BEAUNE.- On Sunday, at the historic Hospices de Beaune charity wine auction in Burgundy, record levels of global participation drove the final total to €18,754,670 / $21,496,368 (an aggregate of €20,223,043 / $23,509,670) – the third highest in the auction’s history.*

The centrepiece of the auction was a unique barrel of Pommard Premier Cru Les Rugiens, selected as this year’s Pièce des Présidents (Presidents’ Barrel) and generously donated by the Hospices Civils de Beaune to raise funds for two charities of its choosing. Cédric Klapisch, Vincent Lacoste, Alice Taglioni and Martin Solveig – luminaries from France’s film and music industries and ambassadors for the EHCO association and the Robert-Debré Children’s Brain Institute** – joined Sotheby’s auctioneer Aurélie Vandevoorde to spur bidding among the 700 attendees in the Halle de Beaune, delighting the crowd with humour and heartfelt encouragement. When the final hammer came down some twenty minutes later, the price had reached €400,000 - an auction record for a 228 litre Premier Cru Pièce des Présidents.***

Even before the 552-lot sale began, appreciation for the wines of the Hospices de Beaune – produced under the expert direction of estate manager Ludivine Griveau and her team – was evident, with a record number of registered participants by Sotheby’s at the Hospices de Beaune.

The strong demand was reflected in an average hammer price per barrel of red and white wines of €33,930, representing a 4.6% increase on 2024 and marking the fifth consecutive year in which the average price per barrel has exceeded €30,000.

Also leading the results were two barrels of Bâtard-Montrachet Grand Cru, Cuvée Dames de Flandres, which sold for €400,000 each, establishing - for the second consecutive year - a record price for a barrel of this exceptional white Grand Cru cuvée.

Following the presentation of the estate’s first fully certified organic wines at last year’s sale, this year’s auction was equally momentous, marked by the introduction of a 52nd cuvée – Clos de Vougeot Grand Cru, Cuvée François Faiveley – made possible through an exceptional donation from Domaine Faiveley, located within the Clos de Vougeot Grand Cru appellation. The two barrels sold for €165,000 and €170,000.

In total, 428 barrels of 34 red wines, 111 barrels (including two half-barrels) of 18 white wines, 11 barrels of eaux-de-vie, and the Presidents’ Barrel were offered.

Separate from the Presidents’ Barrel - and as per tradition - proceeds from the auction support the Hospices Civils de Beaune’s hospital programme. Funds raised from the 165th sale will contribute to the hospital’s major investment initiatives to modernise its facilities, including the ongoing construction of a new 15,000 m² hospital building to replace the first modern-era structure of the Hospices, dating from 1971; and the rebuilding of the hospital in Seurre.

Guillaume Koch, Director and Chairman of the Board of the Hospices Civils de Beaune, said: “We are delighted to have just achieved the third-largest sale in our history. Once again, the white wines held some wonderful surprises, including a new record for the most valuable barrel ever sold (excluding the Pièce des Présidents) with the Bâtard-Montrachet.”

*The overall hammer total of €18,754,670 includes the €400,000 raised by the Presidents’ Barrel, the only lot in the sale to exclude buyer’s premium fees. The hammer total excluding the Presidents’ Barrel was €18,354,670. The highest ever hammer total of €28.9m was achieved in 2022; the second highest total of €23.3m in 2023.

**Represented at the auction by Cédric Klapisch and Vincent Lacoste, the EHCO association is a non-profit organisation dedicated to helping handicapped children in the Côte-d'Or region. Represented at the auction by Alice Taglioni and Martin Solveig, the Robert-Debré Children’s Brain Institute is a pioneering research and care facility located in Paris, dedicated to understanding and supporting children’s cognitive development.

***The record price for a ‘Presidents’ Barrel was set in 2022 at €810,000, for a barrel of Corton Grand Cru.