The annual Hospices de Beaune charity auction held each November is widely viewed as a leading indicator for pricing of the new vintage (2007 in this case).  If you thought Burgundy prices couldn't go much higher, brace yourselves!  Red Burgundies rose by 38% and overall prices were up 27%.  White Burgundies did not rise as much but that might be because they were up 65% in the prior year.

More details on the 147th annual auction

• 607 barrels were auctioned, down 11% from 680 barrels in 2006.
• Of the 607 barrels, 469 were red and 138 were white.
• The minimum purchase is a single barrel.
• 42 cuvees were offered: 30 red and 12 white.
• One cuvee was new in 2007: Corton Clos du Roi, Cuvee Baronne Du Bay
  
• 22 different growers cultivate 2.5 hectares each (1 hectare = about 2.5 acres) for the Hospices de Beaune domaine.  Each grower produces one or more cuvees.
• Each barrel yields 24 cases of either 750ml or magnum bottles.  The purchaser receives the bottled wine with the Hospices label.
• According to Christies (who has run the auction for the past 3 years), there were "many new clients from Asia, Australia, America, and Europe sending pre-sale orders and bidding by telephone and the Internet."
• The $6.81 million proceeds from the auction provides medical equipment for the local Beaune hospital and covers the cost of maintaining historical monuments.

Bottom line: Be prepared for price hikes on 2007 Burgundies.  From an investment point of view, high-end collectible Burgundies always seem to me to be a pretty safe bet given that consumers worldwide can't get enough and are growing in number.

Photo note: Upper right is the Hospices de Beaune and its famous roof. Below is a sample label image.