Beaune Grèves Premier Cru 'Cuvée Pierre Floquet', Hospices de Beaune, 2022
Beaune Grèves Premier Cru 'Cuvée Pierre Floquet', Hospices de Beaune, 2022
- 75cl
- 13.5%
- Red Still
- Pinot Noir
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Optimal drinking window: 2027 - 2042
Grèves is a prized Premier Cru in Beaune, known for producing structured, beautifully scented Pinot with both elegance and ageing potential.
The Cuvée Pierre Floquet is one of the most sought-after bottlings from the Hospices auction with de Montille overseeing the élevage and is the result of Pierre Floquet's bequest of Premier Cru Beaune-Grèves in 1997.
The Hospices have been cultivating 0.75 hectares in two parcels since 2004 when the Cuvée was created and is 100% made from a magnificent parcel on a steep hillside of Grèves. The vines are an estimated 35 years old, picked from stony and the marl soils which are well-drained on its friable rock, and lends the wine its unmistakably elegant, mineral style. They are partly side-by-side, and partly just above the very heart of the vines of the famous Premier Cru Les Grèves. Refined yet powerful, this climate is certainly the most balanced of the 42 in the Beaune appellation and you can expect precision, finesse, and a superb sense of place.
In addition, the 2022 is a gorgeous vintage for Burgundy, generous, ripe, and wonderfully balanced. This is a brilliant example of how the vintage’s plush fruit marries beautifully with Grèves’ mineral backbone and it’s one of those wines that rarely comes around twice.
At present the wine is settling after bottling, its plush 2022 fruit still slightly ahead of its structural elements. Expect the primary dark cherry notes to integrate with the mineral backbone over the next two to three years, with savoury, earthier secondary characters emerging from around 2030. It should reach a graceful plateau through the mid-2030s, offering real complexity without losing freshness, before beginning a slow, unhurried decline from the early 2040s.
Tasting Notes
AppearanceMedium ruby with a bright garnet rim.
NoseDark cherry and red plum meet crushed stone and a faint violet lift, with a savoury whisper of game and oak spice beneath.
PalateSilky but structured, the 2022's ripeness showing as plush dark fruit layered over Grèves' chalky, mineral core, with fine-grained tannins holding it all together.
FinishLong and stony, fruit receding to leave a saline, mineral trail.
Overall impressionA wine of real poise, generous now but built to reward patience.
Food Pairings
In Beaune, this would find its way onto the table alongside coq au vin or a rich jambon persillé, the wine's savoury edge cutting through the richness. Pinot Noir of this calibre also loves a simple roast guinea fowl or pigeon, where the gamey undertones echo the wine's own. Local Époisses or a washed-rind Burgundian cheese, eaten in modest quantity, makes a wonderful foil to the wine's silkiness. Even a dish as humble as oeufs en meurette, with its red wine sauce, pays quiet homage to where this bottle comes from.
We think this wine would go well with
Serve at 16-17°C, cool cellar temperature rather than room temperature in a centrally heated house. A short decant of 30 minutes will help if opening young, though by 2027 it should sing from the glass unaided. Use a Burgundy glass with a generous bowl to let that perfume properly unfurl.
The 0.75 hectares farmed for this cuvée sit on a steep hillside within Grèves, partly beside and partly just above the most celebrated heart of the climat. Soils here are stony and marl-based over friable, well-drained rock, which keeps vigour in check and concentrates the fruit without ever letting it turn heavy. It is this combination of slope, stone and drainage that gives Grèves its characteristic mineral backbone and its reputation as one of Beaune's most age-worthy sites.
Beaune Premier Cru covers a patchwork of 42 climats ringing the historic town, and Grèves is widely considered its finest, prized for wines that marry Volnay-like perfume with something sturdier and more savoury. Rules require the wine to come entirely from Pinot Noir grown within the delimited climat and vinified to Burgundy's stringent Premier Cru standards. Compared with neighbouring Beaune crus, Grèves tends to show more structure and a longer drinking window, which is precisely why cuvées like this one are so keenly fought over at the Hospices auction.
The 2022 growing season in Burgundy began with a worryingly dry spring that had vignerons checking soil moisture levels weekly, followed by a summer that alternated between intense heat and welcome rainfall. The vines handled the stress remarkably well, producing smaller berries with concentrated flavours, though yields dropped significantly across both the Côte d'Or and Chablis. Harvest began earlier than usual, with many producers picking in late August under bright skies.
What emerged from the cellars shows a vintage of surprising finesse given the challenging conditions. The Pinot Noirs display vivid fruit and firm tannins without the jammy weight you might expect from a hot year, whilst the Chardonnays retained their mineral backbone alongside ripe stone fruit flavours. We're finding the village-level wines particularly compelling right now, drinking beautifully with just a year or two of bottle age, though the premier and grand crus will reward patience until the late 2020s.
FAQs
What does this wine taste like?
Dark cherry and crushed stone, with a silky texture, fine tannins and a long, mineral finish.
When should I drink this wine?
It will be best enjoyed from 2027, with real potential to develop in bottle until 2042.
What food should I pair it with?
Classic Burgundian fare such as coq au vin, roast guinea fowl, or a modest serving of Époisses all suit it well.
How should I serve it?
Serve at 16-17°C in a Burgundy glass, with a short decant if opening in its youth.
Is this wine worth cellaring?
Yes. Grèves is one of Beaune's most age-worthy climats, and this cuvée has the structure to reward a decade or more in the cellar.
What makes this cuvée special?
It comes from a single, steeply sloped parcel of Grèves farmed by the Hospices de Beaune since 2004, with élevage overseen by Domaine de Montille.
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