some lieu dits. Mother Nature came to the rescue with two big heatwaves, the first peaking at an extraordinary 37C on August 24, and the second one occurring in the first week of September right as some producers were getting ready to pick.
It is at this juncture that access to a team of pickers and equipment (i.e a large budget) and a great degree of flexibility enabled many producers to pick at optimum times and prevent fruit from baking. Access to refrigerated storage enabled assiduous grape selection without time pressure in the winery, whilst fermentation temperatures were relatively low, with shorter maceration times and an altogether lighter touch in terms of aggravating the grape must, preserving the requisite freshness and acidity.
The wines themselves are quite remarkable, one of the best vintages in Burgundy for quite some time and with increased quantities from all producers. The white wines show gorgeous white and yellow fruit profiles counterbalanced by low pHs and chiselled structures to ensure that their opulence is tempered without ever being diminished. The Montrachets, from the 1er Cru Chassagnes up to the quite outstanding Grand Crus demonstrate the very best of this region when it is on song. I also had a soft spot for the Meursaults which gave some of that light smokiness alongside the ripe fruit that you get in great vintages (and at lower prices, too!).
The red wines are unlike anything I’ve tried in recent years from Burgundy, with the best producers managing to deliver Pinot Noirs of such ripe and juicy fruit, but without losing the outstanding freshness and structure that vintages like 2017 provided. I also loved that
Far left: The entrance gate to the 1er Cru site of Chevalier-Montrachet, just outside Beaune
Above: The famous label of the lieu-dit within that same vineyard, of ‘Les Demoiselles’ from Héritiers Louis Jadot and offered this year to our clients. Neal Martin scored the wine a huge 94-96 points commenting on its ‘multifacted’ nature, and ‘poise’.
so many reds from the 2023 vintage had that exciting crunchiness from unctuously ripe red and blue fruit, with spicier black fruits when traversing further north along the Côte d’Or.
This is unequivocally a Burgundy vintage to stock up on – I was overwhelmed by the sheer quality of both whites & reds. In a buying market that has seen nosebleed-inducing prices for decent Burgundy in recent years, increased quantities this year meant that cases were being offered in sixes (as opposed to just threes last year) and in many cases prices are down!
I suggest all clients snap up cases where they can, because the next vintage (2024) looks to be a washout which will see tiny quantities & astronomical prices.
Mother Nature delivered the weather, the vignerons delivered outstanding wines and lower prices, so now it’s up to you to grab these Burgundian gems!
Dominic
Brennan, January 2025
Critical reporting on Burgundy 2022 is unanimously and overwhelmingly positive, with the leading critics consistent in their remarks that very good quantites have not impeded superior quality. The marrying of ripe fruit and real tension on the palate has also been prasied in both the whites and reds. A selection of critics’ summary quotes can be found below:
“I adore the 2023 vintage . It is not the greatest ever, some kind of apotheosis. But I am hard pushed to think of another vintage so pleasurable from barrel—pleasure that its best growers will translate into bottle. Time and again, as I tasted unfinished wines, thoughts of relishing the same finished wine at some future date kept popping into my head.
The best wines can be summed up in a single word… Charm . The Lord Giveth. It is up to you whether to take them away”.
“ The white wines in 2023 are delicious , with far more character than the last outsize vintage, 2018. They are mostly going to be accessible early, though some have the tension and tenacity to become really interesting wines in maturity. Pinot noir is less comfortable with high yields... fortunately, the experience of 2017 has shown that at least it is possible to ripen a large crop of pinot these days [and] there are some absolutely lovely wines ”.
“If one characteristic defines the 2023 vintage in Burgundy, it’s abundance. For Pinot Noir, this was a year of abundant yields, for many the highest since 1999; and for Chardonnay, where the crop was more measured, 2023 is a year of abundant flesh and texture. At their best, in both colors, these are wines of demonstrative charm and immediacy—and sometimes of surprising structure for so copious a crop ”.
Maison Louis Jadot is considered to have one of the finest winemaking reputations across Burgundy. Founded in 1859 & owning over 60 hectares of vineyard in the region, the Domaines are run by Pierre-Henri Gagey, assisted by Jacques Lardière, one of the most respected head winemakers working in Burgundy today. Lardière’s philosophy is one of minimal intervention, in both the vineyard & the winery, generating wines which display fresh fruit and natural minerality.
Pre-eminent wine critic Robert Parker said of the Domaines “one can be almost certain that a Jadot wine from Burgundy, from whatever part of their enormous spectrum of wines, including those of villages level, will possess clarity of flavour and a site-specific distinction.”
