An authentic 19th chateau surrounded by vineyards in Bourgogne.

The Château de Cîteaux is one of the oldest landmarks of Meursault.

In 1098 Robert de Molesme, abbott and founder of the Abbey of Molesme, received as a donation from the Duke of Burgundy Eudes I a plot of grapevines in Meursault. On that very location the monks constructed cellars to produce and age wines derived the bestowed grapevines. Scholarly, passionate and extremely hard-working, the monks soon acquired the know-how that has made the reputation of the region’s wines today, and that were widely developed throughout Burgundy long before being distributed internationally.

For centuries the Cistercian monks cultivated, learned, elaborated on and transmitted the fundamentals of viticulture, largely as we know it today. During the tumultuous French Revolution, they were forced to leave Meursault and abandon the vineyard.
Pendant plusieurs siècle, ces moines vont cultiver, étudier les fondements de la viticulture et de l’élaboration du vin et transmettre leur talent. Nombreux de leurs enseignements sont encore utilisés aujourd’hui. Expropriés à la révolution, les cisterciens ont quitté Meursault.

Jules Bernard was already a successful wine merchant when he purchased the estate in the 19th century. It was a particularly prosperous time for Burgundy. He not only decided to expand his viticultural activity but to enlarge and harmonize the remaining edifice architecturally as well, a project that included a complete reorganization of the monks’ 12th century cellars and the reconstruction of the château that is visible today.

However the phylloxera crisis of the 1870s resulted in a calamitous decline of wine production and trade in Burgundy. Devastated by microscopic aphids, Jules Bernard’s vineyard like those of the entire region had to be uprooted. Consequently his wine business came to a halt and the château was sold.

In early 1900, the Loubet family from Paris purchased the estate, rearranged the château as a secondary residence, and planted numerous trees in place of the vineyard to make a park.

In 1995, practically a century later, Philippe Bouzereau, descendant of 7 generations of Meursault winemakers, decided to uproot the trees and return the Cistercian parcel to its original function of grape growing. He replanted the vineyard to produce his own style of Meursault (Vieux Clos du Chateau de Cîteaux), along with appellations from other parcels that are still vinified in the ancient cellars. Philippe Bouzereau exploits a total of 15 hectares of vineyard on the Côte de Beaune that extends from Santenay to Aloxe Corton. And today his son is
carrying on the family tradition with as much passion for history, nature and winemaking as his father.

Since May 2011 Philippe Bouzereau has been welcoming clients and visitors to his new winery and tasting rooms (les Terrasses de Cîteaux) that offer a splendid panoramic view of the vineyard parcel and château. We highly recommend tasting and enjoying the wines from this long-established estate.

Fortunately for us the consecutive proprietors throughout history have been respectful of the château’s two-staged history : the lower levels that house the cellars and ground floor occupied by the monks and the upper levels consisting of majestic « belle epoque » rooms designed for Jules Bernard.

learn more about the cellars.