Christie's Hospices de Beaune Auction is Bonne Hospitalité
I had the great fortune on the week-end to participate in an amazing library wine showcase with Christie’s auction house and the amazing Hospices de Beaune in Burgundy.
I assisted Scott Torrence, the Christie’s Vice President and Senior Wine Specialist (for the Americas) who came out from Los Angeles to showcase the Hospices de Beaune Premier Crus and Grand Crus available at the 151st Hospices de Beaune Auction.
This incredible wine auction is held on November 20, 2011. Our tasting was a gala affair conducted for the benefit of key Marriott Hotel corporate and development partners in a stunning home on the side of rugged Camelback Mountain. This fully-catered affair provided an opportunity for a beautiful Burgundy library tasting and an offering of a lifetime to purchase a barrel of the Hospices wine as Christie’s acting as the intermediary.
It works like this before the sale, first, the prospective buyer will chose from the 45 Cuvées that are offered from the Hospices de Beaune vineyards. The wines are sold vins primeurs which means the buyer will by the current 2011 vintage wine. Imagine purchasing your own barrel of Corton-Charlemagne or Mazis Chambertin! You can bid live by emailing Christie’s here for tickets and detailed tasting notes.
Imagine the excitement of crisp fall in Burgundy on the most prestigious week-end event of the season, not to mention fantastic restaurants like L’Ecusson, Le Relais Sainte Marie, and the innovative Via Mõkis. My personal favorite is cool wine bar, Le Bistrot Bourguignon, and the “Flying Sommelier,” Jean-Jacques Hegner. Jazz and Vin de Bourgogne are a natural match.
After a wine-bibbing bidder wins their barrel at auction, they must decide a few things. Typically a barrel will yield approximately 288 standard 750ml bottles (which translate to 24 cases of 12 bottles). However, the client may choose to bottle their wine in Magnums, or even larger formats! If one chose the 1.5 L bottle option it would be 24 cases of 6 bottles.
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