Château de Corcelles
A small Gothic castle with a gate tower and dovecote, on the plain facing Meursault.
- Medieval fortress
- 16 min from Beaune
- Private, seen from outside
- 12th to 15th centuries, altered in the 17th
€290for a half-day wine tour from Beaune, up to 4 guests
At a glance
- Commune
- Corcelles-les-Arts · Côte-d'Or
- Style
- Small Gothic castle
- Heritage
- Registered historic monument
Getting there
Private driver from Beaune: 16 min by road (11 km), €70 one way for the whole car.
Coming by train or plane? Transfers from stations and airports →
About the château
The Château de Corcelles stands on the east side of Corcelles-les-Arts, a village on the plain facing the vineyards of Meursault. It has kept much of its medieval character, with four ranges around a courtyard and a gate tower that still shows the grooves of its drawbridge. It is a private home.
History
In 1474 Hérard d'Aransanter held Corcelles as a free estate with full rights of justice. The lordship later passed to several families, including the Grancey and Malain families, and in the 16th century it was split into many shares. The chapter of Notre-Dame de Beaune tried to reunite them, and in 1618 Jean-Baptiste Bernardon managed to do so, but he died without a direct heir.
The shares were divided again until 1767, when Claude Berbis became sole lord. In 1794, to obey a revolutionary law against symbols of feudalism, his son had to remove the battlements, arrow slits and gunports and fill in the moats. The family kept Corcelles into the 19th century. The façades and roofs of the château, outbuildings and dovecote were listed in 1976.
Architecture
Four ranges surround a courtyard, preceded to the south by a large farmyard. The entrance is a gate tower with a carriage door and a pedestrian door, both topped by the grooves of a drawbridge. On the east, a two-storey house joins a square three-storey tower with a hexagonal stair turret. The village also has a second château, at Masse, built under Louis XIV.
Visiting
Tips for your visit
The château is a private home and is not open to visitors. You can see its gate tower and roofs from the village. Corcelles-les-Arts is a quiet stop on the plain between Meursault and the Saône, with an old wash-house and the Château de Masse nearby.
Around here
What to combine with Château de Corcelles on the same day, nearest first.
Puligny-Montrachet
3 km awayMeursault
4 km awayBlagny
4 km away
- Tradition
La Paulée de Meursault
The Monday after the Hospices de Beaune auction, at lunchtimeMeursault - Music
Festival De Bach à Bacchus
Usually the first half of July, with a prelude of concerts on weekends in MayMeursault
Questions
Château de Corcelles is about 16 min from Beaune by road (11 km). With a private driver, the trip from Beaune starts at €70 for the whole car, up to 4 guests.
Did you know? Until phylloxera struck at the end of the 19th century, Corcelles-les-Arts made wine from the Gamay grape, on the plain facing the famous white wine slopes of Meursault.
Sources
Château de Corcelles with a private driver
Half-day wine tour from Beaune: €290 for the car, up to 4 guests