The 2023 white wines are the most delicious I have tasted from Jadot and come with my strongest possible recommendation, especially as this year man come in cases of six, and not three as in 2022.
Famille Gagey, Pernand Vergelesses
‘Clos de la Croix de Pierre’
£160 per 6 bottles in Bond
One of my top tips in terms of outright value, at £26 a bottle, the nose is full of yuzu lemon, green apple, white peach, candied orange peel and lychee. The elegant aromas continue onto a very well-structured palate with real poise and tremendous length on the finish. Brilliant, yet again.
Domaine Louis Jadot, Meursault 1er Cru
‘Les Charmes’
£430 per 6 bottles in Bond
I felt this ‘Charmes’ was right back on song in 2023 and with a decrease in price of 7% and an increase in quality, it is a solid buy for Meursault lovers. With a nose of lime, pressed white flowers, white peach and that quintissential fumé it is supremely inviting. The structure for a 1er Cru Meursault is fabulous with mandarin oil & hazelnut. Richly profiled, with a long finish. Wow.
Domaine Louis Jadot, Puligny Montrachet 1er Cru
‘La Garenne’
£400 per 6 bottles in Bond
Neal Martin prasied “a delightful bouquet with apple blossom, peach skin, and crushed stone aromas” and I wholeheartedly agree. The palate has an unerring sense of delineation and tension with a fine bead of acidity which gives way to flecks of creaminess on the palate and a mouthwateirng finish. One of the relative bargains of the vintage, a fine Puligny.
Domaine Louis Jadot, Puligny Montrachet 1er Cru
‘Les Referts’
£400 per 6 bottles in Bond
In contrast to the white and green fruited aromas found in ‘La Garenne’, ‘Les Referts’ displays more unctuously ripe fruit, with a kaleidoscopic nose of pineapple, nectarine and even mango. On the palate is shows real refinement, with racy acidity and gentle spice on a persistent finish. The perfect Puligny for lovers of riper 1er Cru Burgundy.
Héritiers Louis Jadot, Chassagne Montrachet
1er Cru ‘Les Chenevottes’
£385 per 6 bottles in Bond
A wine I buy each year, it always delivers, and in 2023 displays aromas of lemon thyme, crushed rock, yuzu, orange rind, saffron and a touch of brioche. I am a sucker for good Chassagne and I think that this ‘Les Chenevottes’ is magnificent, showing unctuous fruit on the palate, but it is also tensile, showcasing brilliant, mouthwatering acidity. One of my stars of 2023.
Héritiers Louis Jadot, Corton Charlemagne
Grand Cru
£1,200 per 6 bottles in Bond
With quantity of this rare Grand Cru up and the release price down nearly 9%, this offers lovers of Corton Charlemagne a brilliant buying opportunity. Neal Martin prasied its ‘attractive nose of butterscotch, vanilla pod, passion fruit, and light pineapple scents’ noting it is ‘determined to make an impression’. Its structure is wonderful and lives up to the billing.
Héritiers Louis Jadot, Chevalier Montrachet Grand Cru ‘Les Demoiselles’
£1,600 per 3 bottles in Bond
Situated just above Le Montrachet, I visited this lieu dit and was astonished at just how small it is, with Jadot only owning half a hectare of vines. Neal Martin awarded it an astonishing 94-96 points, praising its ‘very controlled bouquet with real minerality and poise [with] yellow fruit and crushed flowers’. This is remarkable, barnstorming Grand Cru white Burgundy. Magnificent.
Héritiers Louis Jadot, Le Montrachet Grand Cru
£2,400 per 3 bottles in Bond
Neal Martin awarded this 94-96 points, noting that “it will be a great ‘Monty’”. I loved that alongside the generous yellow and white fruit notes, there was a little more oak influence, with some spice, resin and gentle smoke. On the palate it is massive, hugely profiled as it unfurls in waves and waves, with a relentless finish, full of racy acidity. This is magical.
The 2023 reds from Jadot are utterly delicious. I loved how even the usually black fruited Northern appellations displayed juicy red and bramble fruits, with chiselled struction and stunning tension between tannins and acidity. Fill your boots!
Héritiers Louis Jadot, Beaune 1er Cru, Clos des Ursules, Monopole
£340 per 6 bottles in Bond
From this 2.15 hectare enclave, a jewel of the Jadot portfolio, ripe red cherries, strawberries, blood orange, red plum, orange pith, iris petal, wild mint and liquorice. There is real juciness here, with the ripe fruit intermingling with racy acidity and filigree tannins to give excellent tension. This is, yet again, one of the brilliant value wines of 2023.
