Hospice de Beaune auction - anyone interested in going in on a barrel?

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Hospice de Beaune auction - anyone interested in going ... - 8/10/2011 3:55:07 PM

garethpowell

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Many of you will know that the annual Hospice de Beaune auction takes place in November each year. This historic estate has been improving over the last decade or two and it affords the unique opportunity to buy a barel of fine Burgundy that is then matured and bottled by your chosen producer and then shipped or collected to/by you.

I went over to the auction in 2009 and it was great fun. A friend even bought two barels.

I wonder whether anyone would be interested in going in together on a barel and producing our own cuvee?

I would propose that 8 people go in for a share of one of the red permier crus from Pommard or Beaune. At auction last year these varied between €3000-5000 per barel. So after adding commission and cost of the barel and paying the house to mature the wine into bottle this amounts to between €5700 - 7500. Each barel produces at least 288 bottle or 24 full cases 75cl. So if eight people were to go in we would each get 3 cases for between €700 - €930 (though prices could of course go up for the auction this year, but usually not more than 10-15%). The cost per bottle is very good at €20 - €25 for what you get. Of course we could also go for the Clos re Roche but that's €30000 per barel.

The auction date for this year is Sunday the 20th November - so we could also go over for the weekend and taste the wines as well, or there are tastings in NYC, London and HK as well.

So anyone interested?

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RE: Hospice de Beaune auction - anyone interested in go... - 8/10/2011 4:32:03 PM

Paul S

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I would be very interested. Could we get a bit more information as to what houses we could get to do the elevage?

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RE: Hospice de Beaune auction - anyone interested in go... - 8/10/2011 6:28:09 PM

oskiwawa

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Interested and intrigued. Similar to Paul S I would live to get more details.

oskiwawa

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RE: Hospice de Beaune auction - anyone interested in go... - 8/10/2011 6:33:54 PM

pbm

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Count me as interested. Makes an interesting "sister" project to Adopt a Barrel over here.

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RE: Hospice de Beaune auction - anyone interested in go... - 8/10/2011 6:43:32 PM

recotte

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quote:

ORIGINAL: pbm

Count me as interested. Makes an interesting "sister" project to Adopt a Barrel over here.

My thought, as well. I'm interested, too.

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RE: Hospice de Beaune auction - anyone interested in go... - 8/10/2011 6:53:14 PM

ob2s

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How would you cost effectively get your cases from Europa ?

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RE: Hospice de Beaune auction - anyone interested in go... - 8/10/2011 7:16:44 PM

pbm

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Well, the first thing I would do to make sure I cost-effectively safely across the pond would be to not involve Toby and Paul.

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RE: Hospice de Beaune auction - anyone interested in go... - 8/11/2011 2:34:35 AM

garethpowell

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Great - sounds like we have a few interested parties.

You can negoptiate with anyone who is a licensed negotiant, so most of the major houses offer elevage at the auction, so Faiverley, Bouchard, Drouhin, Jadot, Morey Blanc. DRC is not licensed unfortunately

I have no idea how to get the wine across to the states - but plenty of private US buyers have in the past so I don't think its a big obstacle.

I shall call up Christies who run the auction and ask them to send me stuff via email so I can then PM you guys who are intersted with the info.

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RE: Hospice de Beaune auction - anyone interested in go... - 8/11/2011 3:02:02 AM

garethpowell

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Ok just called Christies they are going to send me all the details from last years auction, including on elevage etc... and also some preliminary info on this years. So as soon as it arrives I'll PM everyone.

For you guys in the US a call or email to this guy may help re logistics in moving the wine as they have bought wine as a consortium at the last few auctions.

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RE: Hospice de Beaune auction - anyone interested in go... - 8/11/2011 3:03:44 AM

Bryan Collins

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Potentially interested, but everything really depends on the house performing the elevage...

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RE: Hospice de Beaune auction - anyone interested in go... - 8/11/2011 3:08:16 AM

garethpowell

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just got a call from the London office of Christies - they are calling the Paris office to find out as much info on arranging the elevage as they can and will email me this by end of play tomorrow. She was also happy to arrange seating at the auction for us if need be.

All sounds like it could be very exciting, though we may have to work on the cuvee cellartracker. Maybe Cuvee Levine in honour of the founder of the website - that has a ring to it

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RE: Hospice de Beaune auction - anyone interested in go... - 8/11/2011 3:12:42 AM

Bryan Collins

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Isn't the cuvée name fixed - always the name of the person who originally donated the vineyard?

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RE: Hospice de Beaune auction - anyone interested in go... - 8/11/2011 3:17:11 AM

garethpowell

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Yes but you still put on your own cuvee name as well, along with the negotiant underneath.

