154th HOSPICES DE BEAUNE WINE AUCTION 16 th NOVEMBER 2014 © Nathalie Knovl, Ginkgomedia Under the presidency of Madame Adriana KAREMBEU and of Monsieur Michel DRUCKER With the support and friendly presence of Tina Kieffer, founder of the Association Toutes à l’école and of Teddy Riner for the Imagine Institute Arrival of a new Cuvée at auction: BEAUNE BLANC PREMIER CRU – Cuvée « Suzanne et Raymond » The 154th wine auction of the Hospices de Beaune will be marked by the arrival of a new Cuvée of white 1st growth Beaune: Beaune Blanc Premier Cru. This wine comes from a plot which used to be planted with Pinot Noir (the grapes going into the Beaune Cuvée Cyrot- Chaudron). The old Pinot vines were recently pulled up, and the land replanted with Chardonnay. The soil is stony and lime-rich, with white marl – well suited to white wine production. It is high on the hillside, near the source of the Lulunne stream. 2 THE 2014 BURGUNDY VINTAGE As seen by Roland Masse, vineyard-manager and wine-maker Domaine des Hospices de Beaune 2014: The year of the great terroirs and their fine wines: elegance and breeding The grands crus of Montrachet, Corton and the Côte de Nuits were spared by the hailstorm between Meursault and Beaune on 28th June. Overall production is of course affected by these losses in certain villages of the Côte de Beaune but, for the wines from these prestigious terroirs, both Pinot Noir and Chardonnay varieties are models of fine Burgundy wines. The white wines harvested mid-September in ideal weather conditions are high class, with precision and great freshness. The beginning of their ageing seems promising for their future. The red grands crus are of a very good level, with lovely bright colour, fine tannins, creamy harmony and balance, length and complexity in their elegance. The premiers crus, less revealing in terms of their keeping potential, are just as elegant and noble. This 2014 vintage, despite its chaotic weather, is going to show itself to be of a very good quality level. INTRODUCTION TO THE 2014 BURGUNDY VINTAGE By Anthony Hanson, Master of Wine, Senior Consultant, Christie’s international Wine Department Joy and despair – a roller-coaster summer, then finally: Joy ! After two small harvests in 2013 and 2012, the generous appearance of infant grapes in Spring 2014, followed by a rapid and successful flowering of the vines, lifted Burgundian hearts. Then a devastating hail-storm cruelly dashed the hopes of many on the central Côte de Beaune. Thanks to the early flowering, with June’s sunshine, those vineyards not affected by hail looked magnificent. However, a proper summer never arrived. By the middle of August, growers were standing at the edge of a precipice: grey rot could start to spread if rain persisted and the sun stayed hidden, however, the balance tipped again. Superbly sunny, dry weather set in for the 12 days prior to the Hospices harvest, which began on 10th September. The sunshine then lasted throughout the picking – exactly what was needed to complete the ripening of the grapes, which were in excellent health. A classic Burgundy vintage Tasting the grape-juice and the first-to-finish wines, Roland Masse, the Hospices vineyard-manager and wine maker, said: “The fermentations of the whites are proceeding well, and we will have two styles. For Pouilly-Fuissé and Saint- Romain, where yields are normal, the wines show finesse and good acidity, with elegance. For the small productions of Meursault and Corton-Charlemagne, the wines are fleshy, and well rounded, with excellent fruit and lively structure. Amongst the reds, the three Savigny wines, Santenay, and Auxey-Duresses are full of fruitiness, with fine balance of acidity and agreeable tannins. Results are more mixed for our Beaunes (depending on hail impact) but we took the greatest care with all vinifications. The Volnays are superb – fleshy and harmonious. It is too early to compare our 5 Pommard Cuvées, but yields are small, and the wines well concentrated. The Cortons are absolutely magnificent. From the Côte de Nuits, it is a superb vintage for all three Grands Crus. We feel confident that tasters will be thrilled to discover the many diversities in this classic Burgundy vintage.” 3 The 2014 vintage, and the 154th wine sale Because of hail damage on 28th June, several Cuvées from Beaune, Pommard, Volnay and Meursault produced half, or less, of a normal crop. A welcome compensation is the arrival of a new Cuvée of white 1st Growth Beaune, named Cuvée Suzanne et Raymond. This comes from a plot of land which is well-suited to white wine production. It was previously planted with Pinots Noirs whose grapes went into Beaune Cuvée Cyrot-Chaudron. The new wine bears the Christian names of the two generous benefactors, the Cyrot-Chaudron couple, who originally donated this vineyard in 1979. In total in 2014, there will be 47 different Cuvées in the sale: 33 red wines and 14 whites. 