Château de Vosne-Romanée
The family seat of the Comtes Liger-Belair, owners of the grand cru La Romanée.
- Wine château
- 26 min from Beaune
- Private, seen from outside
- 17th century, restored in the 19th century
€290for a half-day wine tour from Beaune, up to 4 guests
At a glance
- Commune
- Vosne-Romanée · Côte-d'Or
- Style
- 17th-century manor house
- Official website
- liger-belair.fr
Getting there
Private driver from Beaune: 26 min by road (23 km), €100 one way for the whole car.
Coming by train or plane? Transfers from stations and airports →
About the château
In the heart of Vosne-Romanée, on the Rue du Château, stands the house of the Liger-Belair family. A general of Napoleon bought it in 1815, and his descendants still make wine here. The family domaine is best known for La Romanée, a grand cru vineyard it owns in its entirety.
History
The Comtes Liger-Belair settled in Vosne-Romanée when Louis Liger-Belair, a Napoleonic general, bought the Château de Vosne in 1815. Under him and then his nephew and adopted son, Louis-Charles, the estate grew considerably. At its height, under Louis-Charles's son Comte Edgar, it covered more than 60 hectares, including La Romanée, La Tâche and La Grande Rue, as well as parts of Clos de Vougeot and Chambertin.
Comte Henri Liger-Belair died in 1924, leaving ten children. Because two of them were minors, the inheritance could not be divided, and some heirs forced a sale. On 31 August 1933 the vines were auctioned at the Vosne-Romanée town hall, and La Tâche left the family. Two of the children bought back La Romanée. In 2000 Louis-Michel Liger-Belair, an agronomist and oenologist, took over the family vines and revived the domaine.
Architecture
The oldest building of the estate is a 17th-century house of rectangular plan, with a staircase tower on its north side. It has a cellar, two floors and an attic lit by dormers, under a hipped roof and a conical tower roof of flat tiles. The walls are of rendered rubble stone, and some windows have basket-handle arches. The house was restored in the 19th century.
Visiting
Tips for your visit
The château is a private family home and working winery, and the domaine explains that vineyard work leaves little time to receive visitors. You can see the house from the Rue du Château in the centre of the village. Vosne-Romanée is small and easy to walk, with its famous grand cru vineyards just above the houses.
Around here
What to combine with Château de Vosne-Romanée on the same day, nearest first.
Guides about Château de Vosne-Romanée
Questions
Château de Vosne-Romanée is about 26 min from Beaune by road (23 km). With a private driver, the trip from Beaune starts at €100 for the whole car, up to 4 guests.
Did you know? In 2015 the domaine celebrated its 200th anniversary with a vertical tasting of 68 vintages of La Romanée, the grand cru that two of the family's children bought back in 1933.
Sources
Château de Vosne-Romanée with a private driver
Half-day wine tour from Beaune: €290 for the car, up to 4 guests