--- title: "Château de Pierreclos: Wine Tasting in a Medieval Castle" description: "Castle on a spur near Solutré with a 1665 gate, a suspended spiral stair and a Romanesque church. Pouilly-Fuissé tastings by booking, by private driver." url: https://www.cote-privee.com/chateaux/chateau-de-pierreclos lang: en updated: 2026-09-29 generated: 2026-10-08 image: https://www.cote-privee.com/og/chateaux/chateau-de-pierreclos.png --- # Château de Pierreclos > Château de Pierreclos: a medieval castle turned wine estate on a rocky spur near Solutré, full of Lamartine memories. Château de Pierreclos is in Pierreclos (Saône-et-Loire), 1 h 15 by road (101 km) from Beaune. Tastings on site · 12th to 17th century · Private driver from Beaune: €270 one way for the whole car, up to 4 guests. The château of Pierreclos crowns a rocky spur above the Petite Grosne valley, west of Mâcon and close to the Rock of Solutré. Behind its 17th-century gate stand towers, a suspended spiral stair and the remains of a Romanesque church. Today it is a family wine estate that welcomes visitors for tastings. ## Key facts - Type: Wine château - Location: 80 km south of Beaune · Mâconnais - Coordinates: 46.3299, 4.6863 - 1 h 15 from Beaune - Tastings on site - 12th to 17th century - Commune: Pierreclos · Saône-et-Loire - Style: Medieval castle with 17th-century additions - Heritage: Registered historic monument - Official website: [chateaudepierreclos.com](https://www.chateaudepierreclos.com) - From Beaune: ≈ 1 h 15 · 101 km - €270 one way from Beaune with a [private driver](https://www.cote-privee.com/private-driver) - Or add it to our [full-day wine tour plus two hours, €700](https://www.cote-privee.com/wine-tours/full-day). ## Getting there - [Private driver from Beaune](https://www.cote-privee.com/private-driver): 1 h 15 by road (101 km), €270 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 Pierreclos appears in the charters of Cluny from the late 9th century, and a church stood here before the castle. The oldest known lord was Étienne de Berzé. From 1403 the fief belonged to the Bletterans family, and in 1434 it passed by marriage to the Rougemont. The castle suffered from the Armagnacs in 1422, the Écorcheurs in 1437, the troops of Louis XI in 1471 and Protestant forces in 1562. In 1665 Jean-Baptiste Michon, a royal finance official from Lyon, bought Pierreclos and carried out major works, and his arms with that date appear on the entrance gate. His sons added Berzé and Milly to their lands. In July 1789 the château was attacked three days running during the Great Fear. The last of the Michon line, Léon de Pierreclau, was in fact Lamartine's son, and he died in 1841. The estate was sold off from 1817, and in 1829 Jacques Chaland of Saint-Chamond bought the château, which his heirs kept until 1909. It then belonged to the Darnat family, silk manufacturers from Lyon, and later hosted summer camps for children from Aubervilliers. In 1989 the Pidault family acquired it, restored it and opened it to visitors. It is now a family-run wine estate. ## Architecture An avenue paved in herringbone leads to a gate between two small pavilions and an arched passage bearing the Michon arms. A tall square tower with the corbels of a vanished wall-walk rises at the south-east. The main lodging is served by a suspended spiral stair with groin-vaulted landings on Tuscan pillars. Nearby stand the choir and bell tower of a 12th-century church. ## Visiting Pierreclos is a working wine estate rather than a museum. Tastings of its Mâcon, Saint-Véran and Pouilly-Fuissé wines take place in a 13th-century cellar and the historic vaulted cellars, and booking is required. There is no historical tour except during the European Heritage Days. The estate also offers guest rooms. Check the official website for opening times. ## Did you know? In 1790 the lord of Pierreclos armed his château with old cannons. National guards from Mâcon came at night to take them away, an episode Lamartine later told in his Confidences. ## Around Château de Pierreclos What to combine with Château de Pierreclos on the same day, nearest first. ### Villages - [Pouilly-Fuissé](https://www.cote-privee.com/villages/pouilly-fuisse) (7 km away): Burgundy's great southern white, grown beneath the limestone cliffs of Solutré and Vergisson. - [Saint-Véran](https://www.cote-privee.com/villages/saint-veran) (9 km away): Fresh Chardonnay from villages that wrap around Pouilly-Fuissé, beneath the Roche de Solutré. - [Viré-Clessé](https://www.cote-privee.com/villages/vire-clesse) (18 km away): Two neighbouring villages of the Haut-Mâconnais, joined in one appellation for generous Chardonnay. ### Châteaux - [Maison de Lamartine](https://www.cote-privee.com/chateaux/maison-de-lamartine-milly) (2 km away): The childhood home of Alphonse de Lamartine, a winegrowers' house that inspired some of his finest poems. - [Château de Monceau](https://www.cote-privee.com/chateaux/chateau-de-monceau) (4 km away): Lamartine's wine château near Mâcon, where he wrote in a small wooden pavilion among the vines. - [Château de Saint-Point](https://www.cote-privee.com/chateaux/chateau-de-saint-point) (6 km away): Lamartine's beloved home, remodelled in English Gothic taste, with his study, his museum and his tomb. ### Things to do - [Rock of Vergisson (Roche de Vergisson)](https://www.cote-privee.com/things-to-do/roche-de-vergisson), 3 km away: Solutré's quieter twin, a limestone cliff above the village of Vergisson with views across the vineyards. - [Monks’ Chapel, Berzé-la-Ville (Chapelle des Moines de Berzé-la-Ville)](https://www.cote-privee.com/things-to-do/chapelle-des-moines-berze-la-ville), 4 km away: A small Romanesque chapel holding the only surviving monumental paintings of Cluny's great age. - [Rock of Solutré (Roche de Solutré)](https://www.cote-privee.com/things-to-do/roche-de-solutre), 4 km away: A limestone escarpment rising above the Pouilly-Fuissé vineyards, famous for its Ice Age hunters. ### Restaurants - [L’O des Vignes](https://www.cote-privee.com/restaurants/l-o-des-vignes-fuisse) (7 km away · 1 MICHELIN star): A Meilleur Ouvrier de France cooking in the heart of Pouilly-Fuissé. - [La Table de Chaintré](https://www.cote-privee.com/restaurants/la-table-de-chaintre) (10 km away · 1 MICHELIN star): One menu a week, one husband-and-wife team, in a former village grocery near Mâcon. ## Questions about Château de Pierreclos ### How far is Château de Pierreclos from Beaune? Château de Pierreclos is about 1 h 15 from Beaune by road (101 km). With a private driver, the trip from Beaune starts at €270 for the whole car, up to 4 guests. ### Can you visit Château de Pierreclos? Yes. Château de Pierreclos is a wine estate that receives visitors for tastings, usually by appointment. We can help you book it as part of a wine tour. ### Can a private driver take us to Château de Pierreclos? 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. → [Full-day wine tour plus two hours, €700](https://www.cote-privee.com/wine-tours/full-day) ## Book - [Book a driver here](https://www.cote-privee.com/book?service=driver&place=chateau:pierreclos): €270 one way from Beaune · up to 4 guests ## Sources - - - - - - --- Canonical page: