BurgundyHospice de Beaune Wine Auction Weekend

Thursday 13th to Sunday 16th November 2014 (opens a pdf file)

Here are some of the highlights of what is a centre-piece of the Burgundy year.

Friday morning

Saga of Grands Crus
Jean-Pierre Renard, one of Burgundy's most illustrious characters, will take us through, at l'Ecole des Vins de Bourgogne, a Grands Crus tutored tasting and we will focus on one terroir - the Grands Crus of Chambolle-Musigny. He will explain how terroir can change within a single village and we will taste four Grand Crus, including one from two different vintages; e.g. Bonnes Mares. We think this will be very interesting and offer the opportunity to compare the same terroir over two different vintages.

Friday afternoon

Domaine visit
We will visit Alain Coche, Domaine Coche-Bizouard in Meursault for a tasting in his private cellar of his Meursault single vineyard, Meursault 1er cru, Puligny-Montrachet 1er Cru and Batard-Montrachet Grand Cru. Alain and his son Fabien believe passionately that each individual parcel should be respected and they have a range of single vineyard Meursault that we can contrast and compare during the tasting. He also has a rare Meursault red and excellent Pommard Vieilles Vignes and 1er Cru.

Friday evening

Dinner
We will take a 4-course dinner at the Auberge St Martin in Bouilland. We have known owners Didier and Marie-Luce for 10 years and they use fresh, seasonal produce and everything is prepared and cooked by Didier. He has the best Coq au Vin in Burgundy! This will be a much more personal experience with excellent, home-made dishes prepared with passion by Didier and served with a smile by Marie-Luce. Once again, we will have a winegrower join us for dinner presenting and pairing their wines.

Saturday morning/lunchtime

Food/Wine pairing
Last year many told us this was the highlight of the weekend. Jean-Pierre will take us through the principles of matching food and Burgundy wine. This is followed, in a private salon at Hostellerie Le Cedre, by a "duo" lunch. Each course is prepared in two different ways and we have two Burgundy wines to match with each course and we are invited to discuss which pairs best with which dish.
A great opportunity for us to develop our repertoire of Burgundy food matching.

Sunday morning

Tasting in the Hospice private cellars.
We are guided through a tutored tasting of all the wines, in barrel, that will be auctioned that afternoon. Walk through the cellars stopping where you wish to taste the full range of cuvees - from village to prestigious Grands Crus.

Vineyard visit
Following the barrel tasting in the Hospice cellars we will head out to the Corton Charlemagne vineyards accompanied by Jean-Pierre to see at first hand, through the eyes of an expert, the growing cycle, marked differences in terroir and cultivation of the vineyard.

Sunday afternoon

Auction
We talked to Stephane Briday (Domaine Michel Briday) regarding him leading guests, that wish to bid, at the Auction. He will mature and bottle any barrels purchased at a much more competitive price than last year. Taking a total budget of say, €10,000, this means there will be more available for the bid itself either for an individual or consortium. This is being finalised but Stephane is very interested. He usually buys one or two barrels for himself each year. For those who do not wish to bid, we can enjoy listening to the bids from outside the auction hall.

Prices

Say Americans in France sent you and get 5% off (first three nights only) on bookings before 30th April, 2014!

The 'Sensory pleasures with Bourgogne Wines' Hospice de Beaune weekend is limited to a maximum of 14 people. Reservations close on 30th March 2014 for Hostellerie Le Cèdre and 1st July 2014 for Hotel Belle Epoque.

Hostellerie Le Cèdre:

• Price is €2,013 per person for a 'supérieure' room. Price based per person for a double occupancy.
• Price is €2,550 per person for a single occupancy in a 'supérieur' room.
• Price is €2,078 per person for a 'privilège' room. Price based per person for a double occupancy.
• Price is €2,681 per person for a single occupancy in a 'privilège' room.

Hotel Belle Epoque:

• Price is €1 751 Euros per person for a 'suite' room. Price based per person for a double occupancy.
• Price is €2 010 Euros per person for a single occupancy.

This price includes:

• Three nights' accommodation in Beaune at the 3-star Hotel Belle Epoque or 5-star Hostellerie le Cèdre
• Meals, drinks included as described in the programme
• The Accompaniment by Lynne and David Hammond, Bringing Burgundy To You during the whole stay
• Contributions in English by an expert from the Ecole des Vins de Bourgogne
• A session of tasting (the Saga of the grand Crus of Bourgogne, focus on Chambolle-Musigny' Grand Cru)
• Tasting in Domaine Coche Bizouard
• The food & wines pairing session
• The entry fee for the tasting on Sunday morning (barrel tasting at the Hospice de Beaune new cellar)
• Farewell drinks
• Local transport according to the programme

This price does not include:

• Any services not mentioned in the program
• Any personal expenses
• Private parking
• Optional cancellation insurance

An additional night accommodation is available at Hostellerie Le Cèdre for Sunday 16th November at € 216 per person for a 'supérieure' room (double occupancy) or €421 for a 'Supérieure' room in single occupancy.
An additional night accommodation is available at Hostellerie Le Cèdre for Sunday 16th November at € 232 per person for a 'privilège' room (double occupancy) or €465 for a 'privilège' room in single occupancy.
Breakfast and local taxes included. Private parking is available at Le Cedre for a charge (€16/per night) or free on-street parking is possible adjacent to the hotel.
An additional night accommodation is available at Hotel Belle Epoque for Sunday 16th November at € 99 per person for a 'Suite' room (double occupancy) or €186 for a 'Suite' room in single occupancy. Breakfast and local taxes included. Private parking is available at Hotel Belle Epoque for a charge (€ 5/per night) or free on-street parking is possible nearby the hotel.

With very best wishes and we hope you will be able to join us for what will be an amazing weekend in November.
David & Lynne
00 33 (0)3 85 49 51 34

Follow @jeffsteiner