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RE: Hospice de Beaune auction - anyone interested in go... - 8/11/2011 3:18:17 AM

Khamen

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Interested

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RE: Hospice de Beaune auction - anyone interested in go... - 8/11/2011 7:14:10 AM

drycab

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I'm also interested but I worry about getting the finished product to the US after the absolute screwing I'm getting for shipping 4 mags of Le Climat du Coeur to sunny Florida this fall. I am seriously interested though, so please include me in the correspondence.

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RE: Hospice de Beaune auction - anyone interested in go... - 8/11/2011 7:19:33 AM

garethpowell

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quote:

ORIGINAL: drycab

I'm also interested but I worry about getting the finished product to the US after the absolute screwing I'm getting for shipping 4 mags of Le Climat du Coeur to sunny Florida this fall. I am seriously interested though, so please include me in the correspondence.

It seems from speaking to a lady at Christies that US buyers ship stuff to a company with a importers license for a set fee, which apparently is not too much, especially if you are on good terms with tham and buy from them regularly.

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RE: Hospice de Beaune auction - anyone interested in go... - 8/11/2011 7:21:24 AM

ob2s

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Any PacNWers interested ? Happy to split an 1/8 - 1,2 or 3 ways. By the time it is shipped I'll be back in the NW anway.

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RE: Hospice de Beaune auction - anyone interested in go... - 8/11/2011 7:27:42 AM

drycab

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quote:

ORIGINAL: garethpowell

It seems from speaking to a lady at Christies that US buyers ship stuff to a company with a importers license for a set fee, which apparently is not too much, especially if you are on good terms with tham and buy from them regularly.

The set fee is the thing I'm balking at. After it is all said and done, the total will be in the neighborhood of US$450.00. This seems a little out of line, but that's what everyone is paying from what I hear.

A friend of mine has sold a bunch of 3L bottles of the Climat du Coeur wines at his charity auction and the buyers are getting a huge surprise when they find out that they must pay to ship the bottles to the States. He's complaining too!

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I wish I had some of that.......
I did....I drank it.......

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RE: Hospice de Beaune auction - anyone interested in go... - 8/11/2011 7:35:49 AM

grafstrb

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You *definitely* want to use somebody with an importer's license. A group of eBob'ers/Wine Berserkers went-in on a barrel (or three?) a few years ago and the entire process has been nightmare, from the sounds of it. Granted, lots of the headache in their case seems to have been caused by a group leader who bit off way more than he could chew w/r/t the entire process (including importation) and who also didn't communicate with the group members very well, if at all. Here's a link to the thread (very long) that details the horror: Hospices Auction Group Nightmare

I would *highly* recommend to anyone who is thinking of getting involved with this to make sure that all the T's are crossed and I's are dotted before diving in.

Personally, I wouldn't touch this with a ten-foot pole --- way too many potential nightmares. That said, that's just me, and I'm generally risk-adverse and stress-adverse (I like getting to the airport 90 - 120 minutes before scheduled departure time

).

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RE: Hospice de Beaune auction - anyone interested in go... - 8/11/2011 8:26:43 AM

garethpowell

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quote:

ORIGINAL: grafstrb

You *definitely* want to use somebody with an importer's license. A group of eBob'ers/Wine Berserkers went-in on a barrel (or three?) a few years ago and the entire process has been nightmare, from the sounds of it. Granted, lots of the headache in their case seems to have been caused by a group leader who bit off way more than he could chew w/r/t the entire process (including importation) and who also didn't communicate with the group members very well, if at all. Here's a link to the thread (very long) that details the horror: Hospices Auction Group Nightmare

I would *highly* recommend to anyone who is thinking of getting involved with this to make sure that all the T's are crossed and I's are dotted before diving in.

Personally, I wouldn't touch this with a ten-foot pole --- way too many potential nightmares. That said, that's just me, and I'm generally risk-adverse and stress-adverse (I like getting to the airport 90 - 120 minutes before scheduled departure time).

It is more difficult for the US. But if a group of you go in together it is pretty easy as the negotiants do it all the time with their own stock. The payment of $450 is also not that much if it went on half the barel - 144 bottles, that's less than $3 a bottle. Shipping would be less than that to a single destination. Having people all over the shot would obviously be tricky with your state legislation. That's why I have suggested 8 people max, with the hope that maybe 3-4 state side would want in with the rest being an easy delivery to London (or my pad with a party thrown in!) and then a pick-up.

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RE: Hospice de Beaune auction - anyone interested in go... - 8/11/2011 8:31:06 AM

Colonel Lawrence

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Let's talk tonight - I'm always game for a laugh.
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