Alongside his role at Maison Joseph Drouhin, Maurice Drouhin joined the Administrative Board of the Hospices in 1925 and served as Vice-President from 1941 to 1955. Driven by his passion for the institution and in recognition of the assistance provided by the Hospices during World War II, Maurice Drouhin wished to continue the tradition of Burgundian families and donated over 2.5 hectares of Beaune Premier Cru to the Hospices.

Throughout the centuries, the Hospices de Beaune has never received funding from the Dukes of Burgundy, the Kings of France, or the State. Instead, it has always relied on donations in various forms, including real estates, agricultural lands, and, most importantly, vineyards.

Coming from the 60 hectares of the Hospices' vineyard estate, the grapes are harvested and vinified by Ludivine Griveau (the winemaker of the Hospices) and her team in the Hospices' winery. These wines of the year are then sold in barrels at an auction held every third Sunday of November.

Negociants, producers, and wine enthusiasts have the opportunity to acquire barrels of wine from the Hospices. To ensure perfect authenticity, these wines must subsequently be aged, bottled, and labelled by a Burgundian négociant-éleveur. The labels of the Hospices will mention the name of the purchaser at the auction and the name of the negociant who aged the wine.

As a tradition, the Drouhin family provides support to the Hospices. After preliminary tastings in the cellars of the Hospices, they may offer their potential opinion on one or more wines. Each year, they are one of the main contributors to the auction, particularly acquiring the cuvée Beaune Premier Cru Maurice Drouhin, among others.

The funds raised during the auction are allocated to improving the hospital and vineyards, as well as maintaining the real estate heritage of the Hospices de Beaune. At each auction, the Hospices put up a charity batch called "Pièce des Présidents," and its proceeds are entirely donated to charity. Every year, the charity lot sparks a remarkable wave of solidarity among Burgundian negociant houses, private companies, and wealthy individuals, and the amounts raised exceed expectations.