A fortified manor near Épinac with a striking Renaissance gatehouse of 1584.
€560for a full-day wine tour from Beaune, up to 4 guests
Private driver from Beaune: 34 min by road (34 km), €120 one way for the whole car.
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The Château de Morlet sits in the hollow of a small valley near Épinac, below the terraced village. Behind a fortified gatehouse of 1584 stands a manor between two square towers. A family has been restoring it since 2012, and it opens for guided visits at set times in summer and for the Heritage Days.
At the end of the Middle Ages the lords of Loges paid homage to the Duke of Burgundy for their fortified house of Loges, with its ditches, farmyard and fortified forecourt with a chapel and barn. In 1584 Simon de Loges rebuilt the imposing gatehouse. In 1680 the lordship was bought by Jean Morelet, dean of the collegiate church of Notre-Dame in Beaune.
In 1700 another Jean Morelet, his nephew, obtained royal letters that replaced the name Loges with Morlet, which the village still bears. The château later passed to the Bouhier, Vogüé and Louvencourt families. In the 2010s the Debost family took it over and began a long restoration. The whole château and its park were listed as a historic monument in 2014.
The manor stands between two unequal square towers, the eastern one massive and probably the oldest. The gatehouse of 1584 is the showpiece: its walls are rusticated, gunports point in every direction and a frieze of machicolations runs along the top. The machicolations are decorated with carved masks, an Italian Renaissance touch on a defensive building. A chapel was fitted into one pavilion in the 19th century.
Guided tours of about an hour start at 10:00 and 11:00 and on the hour from 15:00 to 18:00.
Checked on on the official site.
Morlet opens for guided visits of the exterior, park and château during set periods in summer and for the European Heritage Days in September. Groups can book visits at other times. Allow about an hour. Dates change each year, so check the official website before you go.
What to combine with Château de Morlet on the same day, nearest first.
Château de Morlet is about 34 min from Beaune by road (34 km). With a private driver, the trip from Beaune starts at €120 for the whole car, up to 4 guests.
Did you know? The village took the name of its lords: in 1700 royal letters renamed Loges as Morlet, after the Morelet family who owned the château.
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Full-day wine tour from Beaune: €560 for the car, up to 4 guests
