Château de Chorey
A moated manor with lone round towers and a dovecote, at the edge of Chorey.
- Manor
- 10 min from Beaune
- Private, seen from outside
- 17th to 19th centuries, on older moats
€290for a half-day wine tour from Beaune, up to 4 guests
At a glance
- Commune
- Chorey-les-Beaune · Côte-d'Or
- Style
- Moated manor
- Heritage
- Registered historic monument
Getting there
Private driver from Beaune: 10 min by road (5 km), €60 one way for the whole car.
Coming by train or plane? Transfers from stations and airports →
About the château
The Château de Chorey stands at the western edge of the village, reached by a drive from the rue Jacques-Germain. Water-filled moats, two free-standing round towers and a round dovecote give it the air of a small fortress. The house itself dates mostly from the 17th and 18th centuries and is a private home.
History
Chorey's château grew from a medieval fortified house. The owners date its water-filled moats to the 13th century, a claim the French heritage inventory records with a question mark. The main pavilion, with its square stair tower, probably dates from the 17th century. It was remodelled in the 18th century, when windows with small balconies were added. These layers are still easy to read in the building today.
The French land survey of 1826 already shows the château, though in a different form. A section north of the central pavilion was later demolished, and the outbuildings were rebuilt in their present layout. In 1976 the façades and roofs of the château, the two free-standing towers, the dovecote and the terrace balustrades were listed as historic monuments. The heritage inventory names the Germain family, wine growers, as owners.
Architecture
The château forms an L: a rectangular main pavilion with a square tower and a return wing. Opposite stands a range of outbuildings with two projecting pavilions. Two round towers stand alone at the north-west and south-west corners, with a round dovecote between them and the outbuildings. All three wear pepper-pot roofs of flat tiles. The moats still hold water on the west side.
Visiting
Tips for your visit
The château is private and not open to visitors. You can glimpse the towers and the dovecote from the village and the surrounding vines. It makes a quick photo stop between Beaune and Aloxe-Corton, and Chorey itself is a pleasant village to walk through before a tasting at one of its domaines.
Around here
What to combine with Château de Chorey on the same day, nearest first.
Questions
Château de Chorey is about 10 min from Beaune by road (5 km). With a private driver, the trip from Beaune starts at €60 for the whole car, up to 4 guests.
Did you know? Chorey keeps three round stone buildings with pepper-pot roofs, two towers and a dovecote. Before 1789, the right to keep a dovecote was a privilege of the lord of the manor.
Sources
Château de Chorey with a private driver
Half-day wine tour from Beaune: €290 for the car, up to 4 guests