At 8:30 in the morning, Beaune still felt half-asleep. The streets were glistening from the morning rain. The air cool and echoing with the faint sounds of people slowly setting up for the auction and the weekend’s festivities unfolding across town. Yet inside the historic Hospices de Beaune, in the Salle Saint-Nicolas, the atmosphere was electric. This room, normally part of the museum, had transformed into a once-in-a-lifetime tasting event. Before the bustling frenzy of the annual charity auction, I had been invited to an exceptionally rare preview: to taste 51 of the 52 barrels* that would soon headline the 165th Vente des Vins des Hospices de Beaune.
This tasting was not open to the public. An intimate room filled with professionals and journalists swirling glass after glass of wines that most people will never have the opportunity to encounter. Only a very lucky few will, and even then, only years from now. Wines that, in reality, do not yet exist in their final form.
These were en primeur wines of the 2025 vintage. And tasting them inside the Hospices itself felt like stepping behind the curtain of Burgundy’s most storied stage.
Keep reading for a closer look at the event, what to expect from the 2025 vintage, and to uncover the cuvées that left the strongest impression on me.
Menu
What It Means to Taste En Primeur
The 2025 Vintage: Climate and Character
My Top Five White Wines
My Top Five Red Wines
Overall Thoughts
What It Means to Taste En Primeur
The wines in our glasses were at the very start of their lives. Harvested this autumn, they are still young and unfinished. This is the heart of en primeur. Buyers purchase these wines as futures, long before they are bottled or ready to drink. They are investing in potential; trusting the vineyard, the vintage, and the winemaking to shape what comes next.
Tasting en primeur is different from tasting a finished wine. You look for clues. Acidity shows freshness. Tannins reveal structure. Fruit and aroma point to future character. Each sip is a snapshot of what the wine might become after years of ageing.
Despite their youth, many of the 2025s already showed remarkable balance and purity. The vintage has produced wines that are expressive even at this early stage, which made the experience both educational and deeply enjoyable.
This tasting also marks an important shift for the estate. From the 2024 harvest onward, the Domaine des Hospices de Beaune is officially certified organic. It is a new chapter for one of Burgundy’s most historic properties.
The 2025 Vintage: Climate and Character
The 2025 vintage is already being described as extraordinary. It was a small harvest, but the quality is impressive. The season brought widespread millerandage, which means the grapes developed unevenly. Some berries stayed very small while others grew normally. Those tiny berries hold less juice but a higher concentration of flavour, colour, and structure. For red wines especially, this can be a gift.
Two intense heatwaves during the summer added further richness and depth. Then, just as harvest began, rain arrived. It caused some panic, but the timing turned out to be ideal. That burst of moisture gave the wines the freshness and lift that often define Burgundy’s greatest years.
Growers and négociants are calling the vintage splendid, moving, and radiant. The wines show clear expressions of their individual terroirs, with each village and vineyard revealing its own personality. It is a year that captures the diversity of Bourgogne in a vivid, precise way.
Many are already saying 2025 is a must-have vintage for the cellar. The wines have depth, energy, and natural balance that should help them age beautifully.
White Wine Profile
The whites fall into two distinct styles. The first group is fresh and tense, with crisp acidity and aromas of pear, peach, and white-fleshed fruit. They feel bright and focused. The second group is richer and more generous, showing exotic fruit, fuller textures, and a smooth, flowing palate. Both styles feel harmonious and complete, even at this early stage.
Red Wine Profile
The reds are deeply coloured and expressive. The small, thick-skinned berries of the season created wines with pure red fruit, silky tannins, and moderate alcohol. They feel poised, elegant, and balanced. Cherry and raspberry notes dominate, with a finesse that suggests long ageing potential. Even now, the reds show both structure and charm.
My Top Five White Wines
Bâtard-Montrachet Grand Cru Dame de Flandres
For me, this was the standout of the entire tasting. The nose rose from the glass with a soft, cloudlike perfume of vanilla chantilly. Beneath that, a faint citrus glow kept it lifted and precise. On the palate, the wine moved like silk. Despite its youth, it already showed remarkable depth and an exceptionally long, resonant finish. One of only two whites that had completed malolactic fermentation, which gave it that luxurious texture and refined softness. Whoever secured this barrel is truly fortunate. When this wine reaches maturity, it will be magnificent.
History: The Hospices acquired this parcel in 1989. The cuvée honours the Sisters of Flanders, who cared for patients at the Hôtel-Dieu for centuries.
Winning bid: 400,000 EUR
Corton-Charlemagne Grand Cru Roi Soleil
This cuvée lived up to its regal name. The nose opened with bright stone fruit, warm florals, and a subtle golden glow that felt like sunshine in the glass. On the palate, it was broad and expressive, offering layers of ripe fruit wrapped in a gentle warmth. The acidity carried the wine forward with confidence, giving it structure without heaviness. The finish lingered with a radiant, almost luminous quality.
History: This historic plot was donated in 1584. The name pays tribute to Louis XIV, who visited in 1658.
Corton Blanc Grand Cru Docteur Peste
This wine had one of the most captivating noses of the tasting. Bright citrus exploded from the glass: lime zest and finger lime in particular. It felt energetic and alive. The palate carried a firm mineral spine, almost saline, that made me immediately crave another sip. The intensity was seductive without being heavy.
