--- title: "Château de Gamay: History of the Hamlet behind the Grape" description: "A 13th-century fortified house with a square keep, in the hamlet that named the Gamay grape. Private, seen above Saint-Aubin by private driver." url: https://www.cote-privee.com/chateaux/chateau-de-gamay lang: en updated: 2026-09-29 generated: 2026-10-08 image: https://www.cote-privee.com/og/chateaux/chateau-de-gamay.png --- # Château de Gamay > Château de Gamay: a medieval fortified house in the hamlet that gave its name to the Gamay grape. Château de Gamay is in Saint-Aubin (Côte-d'Or), 19 min by road (15 km) from Beaune. Private, seen from outside · 13th to 15th centuries, remodelled in the 18th and 19th · Private driver from Beaune: €80 one way for the whole car, up to 4 guests. The Château de Gamay stands on the slope above Saint-Aubin, in the small hamlet of Gamay, which gave its name to the Gamay grape. It is a classic Burgundian fortified house, with a square keep, a main house and a stair turret around a courtyard. It is a private home. ## Key facts - Type: Manor - Location: 12 km south-west of Beaune · Côte de Beaune - Coordinates: 46.9571, 4.7211 - 19 min from Beaune - Private, seen from outside - 13th to 15th centuries, remodelled in the 18th and 19th - Commune: [Saint-Aubin · Côte-d'Or](https://www.cote-privee.com/villages/saint-aubin) - Style: Burgundian fortified house - Heritage: Registered historic monument - From Beaune: ≈ 19 min · 15 km - €290 for a [half-day wine tour](https://www.cote-privee.com/wine-tours/half-day) from Beaune, up to 4 guests ## Getting there - [Private driver from Beaune](https://www.cote-privee.com/private-driver): 19 min by road (15 km), €80 one way for the whole car. Coming by train or plane? [Transfers from stations and airports](https://www.cote-privee.com/transfers) Estimates per vehicle for up to 4 guests, tolls included. Your price is confirmed when you book. ## History The keep and probably the main house were built in the 13th century, when fortified manors like this spread across Burgundy. The house was remodelled in the 15th century, when a low wing was added, and the stair turret followed around 1500. Among its lords were the Du May family: Paul Du May, a councillor at the Parliament, was lord of Saint-Aubin and Gamay in 1511. The main house was heavily remodelled at the end of the 18th century. During the Revolution the estate was seized and sold as national property, and the castle became a farm, surrounded by rural buildings. At the end of the 19th century the Chauvigny de Blot family bought it and began a long restoration. It was listed as a historic monument in 1991. ## Architecture The buildings form a quadrangle, surrounded on three sides by ditches. The square keep has a ground floor with ribbed vaults resting on a central pillar. An octagonal turret with a spiral staircase stands in the corner of the courtyard. Carved coats of arms survive on the turret and on the door of the low wing, and gargoyles in the form of fabulous animals decorate the main house. ## Visiting The château is a private home and is not open for regular visits. It has opened for guided tours during the European Heritage Days in some years, so check local listings in September. Otherwise you can see it from the lanes of Gamay, a short detour between Saint-Aubin and La Rochepot. ## Did you know? The Gamay grape takes its name from this hamlet, yet Duke Philip the Bold banned it from the duchy in 1395 to protect Pinot Noir. ## Around Château de Gamay What to combine with Château de Gamay on the same day, nearest first. ### Villages - [Saint-Aubin](https://www.cote-privee.com/villages/saint-aubin) (1 km away): A valley village just over the hill from Montrachet, where most vineyards are classified premier cru. - [Blagny](https://www.cote-privee.com/villages/blagny) (2 km away): A tiny hilltop hamlet between Meursault and Puligny, with a rare red appellation and celebrated white premiers crus. - [Chassagne-Montrachet](https://www.cote-privee.com/villages/chassagne-montrachet) (2 km away): Montrachet's southern neighbour, a village of great whites, serious reds and pale stone quarries. ### Châteaux - [Château de la Maltroye](https://www.cote-privee.com/chateaux/chateau-de-la-maltroye) (2 km away): An 18th-century family wine house at the top of Chassagne, with a diamond-patterned tile roof. - [Château de Chassagne-Montrachet](https://www.cote-privee.com/chateaux/chateau-de-chassagne-montrachet) (2 km away): Great 14th-century vaulted cellars under a wine château in the heart of Chassagne-Montrachet. - [Château de Melin](https://www.cote-privee.com/chateaux/chateau-de-melin) (3 km away): A Renaissance manor in a wooded park, now an organic wine estate with guest rooms. ### Things to do - [Domaine Bader-Mimeur](https://www.cote-privee.com/things-to-do/domaine-bader-mimeur-chassagne-montrachet) (2 km away): A family estate that has farmed almost all the historic vines of the Château de Chassagne-Montrachet since 1919. - [Olivier Leflaive](https://www.cote-privee.com/things-to-do/olivier-leflaive-puligny-montrachet) (3 km away): A Puligny-Montrachet wine house founded in 1984, with sommelier-led tastings on the village square. - [Domaine Jean Monnier & Fils](https://www.cote-privee.com/things-to-do/domaine-jean-monnier-et-fils-meursault) (4 km away): A Meursault family estate with roots in 1696 and a tasting cellar on the town hall square. ### Restaurants - [Ed.Em](https://www.cote-privee.com/restaurants/ed-em-chassagne-montrachet) (2 km away · 1 MICHELIN star): A starred couple's table in the heart of Montrachet country, with 600 wines to match - [Maison Lameloise](https://www.cote-privee.com/restaurants/maison-lameloise-chagny) (6 km away · 3 MICHELIN stars): Burgundy's only three-star table, in a former coaching inn twenty minutes south of Beaune. - [Auprès du Clocher](https://www.cote-privee.com/restaurants/aupres-du-clocher-pommard) (8 km away · 1 MICHELIN star): Pommard's newly starred table, where the butcher's son cooks beside the church ### Guides about Château de Gamay - [Burgundy’s grape varieties](https://www.cote-privee.com/guides/burgundy-grape-varieties) ## Questions about Château de Gamay ### How far is Château de Gamay from Beaune? Château de Gamay is about 19 min from Beaune by road (15 km). With a private driver, the trip from Beaune starts at €80 for the whole car, up to 4 guests. ### Can you visit Château de Gamay? Château de Gamay is private and not open to visitors. You can see it from the road or the village, and your driver can stop there on the way. ### Can a private driver take us to Château de Gamay? Yes. Your driver collects you in Beaune or at your hotel in an electric Polestar 2 (up to 4 guests), waits while you visit and plans the rest of the day with you. The driver speaks English, French, Mandarin Chinese and Arabic. → [Half-day wine tour, €290](https://www.cote-privee.com/wine-tours/half-day) ## Book - [Book a driver here](https://www.cote-privee.com/book?service=wine-tour&option=half&place=chateau:gamay): Half-day wine tour from Beaune: €290 for the car, up to 4 guests ## Sources - - - --- Canonical page: