11-day countdown – Recommended cuvées from the 2024 vintage

11-day countdown – Recommended cuvées from the 2024 vintage

Les Grands Vins des Hospices de Beaune selon Anima Vinum

Tasting of the 2024 Vintage at Domaine des Hospices de Beaune

General Burgundy Context: 2024 is a vintage marked by both reductions and variability, where careful selection will be essential.

Weather and Viticulture: The year 2024 kicked off with a mild and very rainy winter—welcome news after the very dry 2023, as it helped replenish the water tables. Spring also brought abundant rain, and a “tropical” episode in mid-April caused vegetation to flourish. April ended with cold and rain, and the first half of May was the same! It’s been a long time since we had such a gloomy spring!

The first signs of mildew were detected all over Burgundy, initially on the leaves, sparking efforts to protect the future grape clusters. The Hospices de Beaune will achieve organic certification this year, and Ludivine is determined not to back down now!

Budbreak was very promising, indicating a potentially generous harvest… Unfortunately, the cold and rain led to significant coulure (poor fruit set) in Pinot Noir and extended the flowering period, resulting in uneven ripeness, even within a single plot.

On July 6th and 7th, thunderstorms became a turning point for the vintage: 40 mm of rain in just two hours stripped the foliage, and the waterlogged soils needed 2 to 3 days to dry out before the sprayer could pass through. These three days without phytosanitary coverage provided the perfect conditions for powdery mildew and downy mildew to thrive.

Tasting of the 2024 Vintage at Domaine des Hospices de Beaune

Late Summer Conditions: The end of summer saw a rainy and overcast final fortnight in August, making berry ripening difficult and raising concerns that the grapes might rot before reaching maturity.

Harvesting finally began on September 11 with Pouilly-Fuissé, followed by Volnay on the 13th, then Beaune, and so on. Manual harvesting included meticulous sorting upon reception.

Vinification: The white grapes were whole-bunch pressed, while all reds were systematically destemmed. The white wines followed the usual process, with the exception of chaptalization in a few cuvées. These whites show a clean aromatic profile, structured around a classic Burgundy acidity!

Red wines were vinified “en parcellaires” (by plot), with each vineyard and terroir vinified separately, aiming for maximum precision. The reds are notably fruity, with fresh cherry and red currant aromas characterizing this vintage at Hospices. Their colors are quite intense, with bright, fresh red fruit on the nose, and the palate is light-bodied, fresh, and structured with round, fine tannins.

At Hospices de Beaune, 2024 promises to be a very typical Burgundy vintage! This year, 438 barrels and 3 feuillettes will be presented for sale (compared to 753 in 2023 and 802 in 2022).

Tasting Conditions: November 4, from 10:30 am to 12:30 pm, tasting from barrels. All wines are aged in new barrels. All reds have completed alcoholic fermentation and are fully dry, with two cuvées of Meursault 1er cru Genévrières containing around 2g/L of residual sugar. No malolactic fermentation has begun.

Five Selected Cooperages:

  • “Damy” for all white wines
  • “Billon” for Pernand-Vergelesses, Monthelie, and Auxey-Duresses
  • “François Frères” for Beaune 1er cru, Volnay-Santenots, and Pommard 1er cru
  • “Ermitage” for Volnay 1er cru and Pommard
  • “Taransaud” for Corton, Echezeaux, Clos de la Roche, and Mazis-Chambertin

And lastly, a taster in top form, equipped with finely-tuned taste buds! This vintage marks the 10th year of Ludivine Griveau at the Hospices de Beaune.

Highlights in Whites: My best impressions:

  • Saint Romain
  • Meursault “Goureau”
  • Meursault 1er cru Les Charmes “Bahèzre de Lanlay” and “Albert Grivault,” Meursault 1er cru Porusots “Jehan Humblot”
  • Corton Vergennes “Paul Chanson” Grand Cru

Highlights in Reds: I was especially impressed by the Savigny-lès-Beaune and Beaune areas, with 6 to 8 cuvées of remarkable quality there. Volnay gave us a delicious, quintessentially typical 1er cru cuvée. Finally, I’ll conclude with the most successful area this year: the Cortons are incredibly consistent and well-executed.

I’ll provide the full list of the best cuvées and our targets next week!

How to Subscribe with ANIMA VINUM, the Leading Artisanal Buyer at the Hospices de Beaune Auction: In the week preceding the upcoming November 17 auction, we will send our final selection of target cuvées and the maximum subscription prices (our maximum bid targets).

You may subscribe for as many bottles as you like, in multiples of 6 bottles or 3 magnums per desired cuvée. We will accept your subscriptions up until the auction begins at 2:00 pm on Sunday, November 17.

Starting Tuesday, November 19, we will confirm the final purchase prices (based on auction results). They will not exceed the target prices announced before the sale. Should any target cuvées not be acquired at the desired price, you may reallocate your subscription to other cuvées if you wish.

Your subscription will be validated upon receipt of your payment for the wines (including VAT but excluding shipping fees).

By choosing ANIMA VINUM, you opt for an artisanal approach to terroir wines: Long, non-interventionist aging, hand-bottling for reds (photos available), premium dry goods (corks air-dried for 15-18 months in the Tramontane, peroxide-free and chemical solvent-free, guaranteed free of cork taint; wooden crates, heavyweight bottles; grand cru and magnum bottles waxed by hand, labels personalized with your name).

You will be invited to Burgundy in the spring of 2024 to taste, directly from the barrels, the cuvées you subscribed to with us, while they are still aging.

Your wines will be ready for delivery at the end of 2026, upon final payment (this may include additional costs due to any increases in dry goods prices, which are currently unknown, plus delivery fees), except in the case of cuvées requiring particularly extended aging.

To follow the journey of our Escargot Vigneron at the Hospices de Beaune:

We look forward to seeing you around November 17, 2024, for our subscription announcement (watch your email inboxes)!