BEAUNE, 1ER CRU, CUVEE ROUSSEAU-DESLANDES

BURGUNDY, FRANCE 2018

As we begin to wind down from the 2018 Hospices de Beaune, today’s wine is our last red from the record-breaking, three-day charity festival and wine auction of last November. Coming from the “wine nerve center of Burgundy” (Clive Coates), today’s lot is a Beaune Premier Cru from a vintage that is already being touted as one of Burgundy’s all-time greats. From a “beautiful vintage for red wines…which will be rated as belonging to an exceptional vintage,” (Jasper Morris) today’s Cuvee Rousseau-Deslandes is a wine that is not to be missed.

Each lot of the Hospices de Beaune is precious, a 61-hectare estate with 85% of the vineyards classified as Grand or Premier Cru donated over the centuries to the Hospices since its inception in 1443. Today’s cuvee is named after Antoine Rousseau and Barbe Deslandes, who founded the Hopital de la Sainte-Trinite in 1645, later known as the Hospice de la Charite. During the French Revolution, it was joined with the Hotel-Dieu to form the Hospices de Beaune, with its role evolving over time where today it acts as a home for the elderly. The wine itself is a blend of three Premier Cru vineyards, with the heart of the cuvee coming from vines dating between 1944 and 1958 in Les Cent Vignes. On a slope facing slightly eastward, with Bressandes and Feves at the top, Les Cent Vignes tends to favor wines that are round and rich but not overly robust. The balance of the cuvee is mostly from vines planted prior to 1966 in Les Montrevenots. Here the vines face due south on a gently rising slope bordering Pommard. Unlike Pommard, Les Montrevenots tends to produce wines that are more opulent and slightly spicy.

After tasting the wine, we simply had to have this gorgeous example from the stunning 2018 vintage to share with you and were lucky enough to acquire a barrel for today’s offer. As the wine is sold “En Primeur” (wine futures), it is always an important consideration where the wine will age and mature until its release. Founded in 1893 and one of the official distributors of Romanee-Conti in the 1930s, the house of Edouard Delaunay has been revived by the founder’s great grandson, Laurent Delaunay, including a brand new cellar. It is here in Nuits-St-Georges where today’s wine will gracefully age, shipping directly to your preferred store in 2020, with 6 bottle orders in their original wood case. Available on a first-come, first-served basis, secure your order at the wine’s lowest price before it goes up forever.