In mid-November, once the vines have given up their fruit and the mists linger over the Côte, Beaune gathers around the Hospices de Beaune Wine Auction, as it has for more than a century and a half.

For this 166th edition, Maison Patriarche, which welcomes visitors to its cellars all year round, offers an exceptional tasting on Saturday 14 and Sunday 15 November, from 9:30am to 5:30pm.

The visit begins in the Visitandine chapel, home to the Cave aux Arômes. Beneath twelve glass globes, the twelve great aromatic families of Burgundy wines are revealed: white flowers, red fruit, citrus, spices, undergrowth... First the eye, then the nose: an initiation of the senses before the palate takes over.

Then comes the descent beneath the town to discover the cellars. Not far from the bustling streets, the long galleries offer an ideal setting for tasting, where time slows down.

Along the way, ten fine wines await you, served by the glass like chapters of a single story. The whites open the book with Savigny-lès-Beaune « Aux Fourches » 2023 and Beaune 1er Cru « Les Cents Vignes » 2023, followed by the depth of Meursault 1er Cru « Sous Blagny » 2023 and the Hospices de Beaune Corton Grand Cru Cuvée Dr Peste 2018. The reds take over with Santenay 1er Cru « Maladières » 2022 and Chassagne-Montrachet 1er Cru « Morgeot » 2020. Then come two Hospices de Beaune cuvées, Beaune 1er Cru Cuvée Guigone de Salins 2019 and Pommard 1er Cru Cuvée Dames de la Charité 2018, before Clos de la Roche Grand Cru 2016. And to close the book, a magnum from another time: the Hospices de Beaune Savigny-lès-Beaune Cuvée Fouquerand 1983, served while stocks last.

Throughout the visit, some fifteen works by contemporary artists, presented with Art in Situ, set stone and creation in dialogue.

€70 per person, €80 from 1 November.
Booking recommended at patriarche.com or on +33 3 80 24 53 78.
5/7 rue du Collège, Beaune.