Hospices de Nuits-Saint-Georges auction: bucking the trend

As prices surged at this year ’s Hospices de Nuits-Saint-Georges wine auction, what do the sale’s results say about the broader state of the fine wine market? The beginning of March saw the Hospices de Nuits-Saint-Georges auction take place, during which the 2024 vintage went under the hammer. Billed as Burgundy’s best kept secret by iDealwine, which organised the event for the first time, this auction gives wine enthusiasts a chance to purchase 228-litre barrels, known as pièces, of Burgundian wine, with the profits going to the hospital attached to the winemaking estate. Just like its larger and more well-known counterpart in Beaune, the Hospices de Nuits-Saint-Georges combines healthcare and winemaking with a story steeped in history. Founded in 1270 to treat local people, the hospital gained its financial independence through donations, some in the form of vineyards. Legend has it that Hugues Perdrizet bequeathed the first vines in 1688, along with two workers to tend to them. Starting in 1938, the wines produced from the hospital’s vineyards were sold, before they started to be auctioned by the barrel in 1961, with the funds raised helping to maintain the work in the vineyard and being reinvested into the hospital. Each year, the proceeds of one barrel of wine are donated to another worthy cause working in the healthcare or humanitarian sector. This tradition honours the generosity of those who donated the vines in the first place. This year ’s auction will go down in history for two reasons: the first for the average price of a barrel rising 41.5% on the previous year; the second for the bottles and magnums of the estate’s wines from 2005-2017 (that were all snapped up by bidders), which were put up for auction to compensate for 2024’s small harvest.

Disastrous Weather

This final point helps to put this year ’s auction results into context. The 2024 vintage was marred by disastrous weather and mildew, which depleted the harvest. This resulted in a 75.5% drop in the volume up for auction in 2025. But, while the quantity was not abundant, the quality certainly was. Having said that, the results of the Hospices de Beaune auction in November last year were not so rosy. Often said to reflect the current state of the market, prices of red wine barrels fell by 5% – a stark contrast to the results of 2025’s Hospices de Nuits-Saint-Georges sale, where the average price of a red wine barrel increased 40.6% on last year. When it comes to white wines, the average price per barrel at the Hospices de Beaune auction was up 8% – but that is nothing compared to the gigantic 40% increase for the Hospice de Nuits’ white wines. Granted, Chardonnay only makes up 5% of the production there, which creates rarity, but the increase in the average price for the estate’s white wines still exceeded expectations. But this doesn’t fully explain the surge in prices, you may be saying to yourself. Well, true: there are three factors that we need to bear in mind when analysing this unprecedented increase. Jean-Marc Moron, the estate’s director, masterfully crafted beautiful wines that encapsulate everything a wine enthusiast searches for in a Burgundian Pinot Noir. However, only 35 pièces (and a half-pièce, also called a feuillette), as well as the charity pièce, were produced. For comparison, 150 barrels were filled during the 2023 vintage. This makes the rise in the average barrel price at this year ’s auction even more impressive. Sitting at €22,422, it is remarkably close to the all-time record set in 2022 (€22,807). But how does this compare to the current market? Although auction prices of fine wine have generally fallen over the past two years, Burgundy sets itself apart, as its average price remained stable in 2024, according to iDealwine, Europe’s leading wine auction house.

UNIQUE AUCTION

The first lies in the unique nature of this auction. The proceeds directly fund the work of the hospital, as well as the winemaking estate, so locals actively support these institutions and, in the event of small harvests, they often try to compensate for the low yields by pushing bids higher for each pièce. The second factor is the excellent quality of the wines. The auction battles and prices are a testament to the outstanding work of Jean-Marc Moron – an exceptional winemaker – and his team in a year that was plagued with issues. The Pinot Noirs that went under the hammer on 9 March embody the variety’s classic style: purity, delicacy and a silky texture. The prices are a well-earned tribute to the team’s remarkable work. The third reason for the increase in prices lies in the current market dynamics for Côte de Nuits wines. Demand for Pinot Noir from this prestigious region is strong around the globe. For years, the wines of the Hospices de Nuits flew under the radar, but no longer. Guillaume Koch, director of the Hospices de Beaune (which has managed the Hospices de Nuits since 2016), wanted to give this auction, which had long been a local affair and not very well-known outside Burgundy, a more international and modern dimension by entrusting it to a global player like iDealwine, and this strategy has proved successful. The wines’ true market value has seen the light of day and the prices for the 2024 vintage were driven by their rarity. All eyes will be on the 2025 vintage, which is just starting in Nuits-Saint-Georges, when it goes under the hammer next year to see if it can match the prices that 2024’s wines obtained. Only time will tell…

About iDealwine.com

• Founded in 2000, iDealwine is France’s top wine auctioneer and leading online wine auction house worldwide. • Fine Spirits Auction (FSA) is iDealwine’s dedicated spirits platform, launched in partnership with La Maison du Whisky, a French specialist in high-end spirits since 1956. Seven auctions of the finest whisky, rum, Cognac and more take place annually. • Based in Paris, and with offices in Bordeaux and Hong Kong, iDealwine sources rare bottles from European cellars, private collections and direct from producers before meticulously authenticating and shipping to enthusiasts, collectors and trade customers worldwide. • If you are keen to sell your wines or spirits, check out idealwine.com.