Hospices de Beaune Beaune Nicolas Rolin 2021 1er – By legendary winemaker Benjamin Leroux.

He certainly has the gift of touch that seems to elevate everything from village crus to grand crus. NEAL MARTIN Vinous

Benjamin Leroux is quiet and unassuming, but his wines more than speak for themselves … some of the most interesting wines being made in Burgundy today. ANTONIO GALLONI

You may remember that when I asked Allen Meadows, aka Burghound, on this video who he thought might be a natural heir to the late great Henri Jayer of Burgundy, one of the two people he cited was young Benjamin Leroux of Domaine Comte Armand. JANCIS ROBINSON MW

With respect to the reds, 2021 marks a sharp return to the vivid red fruit of cooler growing seasons. Red cherries, crushed strawberries, often traits of orange rind or blood orange, most are far removed from the black/blue-fruited 2019s and 2020s. Alcohol levels are much lower than the previous three years, usually between 12.0% and 12.5%. That’s a degree or more, less than the levels we were getting accustomed to. There is greater underlying mineralité, tension, and vibrancy on the palate compared to recent vintages. Tannins, at best, are finely chiselled, and the finishes often contain plenty of sapidity. NEAL MARTIN, Vinous.com

2021 has the magic that only happens in this place – Burgundy. The wines are, unsurprisingly, less phenolically structured and concentrated wines than other post-2014 vintages but that has been replaced by incisiveness and intensity – remember those? And there has been a return of an old friend; old-vine creaminess…
2021 reds in the Côte d’Or are a bridge between 2019 and something more classic. The balance of the 21s ensures interesting wines even if you choose to wait 20 years to open your bottles. Unsurprisingly, it is a vintage of such low volume that it could be quickly lost from our collective consciousness(es) – in this respect, there are many parallels to that wonderful vintage in the Côte de Nuits – 1991. BILL NANSON, Burgundy Report

The Hospice de Beaune, what a place. I would love to be allowed in for an auction one day, but I find that highly improbable. ​​​​​​
A quick recap on what exactly the Hospice is and how it functions.

Essentially the Hospice lays dormant most of the year, the only action is the patter of tourists feet on the ornate floors of the visiting rooms. However, for a brief time each season it becomes a hot bed of activity and wines are made from their, unrivalled, vineyards and barrelled down in to Francois Frere wood until the night of THE AUCTION…

Traditionally this auction was run to gather money to run the hospital and provide for the poor and needy. Nicolas Rolin and Guigone de Salins set up the auction in 1443 with vineyards that had been donated by wealthy land owners to raise revenue for this charitable cause. Over the years they have amassed the most impressive selection of Crus on the Cote. The sale remains unchanged since these times, with the auction being run on the third Sunday in November each year.

Winemakers can taste parcels and then bid to acquire entire barrels. Once done they can collect the wine and from there the choices of the winemaker are their own. Really, this is where the magic happens. The talented oenologist will raise the wine to garner the most out of the raw materials they have purchased. However all Hospice wines begin the same way, in a new Francois Frere barrel.

This is the next iteration in a serious of Hospice wines we have purchased over the years and had raised by none other than legendary Burgundian figure, Benjamin Leroux. Who should need no introduction to our customers. Ben removes the wine from the new barrel and fills a used cask with the juice. This is to cut the impact of the wood and allow more of the fruit and sense of place through. That way you get the feel of the barrel but the wines don’t wind up overtly woody. We love his subtle touch when it comes to things like this.

The Cuvee Nicolas Rolin is one of the Hospice most cherished wines. Named for the founder this cuvee is a blend of five tiny parcels of Premier Crus in Beaune which includes the most important vineyards in that appellation, Greves, Teurons, Cent Vignes and Bressandes. That is a dreamy line up of vineyards with which to make a cuvee. Those sites would be the envy of many a domaine in the area, especially with the average age  of the vines being something like 70 years now.

As many of you will be aware, there are no critics reviews for these wines. Someone at the Hospice writes notes for them but they aren’t overly helpful as it really depends on which winemaker raises the wines as to the eventual quality, and style. So, you will have to take our word for it.

As with previous vintages we only have about half a barrel worth to sell. A little over ten dozen. It isn’t a lot. It is a lot of work to get these wines for Australia though, and we are pretty proud to be able to continue the tradition