Volnay-Santenots 1er Cru Cuvée Gauvain

Duck breast magret roast with foie gras.

Our Volnay-Santenots has been a treasured vineyard since the earliest mentions of it in the 13th century. But if you want to find it on a map, don’t look in Volnay! The entire vineyard lies wholly in Meursault. But because Meursault is known primarily for its white wines, and the wines made in Les Santenots so closely resemble Volnay, a tradition cross-border courtesy remains.

The Hospices de Beaune is perhaps the most famous of all charity wine auctions. Its story starts in 1443, when the iconic polychromatic-tiled Hôtel-Dieu in central Beaune was built to tend the sick. Over the years, the charitable cause was given vineyards among other donations. The annual auction ritual as we know it today began in 1859 and forms the centrepiece of boisterous celebrations in Burgundy over the third weekend of November. The proceeds benefit the hospital (now a modern facility on the outskirts of Beaune) and other good causes. There is a famous saying that ‘Beaune is the best place in the world to be ill’.