Héritiers Louis Jadot, Corton Pougets Grand Cru
£520 per 6 bottles in Bond
A Neal Martin 93-95 point-rated Grand Cru for £86 a bottle? Really? Les Pougets comprises two parcels covering 9.7 hectares in the mid-slope adjacent to Le Charlemagne, on chalk and iron rich marl soils. The nose is kaleidoscopic, with fig, red plum, raspberry, red cherry, and sous bois, with flecks of rose petal and smoke. This is a relative vinous bargain in 2023.
Domaine Louis Jadot, Chambolle-Musigny 1er Cru
‘Les Fuées’
£535 per 6 bottles in Bond
When it comes to red Burgundy, I am a sucker for Chambolle-Musigny, whose perfume-like aromatic profile and silken structure I find instantly beguiling. ‘Les Fuées’ was scored the same (91-93) by Neal Martin as the sought after and much more expensive ‘Les Amoureuses’, which is double the price! With wild strawberry, briar fruit, light bonfire scents, and minerality, this is my red tip of the vintage.
Domaine Louis Jadot, Gevrey Chambertin 1er Cru, ‘Clos Saint Jacques’
£955 per 6 bottles in Bond
Neal Martin awarded this Gevrey Chambertin 1er Cru a quite exceptional 94-96 points, writing that it “really shows its class (as usual)”. I was bowled over by its gorgeous red fruit compoté, black cherry and light flintiness. The palate is staggering in both its poise and magnitude, with a persistent, racy finish replete with flecks of hoisin and peppery spice. Wonderful.
Domaine Louis Jadot, Echézeaux Grand Cru
£1,310 per 6 bottles in Bond
Awarded 94-96 points by Neal Martin, he described this 2023 as “one of the picks from Jadot this year, this Echézeaux is as good as you will find in 2023 Considering the eye-watering prices of Echézeaux from other producers in 2023, this deserves a queue around the block, vying for its wild strawberry, cranberry and red cherry fruit profile and sumptuous, elegant finish.
Domaine Louis Jadot, Chapelle Chambertin Grand Cru
£1,310 per 6 bottles in Bond
This is a decidedly opulent Grand Cru, with crunchy red berries, plums, violet petal, blood orange, bramble fruit, wild mint, and sage on the nose. The palate shows remarkable freshness and vivacity, with cashmere-soft tannins which bely its muscled undercurrent giving just a modicum of grip amidst flecks of pepper spice. For lovers of this great Grand Cru, the 2023 offers precision as well as panache.
Famille Gagey, Clos Saint Denis Grand Cru
£1,710 per 6 bottles in Bond
The walled ‘clos’ of Saint-Denis sits nestled between other famous Grand Crus sites in Morey-Saint-Denis. In 2023 I love its gently floral nose with notes of sous bois and incense, too. The palate is quite remarkable, with blood orange, cranberry, white pepper, boysenberry and flecks of wild mint. As it percolates in the mouth it unfurls with wonderful acidity and freshness.
Domaine Louis Jadot, Chambertin Clos de Bèze Grand Cru
£2,320 per 6 bottles in Bond
With a history in the region going back over 250 years and a huge 78 hectares of prestigious vineyards including holdings in six of the seven Grand Cru vineyards, William Fevre have earned their place as one of the most sought-after names in the appellation.
Working hard to express each vineyard’s unique terroirs the Domaine has obtained the highest possible level of environmental certification and practised sustainable viticulture for over ten years. Recently William Fevre has moved to organic and biodynamic-inspired viticulture, with the aim of creating biodiversity of flora and fauna and ultimately wines with an innate sense of place, depth and precision.
These six wines in this super vintage are Chablis of unimpeachable quality from their village Chablis up to their world-famous Grand Crus.
Chablis Villages
‘Domaine’
£120 per 6 bottles in Bond
A brilliant wine for the price, marked out consistently by Allen Meadows of Burghound as a ‘Top Value Wine’ and which in this 2023 Neal Martin praised as a ‘solid Chablis Villages’. This is pitch perfect Chablis from a great vintage, with a nose of apple blossom, pear and crushed rock, and generous, ripe fruit on the palate with juicy acidity. At just £20 a bottle, stock up!
Chablis 1er Cru
‘Vaillons’
£250 per 6 bottles in Bond
Described by Jasper Morris MW as the ‘most incisive Chablis 1er Cru... with a classic marine, mineral character that is the hallmark of fine Chablis’, this Vaillons has lovely salinity, lemon zest, white flowers & hawthorn. The palate is deliciously structured and focussed throughout with a finish that percolates. Well worth the 90-92 Neal Martin points.
