Château de Couchey
A medieval fortified house that grew into a château at the western edge of Couchey.
- Manor
- 37 min from Beaune
- Private, seen from outside
- 13th to 18th centuries
€560for a full-day wine tour from Beaune, up to 4 guests
At a glance
- Commune
- Couchey · Côte-d'Or
- Style
- Fortified house remodelled as a château
Getting there
Private driver from Beaune: 37 min by road (37 km), €130 one way for the whole car.
Coming by train or plane? Transfers from stations and airports →
About the château
At the end of the Impasse du Vieux Château, on the western edge of Couchey, stands an old fortified house that grew into a château over five centuries. Its two round towers and central gate tower are typical of the small lordly seats of the Côte. It is privately owned and seen only from outside.
History
A fortified house belonging to Ponce Chanlard is recorded at Couchey in the early 13th century. From 1252 to 1394 it belonged to the Le Pitois family. The Saulx family then strengthened it and built its north-east tower. Through marriage it passed to Pierre de Bauffremont and then to the Longvy family. Around 1556 Claude de Longvy, cardinal de Givry, fitted out the western living quarters, turning the fortified house into a château.
In 1652 Couchey passed to Jean de Mesgrigny, and in 1696 to Jacques Languet, a royal treasurer, who had the eastern curtain wall cut down to parapet height. His daughter had the château altered and restored around 1720, using masons from Aubusson. Seized in 1792 during the Revolution, it was sold to a man who traded in its reusable materials and then resold the buildings in three lots.
Architecture
The château has a main building of two storeys including an attic, with long tiled roofs, conical tower roofs and dormer windows with rounded pediments. Two round towers flank the west front, and a central gate tower is crossed by a covered passage with a basket-handle arch, where a side door has an ogee lintel. West of the château stands a round dovecote with a conical roof of flat tiles.
Visiting
Tips for your visit
The château is private and not open to visitors. It stands at the end of a small lane at the western end of the village, so please respect the owners' privacy. Couchey lies between Marsannay-la-Côte and Fixin, just off the Route des Grands Crus, and makes a brief stop on a drive along the northern Côte de Nuits.
Around here
What to combine with Château de Couchey on the same day, nearest first.
Marsannay-la-Côte
1 km awayFixin
2 km awayGevrey-Chambertin
4 km away
- Food & markets
Journées Gourmandes de Marsannay-la-Côte
Usually a weekend in early MarchMarsannay-la-Côte
Questions
Château de Couchey is about 37 min from Beaune by road (37 km). With a private driver, the trip from Beaune starts at €130 for the whole car, up to 4 guests.
Did you know? When the château was sold during the Revolution, its buyer made money by selling off every building material he could reuse, before reselling what remained in three separate lots.
Sources
Château de Couchey with a private driver
Full-day wine tour from Beaune: €560 for the car, up to 4 guests