With significant impetus from, it seems, the team at Louis Jadot, there’s a charity event lined up for Beaune on Monday-Tuesday/9-10 May. Two days of teams biking (cycling!) courses in the Côte de Beaune/Hautes Côtes and the Côte de Nuits/Hautes Côtes – both courses approaching 100km, or 60 miles, in length.

As described by the website which supports this initiative:

“Over the course of the past year, our friends in the restaurant business have been living through exceptionally challenging times. In order to thank them for their fidelity to our business, to support them and to stimulate their continued interest in their business, we are launching a dynamic project that we hope will encourage industry solidarity: Bike to Care en Bourgogne“

The aim is to raise funds to support the restaurant and hotel trade given their less than productive 2 years during the many covid-related closures and confinements.

Teams of cyclists will be made up of chefs, sommeliers and hoteliers from France and abroad – there is also a section for journalists – though apparently this group seem less energetic and takers were few and far between. In that context Frédéric Barnier of Louis Jadot got in touch with me; I’m no cyclist – my bike has done 10km in the last 5 years! – but I suggested that I could run. Of course, not the full 60 miles – I may be stupid but I’m not that stupid 😉

So, I shall be running the last section of Monday’s Beaune – South Loop – the small matter of Santenay to Beaune – 20km. If, from distance, you’d like to support this event and make a small donation to the cause, I shall be part of the team ‘PARTENAIRES FRANCE’ so please feel free to contribute using this link: PARTENAIRES FRANCE

And, of course, if you are in or around Beaune on that day, feel free to cheer us all along our way
The route is here

Following on from this report, and tasting here.

And so, on Saturday evening, came the end of the almost week-long auction to benefit the Abbey of Citeaux. The proceeds of the sale totalling totalling €797,750 / $870,000…

The highest prices went to wines – often in large format – that were donated by other domaines for the gala dinner – there was even a little German Riesling on offer – but the prices of the bottles of the Clos de Vougeot were quite strong too – with prices averaging between 400 and 600 Euros per bottle for the 75cls – starting in lots of three and including the buyer’s premium before 6-packs and then larger format bottles. These wines are planned to be bottled in August, this year,

And for the fun of it, the top-ten lots by price, were:

Lot 130: La Tâche 2009 Domaine de la Romanée-Conti, 1 Jeroboam, sold for €100,000
Lot 128: Montrachet, The exceptional harvest of 7 Domaines 2016 Montrachet Producers, 1 bottle, sold for €93,750
Lot 127: Clos de Vougeot 2016 Comte Liger-Belair, 1 Jeroboam, sold for €30,000
Lot 126: Clos de Vougeot 1988 Domaine Leroy, 3 bottles, sold for €27,500
Lot 132: Bonnes Mares 2015 Domaine Georges Roumier, 1 Magnum with Experience, sold for €27,500
Lot 133: Chambertin 2009 Domaine Armand Rousseau, 1 Magnum, sold for €23,750
Lot 129: Musigny 2007 Jacques-Frédéric Mugnier, 1 Jeroboam, sold for €23,750
Lot 112: Clos de Vougeot, Cuvée de l’Abbaye de Cîteaux 2020 Clos de Vougeot Producers, 1 Balthazar, sold for €17,500
Lot 135: Musigny Vieilles Vignes and Bonnes Mares 2019 Comte Georges de Vogüé, 2 Magnums with Experience, sold for €13,750
Lot 113: Clos de Vougeot, Cuvée de l’Abbaye de Cîteaux 2020 Clos de Vougeot Producers, 1 Balthazar, sold for €13,750

And that wasn’t the only auction this weekend…

Baghera continues to unearth quantities of René Engel wines, this time 282 bottles and 24 magnums and raising almost as much as the Clos de Vougeot sale.

All here