534 barrels are being offered, 417 being red and 117 being white. Today, 88% of the Hospices Domaine are Premiers Crus and Grands Crus, which is an exceptionally high proportion, and one of the reasons – along with low yields, due to careful pruning – why so many, superb Cuvées are available. Having watched beautifully healthy grapes coming into the winery, seen the thickness of their skins, the many tiny berries being meticulously sorted and the care with which they were handled, I confidently believe there will be great wines for laying down, and others – both red and white – for more immediate drinking. 4 THE PRESIDENTS OF THE 2014 WINE SALE AND THEIR CHARITIES Since 1945, every year the Hospices de Beaune have lent their support to one or more charities by donating the proceeds from one barrel of wine, called a pièce in Burgundy, sold especially for that purpose – the "Pièce du Président". For this 154th Sale the "Pièce du Président" will be a 228 liters barrel of Corton-Bressandes Grand Cru: Cuvée des Présidents. Engraved by Pierre Toillon, Meilleur Ouvrier de France – Master Cooper STORY OF THE CUVEE This unique Cuvée results from the separate vinification of carefully selected grapes coming solely from the vineyard Corton-Bressandes Grand Cru. The reputation of this famous hillside for producing one of Burgundy’s richest, most perfumed, most harmonious and long-lived Grand Cru red wines is long established. One barrel of exceptional Corton- Bressandes has been chosen, coming from the other Corton Cuvées, which is ageing in a specially-commissioned oak barrel of the highest quality. Adriana Karembeu and Michel Drucker will co-preside the 154th Hospices de Beaune wine auction and will be supported by journalist Tina Kieffer and by the judo world champion Teddy Riner. The two retained associations are “Toutes à l’école” which helps young Cambodian girls having an education, and whose sponsor is Michel Drucker; and “Imagine” which is an institution of researches and medical care gathering researchers, doctors and patients in the goal of understanding and cure genetic diseases. Since July 2012, Teddy Riner is officially the sponsor of the institute of genetic diseases “Imagine” 5 Adriana Karembeu Youth and Childhood Her mother is Slovak and her father is originated from Czechoslovakia, reason why she has a Czech name. She has a sister Natalia Skleranikova. Adriana Karembeu studies medicine for several semesters at the Charles University. It is during her third year of medicine, in 1997, that she is spotted during a beauty contest. She goes to Paris to become model for Wonderbra. MODEL CARRIER Her first job as a model was a swimsuit photo shoot in the Bahamas for the catalogue Trois Suisses. Then, thanks to her great beauty, many events turned in her favor. She walked for major brands such as Thierry Mugler, Rochas, Karl Lagerfeld, Givenchy or Lanvin. In less than a year, she becomes the most popular model at the end of the 1990’s. Then, she becomes the face of lingerie brand Wonderbra. She also became the figure for Victoria’s Secret, Roberto Cavalli, Majestic, Onyx Jeans, and for the Czech brand Skoda. She was photographed by top fashion photographers such as Steven Meisel, Patrick Demarchelier, Peter Lindbergh and Ellen von Unwerth. Adriana Karembeu also made the cover of numerous magazines including: Elle, Vanity Fair, Harpers Bazaar, Photo, Casting, Emma, Boxer and Maxim. In 2008, she becomes the face of the optician Atol which will dedicate a whole collection of glasses to her, ‘the collection Adriana Karembeu”. Also in 2008, she appeared in commercials for the phone company Virgin mobile. In 2012, she became the face of the decoration brand Atlas. CHARITIES In 1999, Adriana begins to support the fight against landmines. In 2000, she helps the French Red Cross in its campaign “Lifesaving”, training in first aid. Since March 2010, she is the ambassador of women’s football for the French football federation (FFF). She is still ambassador Red Cross. In 2014, on the occasion of the 154th Hospices de Beaune charity wine auction, Adriana commits to children afflicted with genetic diseases at Imagine’ side. 6 “Raise the stakes” for Imagine! The Institute Imagine is delighted to be one of the two chosen beneficiaries of this year’s wine auction organized by the Hospices de Beaune. It is a great honor for our scientific and medical teams to have their work recognized by such a prestigious institution. The support received will allow us to pursue our ultimate goal of delivering new therapies to patients suffering from genetic diseases. Our commitment to patient care echoes the “mission hospitalière” which has guided the charitable work of the Hospices de Beaune for 550 years.