---
title: "A New French Resort Sits Atop 12th-Century Wine Cellars in Burgundy"
url: https://stacklist.com/card/e91931ce-0b67-4af0-9bfb-254c6b62b1e9
source_url: "https://www.townandcountrymag.com/leisure/travel-guide/a71781596/chateau-de-citeaux-burgundy-france-hotel-opening-news/"
stack: https://stacklist.com/stack/b8130b5d-c0f1-4823-b99a-781b37ac5be7
summary: "Château de Cîteaux is a new luxury hotel in Meursault, Burgundy, operated by Fontenille Collection, featuring a restored 19th-century residence built above medieval monastic foundations dating to 1098. The property honors its rich history through Second Empire design, partnerships with prestigious brands like Gallimard, and a restaurant showcasing regional Burgundy cuisine and wines."
tags: "luxury-hotel, burgundy, wine-country, historic-restoration, france, hospitality"
key_entities: "Château de Cîteaux (location), Meursault (location), Burgundy (location), France (location), Fontenille Collection (organization), Guillaume Foucher (person), Jules Bernard (person), Christophe Vauthier (person), Philippe Bouzereau (person), Gallimard (organization), Second Empire (concept), Cistercian order (concept), Côte de Beaune (location)"
classification: "reference"
content_hash: "sha256:929ea745e61635c52db3f541503789631de8b69b1b001a542696b75068c0032c"
acp_version: "0.2"
token_counts_approximate: 1561
visibility: public
agent_accessible: true
status: "final"
---

# A New French Resort Sits Atop 12th-Century Wine Cellars in Burgundy

Communication 3 min read Château de Cîteaux sits in Meursault, a small village in the heart of Burgundy wine country, about two and a half hours by train from Paris. It is the first Burgundy property for the Fontenille Collection , which operates a portfolio of intimate luxury hotels, restaurants, and spas across France, Italy, and Spain. While the hotel is new, the surroundings have a history going back hundreds of years. The building’s origins trace to 1098, when the Cistercian order was founded at the Abbey of Cîteaux, roughly 22 miles northeast of Meursault. The Dukes of Burgundy gave the monks a plot of land to grow vineyards in Meursault’s Vieux-Clos, where the monks also built the vaulted cellars that remain intact today. Fast forward to 1865 when architect Jules Bernard constructed the current house directly above those foundations, layering a Napoleon III-era Second Empire residence over nearly a millennium of monastic winemaking. Yann Deret/Château de Cîteaux Several of the guest rooms open onto private terraces with views of the vineyards. “It is an 18th-century château, with a classic character, and then also 19th-century influences,” Guillaume Foucher, co-founder of Fontenille Collection, tells T&C . “There are a lot of elements from the period—a lot of paintings, a lot of Italian influence, and also some medieval influence. What was very important for us was calm—calm in everything, calm in the atmosphere, calm in the colors.” Those layers of history are precisely what the recent restoration sought to honor. The interiors at Château de Cîteaux draw upon the visual language of France’s Second Empire, although a bit more restrained for modern times. Think torsade columns —referencing the French word for “twist,” meaning decorative spires featuring a helical pattern carved into the shaft—with a color palette of aged greens, stone greys, and earthy browns that mirror the vineyard outside. Parquet floors contrast the terracotta below, with bespoke furniture set against restored stonework and patinated woodwork. Yann Deret/Château de Cîteaux The restoration was carried out in close collaboration with regional craftspeople. “The place makes you focus on the lines, on what has been kept in the house, and on the way nature changes around it,” Foucher says. “There is something very special in that—the building, the vineyards, the gardens, the light. Together they create something exceptional." The property’s library is among the spaces Foucher is most eager for guests to discover. The hotel has formed a partnership with Gallimard , one of the most prestigious and historic book publishers in France dating back to 1911, to stock it. Its minimalist book covers are instantly recognizable for many Francophone readers. “For us, that is a very beautiful collaboration,” Foucher says. “It says something about the spirit of the place. We wanted guests to feel they could stay, read, spend time, and really live in the space rather than just pass through it.” Yann Deret/Château de Cîteaux A closer look at the library with Gallimard-published books lining the shelves. The restaurant, Célestine, takes its name from a painted ceiling in the gilded salon, believed to be not an allegory but rather a portrait of a girl named Célestine, the daughter of Jules Bernard. Chef Christophe Vauthier, a Burgundian by training and instinct, is overseeing the kitchen with a menu built around Bresse poultry (white chickens from eastern France), local fish and vegetables, traditional delicacies like Burgundy snails, and regional cheeses such as Brillat-Savarin, Époisses, and Soumaintrain. For many of the visitors to the region, the wine list will be paramount. That menu will be centered around both the larger houses and local producers of the Côte de Beaune region, the epicenter of chardonnay and pinot noir. The property will also highlight cuvées from Philippe Bouzereau , the estate’s former owner, who is a ninth-generation vine grower in Meursault. Inside Célestine Yann Deret/Château de Cîteaux The glimpse of the painted ceiling Yann Deret/Château de Cîteaux Outside of the château, guests don’t have to travel far to find some of the best wines of the world. The Route des Grands Crus , France’s first wine route established in 1937, winds through the appellations of Puligny-Montrachet, Chassagne-Montrachet, Pommard, and Volnay. The town of Beaune, truly evoking what most Americans imagine when they think of a charming French countryside village, is also a short drive north, where there are also plenty of tasting rooms, shops, and Michelin-quality restaurants. Opening today, the hotel has 18 rooms and suites in the château itself. A further 17 in the restored Vieux-Clos are expected to open in early 2027. Rates start at €380 ($434) per night. The 12th-century cellars will open for tastings this September. %0A%09<path d="M240,128a15.74,15.74,0,0,1-7.6,13.51L88.32,229.65a16,16,0,0,1-16.2.3A15.86,15.86,0,0,1,64,216.13V39.87a15.86,15.86,0,0,1,8.12-13.82,16,16,0,0,1,16.2.3L232.4,114.49A15.74,15.74,0,0,1,240,128Z">%0A</path></svg>" width="60" height="60" alt="Play video"/> Rachel King News Writer Rachel King (she/her) is a news writer at  Town & Country . Before joining  T&C , she spent nearly a decade as an editor at  Fortune . Her work covering travel and lifestyle has appeared in  Forbes ,  Observer ,  Robb Report, Cruise Critic , and  Cool Hunting , among others. Originally from San Francisco, she lives in New York with her wife, their daughter, and a precocious labradoodle. Follow her on Instagram at  @rk.passport . 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