Chablis 1er Cru
‘Vaulorent’
£335 per 6 bottles in Bond
In the words of Jasper Morris, “this is an exceptional Premier Cru”. Vaulorent sits flush to the Grand Cru site of ‘Preuses’ explaining why winemaker Didier Séguier calls it their “baby Grand Cru”. Supreme depth, nuance and power with oyster shell & petrichor on the nose, a palate of sour lemon gives tremendous tension. A trade secret at £55 a bottle.
Chablis Grand Cru ‘Bougros’
£200 per 3 bottles in Bond
£400 per 6 bottles in Bond
A ‘Sweet Spot’ wine with Meadows, this is supreme, affordable Grand Cru Chablis. Neal Martin was impressed, awarding 91-93 points, commenting on a “very composed & steely [palate], a subtle reductive element here, fine weight with an elegant finish… it has real panache”. I loved its nose of lemon thyme & crushed rock & generous layers on the palate. A real show stopper.
Chablis Grand Cru ‘Valmur’
£240 per 3 bottles in Bond
£480 per 6 bottles in Bond
Valmur forms a wedge between Grand Cru sites Les Clos & Grenouilles, in an enclosed valley, creating monolithic wines thanks to the clay in the soils. This was Neal Martin’s highest rated Fevre Chablis in 2023, with a huge 93-95 points: ‘a scent of shucked oyster shell permea[ting] the nose, and puts it above the Vaudésir in terms of complexity. A superb reduction”. The same score as ‘Les Clos’ but £180 cheaper!
Chablis Grand Cru ‘Les Clos’
£330 per 3 bottles in Bond
£660 per 6 bottles in Bond
Jasper Morris MW put it best; “it’s a tough job to challenge the Fèvre bottling of Les Clos, which comes from 8 plots with an average vine age of over 50 years. Perhaps the most complete wine of them all”. Neal Martin gave 93-95 points; “the palate is very concentrated & intense, more so than Fèvre’s other Grand Cru. Very harmonious with a poised, stem ginger tinged-finish lingering long in the mouth. Excellent”.
Meursault, Villages
£288 per 6 bottles in Bond
As Meursault Villages offerings go, Drouhin’s offers superb value for money, with mouthwatering acidity, freshness and a particular vein of minerality. Notes of white blossom, white peach & light toast give way to confident structure on the palate with some salinity and melted butter. Very good indeed for the price, with Neal Martin writing “this is recommended”.
This fourth generation family, whose Domaine was founded in Beaune in 1880, have adopted an innovative and modern approach to winemaking, spearheaded by biodynamic principles, whilst still maintaining the traditional terroir-inspired essence of Burgundy. The Domaine was assembled parcel-by-parcel over the years and today comprises 73 hectares of vineyards in Côte de Nuits, Côte de Beaune, Côte Chalonnaise and Chablis. As one of the most important domaines in Burgundywe’re delighted to offer a selection of our favourite 2023s to Clos clients.
Puligny Montrachet 1er Cru
‘Les Folatières’
£648 per 6 bottles in Bond
Another super Puligny Montrachet in 2023, there is a delicate floral bouquet with flecks of white peach, apricot & citrus peel as well as mineral notes of oyster shell. The palate is very well balanced, cohesive and poised, giving flecks of orange pith and lemon oil, all the while maintaining impressive freshness and acidity that propels it to its mouthwatering finish.
Beaune 1er Cru Blanc
‘Clos des Mouches’
£756 per 6 bottles in Bond
I love white Beaune, it is seriously underrated and something of a secret in the wine trade. This excellent Drouhin offering from the walled plot of Clos des Mouches gives aromas of quince, yellow peach and crushed stone. The texture on the palate is fabulous with a bit of oiliness, and real fruit intensity. Neal Martin awared it 92-94 points, suggesting that it “may well surpass the 2022”.
Montrachet Grand Cru
‘Marquis de Laguiche’
£1,875 per 6 bottles in Bond
With vines dating back to 1961, 1969 & 1984, this revered site in Montrachet has been held by famille Laguiche since before the revolution. An opulent, intoxicating nose of mandarin oil, hazlenut and blossom, this full-bodied, enveloping wine is a giant and one of the great wines of Burgundy. It is also one of the rare investable wines we offer en primeur, with multiple vintages of this great Montrachet outperforming the Burgundy 150 investment index. A rare gem.
