Details of Hospices auction announced

A barrel of Corton Bressandes grand cru will be the Pièce des Présidents at this year’s Hospices de Beaune auction and Jasper Morris MW has delivered his first impressions of the 2016 vintage.

The 228-litre barrel will be sold to benefit this year’s chosen charities, the ‘Coeur et Recherches’ foundation for research in the field of cardiovascular diseases and the ARC foundation for cancer research.

The Hospices is currently mourning the sudden loss of its director of nearly 30 years, Antoine Jacquet, who died earlier this month while on a promotional tour in China.

The festivities at the annual auction will remain unchanged although those present at the auction will be asked to observe a moment’s silence in Jacquet’s memory.

Jasper Morris MW, the new consultant for the auction, has also written his first impressions of the 2016 vintage, which will be offered at the sale.

His report begins: “The first half of the growing season was the most difficult in living memory, the second half as close to perfect as anybody could have hope for. Despondent faces at the end of June displayed relief by the end of September. The old expression ‘juin fait la quantité, septembre fait la qualité’ was never truer.

“The aromas emerging from the fermenting vats were pure and refined, and all seems set fair to make some excellent wines in 2016 – but sadly in very small volumes for certain vineyards.

“The red wines were fermented for about two weeks, to preserve their elegance. Ludivine Griveau, enjoying her second vintage as regisseur/oenologue at the Hospices de Beaune, pronounced the wines as they were brought out of their fermentation tanks as, ‘bien dans leur peau’ (feeling good in themselves). They have good colour, plenty of fruit and lots of flavour. There are no aggressive tannins, so they seem full bodied but silky, just like in 2010.’ (she said)

“The whites are currently fermenting, having been picked with correct sugar levels, balanced by adequate acidity. Pure and supple whites are expected. Overall the mood is one of considerable relief after the difficult start to the year, indeed a sense of optimism for the brand new vintage.”