History: Jean-Louis Peste served as a doctor at the Hospices for more than 30 years. His daughter donated the estate in his memory in 1924.
Meursault 1er Cru Les Genevrières Baudot
A deeply perfumed wine that felt like walking into a room filled with fresh freesias and jasmine. Aromas of freshly cut pear weaved their way in. The palate struck a beautiful balance between charm and structure. A subtle line of minerality kept it focused, while the finish showed impressive length for such a young wine. Elegant, expressive, and quietly complex.
History: The cuvée honours Félix Baudot, whose art collection was sold for the benefit of the Hospices. The vines are mostly old, with parcels dating back to 1944, 1948, 1956, and 1964.
Meursault Loppin
A wine of pure charm. The nose opened with a clear pear-candy note that was both playful and appealing. On the palate, that fruitiness carried through, lifted by a touch of lemon and a gentle minerality that brought freshness and balance. Elegant, bright, and easy to love even at this early stage.
History: The Loppin family has been involved with the Hospices since the 1600s.
My Top Five Red Wines
Mazis-Chambertin Grand Cru Madeleine Collignon
My favourite red of the tasting. The nose was a rich, layered tapestry of chocolate, vanilla, brioche, and ripe red berries. Each swirl revealed another note, deeper and more inviting than the last. On the palate, the wine was pure velvet: smooth, enveloping, and rich. There was an undeniable sense of power, yet it remained graceful, with a depth that already hinted at decades of evolution ahead. One of only two reds that had completed malolactic fermentation, giving it that unmistakable softness and charm.
History: This Grand Cru parcel was donated to the Hospices in 1976 by Jean Collignon, who named it in memory of his mother, Madeleine.
Clos de Vougeot Grand Cru François Faiveley
This new cuvée made an immediate impression. The nose was vibrant and uplifting, bursting with berries and cream in a way that felt both familiar and luxurious. On the palate, the wine carried that same generosity, unfolding with a persistence that stayed long after the sip. The texture was polished, expressive, and already beautifully shaped. This was only other red to have completed malolactic fermentation.
History: Created from vines donated by Domaine Faiveley in honour of their 200th anniversary this year.
Pommard 1er Cru Dames de la Charité
This wine struck me with its remarkable sense of balance. The nose opened with ripe raspberry and a clear thread of complexity beneath it. On the palate, everything aligned: lively fruit, bright acidity, and tannins that felt present but never harsh. Pommard can often lean rustic in its youth, but this cuvée felt refined, shaped, and elegant. Knowing that some of the fruit comes from Epenots made its poise unsurprising.
History: A tribute to the Sisters of Charity (Dames de la Charité), who cared for the poor and often donated their possessions to the Hospices.
Beaune 1er Cru Rousseau Deslandes
A wine that radiated warmth and charm from the first scent. The nose reminded me of homemade strawberry jam on a summer day: sunlit and inviting. On the palate, it surprised me with its delicacy. The texture was feathery, almost weightless, yet still full of flavour. It felt immediately approachable, the kind of wine you could enjoy young while still knowing it has the structure to evolve.
History: Named for Antoine Rousseau and Barbe Deslandes, who founded a hospital in 1645 which became associated with the Hospices de Beaune during the French Revolution. The cuvée comes from three Premier Cru parcels planted mainly between 1944 and 1958.
Pommard Billardet
A powerful, compelling wine that showed exactly what I love in Pommard. The nose opened with cooked black fruits, dark chocolate, and a whisper of pepper. On the palate, it was broad and velvety, with a richness that filled the mouth without being heavy or overly tannic. It felt grounded and confident, a wine built on substance and character. Learning that part of the fruit comes from the Noizons vineyard made perfect sense.
History: Honours physicians Antoine and Charles Billardet. Eighty-seven percent of the vines were planted in 1988 or earlier, with the oldest dating to 1960 and 1954. Thirty-five percent of the cuvée comes from Premier Cru Les Arvelets (vines over 25 years old).
Overall Thoughts
Tasting the wines of the 165th Vente des Vins inside the Hospices de Beaune felt like stepping into a moment that exists outside the usual rhythm of Burgundy. These wines were still in their infancy, yet many already revealed a quiet confidence, a sense of direction, and an unmistakable expression of the extraordinary 2025 vintage.
What struck me most was the balance. Even at this early stage, the whites showed clarity and harmony, whether in their fresh, tense style or their richer, broader form. The reds were deeply coloured, expressive, and silky, with fruit purity that made them instantly compelling. Both styles carried the imprint of a vintage shaped by concentration, heat, and just enough rain at just the right time.
It was also impossible not to feel the weight of history in the room: the centuries of donations, the individuals honoured through each cuvée, and the vineyards tended generation after generation. The move to organic certification only adds to the significance of this moment in the estate’s story.
This tasting offered more than a preview. It was an education in how young wines communicate future promise, and a reminder of how rare it is to meet a great vintage at the very beginning of its life. If the energy and precision shown here are any indication, the 2025 Hospices de Beaune wines will become some of the most exciting bottles to follow in the years to come.
*Note that the Charity Barrel was not available for tasting.
A big thank you to Sotheby’s and the Hospices de Beaune for this opportunity.