Hospices sales: exceptional result, but below 2022!

Could it have been otherwise? The Hospices de Hospices auction Beaune The auction saw its prices fall slightly on Sunday, November 19, 2023, during its 153rd edition. The 753 coins offered were sold for a total of €23.3 million, compared to €31 million in 2022. The average price per coin was €30,839 (-15%).

This shift should not be confused with a failure: this result remains the second best of all time for the wine-growing hospital, just behind the 2022 edition, which surprised everyone with its exceptional result.

Buyers battled for seven hours, snapping up some items more than others. Thus the Bâtard -Montrachet (average price per piece €342,000, +14%) or the Clos Mouches wines were highly praised, while some less prestigious appellations, such as Savignys or Monthélies, saw their prices fall by more than 50%.

The highly anticipated charity play, meanwhile, sold for €350,000 in a more subdued atmosphere than usual. The event's patrons, Thierry Lhermitte and Michel Cymes, did everything they could to liven things up and raise the bid, with Lhermitte promising a dinner in his company and Cymes offering a consultation… But it wasn't enough to come close to the incredible 2022 record of €810,000.

The surprise comes even more from the buyer. This year, it's neither a maison Beaunoise, nor an Anglo-Saxon or Asian oenophile, but Olivier Poelaert, owner of the Château from Couches and the Mazenay cellar, in Saône-et-Loire. He himself expressed his surprise after the auction, and was delighted to thus highlight his appellation Bourgogne Côtes du Couchois, where he cultivates 25 hectares of vines.