Beaune 1er Cru Rouge
‘Clos des Mouches’
£540 per 6 bottles in Bond
As always, Clos des Mouches is a wonderful kaleidoscopic red Beaune, with fruit coming from 35 separate plots, all with different geology. The nose has flecks of dark chocolate and pink pepper, then juicy, ripe blackberry and red cherry. There is a handsome structure here and pliant tannins. Neal Martin was impressed, writing that it “should be very fine once in bottle”.
Chambolle-Musigny 1er Cru
£594 per 6 bottles in Bond
Coming from five separate plots, all privately owned by the Drouhin family, there is wonderful purity to the fruit on the nose. As with all 1er Cry Chambolle-Musignys, the texture on the palate is silken, with cashmere soft tannins. The crushed red and black fruits percolate with flecks of spice on a lingering finish. Neal Martin called the 2023 “a commendable follow up to the 2022, and may even surpass it”.
Clos de Vougeot Grand Cru
£1,500 per 6 bottles in Bond
This is monumental effort from Drouhin in 2023 and one of the wines of the vintage, with Neal Martin awarding it 95-97 points. Black cherry, raspberry & violet waft from the glass and the palate is deliciously fleshy with, as Neal Martin puts it, “impressive depth and plenty of blue fruit on the finish that makes it seem like a Bonnes-Mares. Superb”.
Vosne-Romanée 1er Cru
‘Petits Monts’
£1,680 per 6 bottles in Bond
Dark berry fruit (blackberry & cranberry) percolate with blood orange rind, brown spices and cedar. The palate is gorgeous, with lovely, filigree tannins, ample tart red cherry fruit and veins of blue fruit toward the silky finish. One of the finest Vosne Romanées I’ve ever tasted, and awarded 93-95 points by Neal Martin who said it was “within touching distance of the superlative 2022”.
The Hospices de Beaune cuvées are completely unique gems which offer Burgundy lovers a rare opportunity to own 1er Cru & Grand Cru wines at attractive prices compared to those from the top producers en primeur.
In 1443, near the end of the Hundred Years War, the chancellor of Beaune, under Philippe the Good, founded a hospital for unfortunates and started a religious order to tend to the sick. Since this hospital sat at the crossroads of a wine producing region, it wasn’t long before the sisters healed a few local vinters who, in gratitude for their return to health, handed over hunks of their vineyards.
Soon the Hospice had sizeable holdings and sales of the wine production on these deeded lands helped subsidise hospital operations. By 1859 the sales were formalized into an annual auction which Christie’s took over in 2005, raising the profile of the auction worldwide, before handing over to Sotheby’s in 2021.
In November 2023 I travelled to the world famous Hospices de Beaune auction to sample the full stable of wines and pick my favourites to bid on for our clients. In tandem with Alberic Bichot, president of Maison Albert Bichot, we bid on and secured a very special barrel each of 1er Cru Beaune Rouge and 1er Cru Volnay.
We have a tiny number of cases remaining from our syndicate barrels, labelled with the iconic Hospices de Beaune printing, and ready for delivery in the coming months. These are wines of exceptional quality and, as they were bought over a year ago, represent exceptional value for money.
Beaune 1er Cru ‘Cuvée Maurice Drouhin’
£605 per 6 bottles in Bond
This was easily the finest Beaune 1er Cru I’ve ever tasted and so I was delighted that we secured a barrel. The cuvée is overseen by Monsieur Drouhin personally and it shows, with its opulent nose of red cherry, wild strawberry, crushed raspberries and blood orange. The palate is sumptuous, with mineral freshness, lots of acidity & super structure. Utterly superb.
Volnay 1er Cru ‘Cuvée Général Muteau’
£858 per 6 bottles in Bond
Named after Général Muteau, Staff Officer to General Foch during the First World War who was awarded the Légion d’Honneur, this famous cuvée is made up of five of the finest Volnay Premier Crus. I adored its seductive nose of red, blue & black fruits, with flecks of licorice, violet & spice. The structure here is as elegant as it gets, silken from start to finish, imbued with cashmere soft tannins. Stunning.
All of the wines contained in this Burgundy 2023 document are offered en primeur, that is to say that they are currently still in barrel. They will be ready for delivery to the UK in 2026 which we will arrange.
All wines will be shipped directly to London City Bond to be stored under bond on your behalf, or you may request that the wines are delivered to you, which we can arrange at cost.
When a wine is removed from bonded storage, duty and VAT will be payable on the value of the wine and will be billed to you.
We will only ever offer wines to our clients which we would buy for ourselves. Wines must represent excellent value for money (considering the prevailing market). In our opinion, given increases in quality and reductions in price ahead of a troubled 2024 vintage, the 2023 vintage is a vintage very much to buy.