--- title: "Caves Bailly Lapierre: Crémant Cellar Tour and Tasting" description: "Crémant de Bourgogne aged in old stone quarries near Auxerre, at about 12 degrees. The guided tour ends with a tasting: allow an hour, driver from Beaune." url: https://www.cote-privee.com/things-to-do/caves-bailly-lapierre lang: en updated: 2026-09-29 generated: 2026-10-08 image: https://www.cote-privee.com/og/things-to-do/caves-bailly-lapierre.png --- # Caves Bailly Lapierre > Caves Bailly Lapierre: Crémant de Bourgogne aged in vast medieval stone quarries above the river Yonne. Caves Bailly Lapierre is in Saint-Bris-le-Vineux (Yonne), 1 h 45 by road (156 km) from Beaune. Allow 1 hour · Private driver from Beaune: €390 one way for the whole car, up to 4 guests. Near Auxerre, above the river Yonne, the growers of Bailly Lapierre age their Crémant de Bourgogne in former underground stone quarries. The galleries keep a steady cool temperature and natural humidity. A guided visit leads through the caves and ends with a tasting of sparkling wine. ## Key facts - Type: Wine experiences - Where: Saint-Bris-le-Vineux · Yonne - Location: 120 km north-west of Beaune · Chablis & Auxerrois - Coordinates: 47.7228, 3.6279 - 1 h 45 from Beaune - Allow 1 hour - Saint-Bris-le-Vineux - Nearby: [Saint-Bris](https://www.cote-privee.com/villages/saint-bris) - Official website: [bailly-lapierre.fr](https://www.bailly-lapierre.fr/) - From Beaune: ≈ 1 h 45 · 156 km - €390 one way from Beaune with a [private driver](https://www.cote-privee.com/private-driver) - Or add it to our [long-day wine tour, €880](https://www.cote-privee.com/wine-tours/long-day). ## Getting there - [Private driver from Beaune](https://www.cote-privee.com/private-driver): 1 h 45 by road (156 km), €390 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 Stone has been quarried at Bailly since the Middle Ages. Pontigny Abbey became owner of a quarry here in 1186, and according to the cellars, stone from Bailly went into monuments such as Notre-Dame de Paris and the Panthéon, carried by boat on the Yonne. Marks of picks and the traces of oil lamps can still be seen on the walls. The quarry became a mushroom farm in 1927. In 1972 local growers joined forces to set up a sparkling wine cellar in the galleries, and they helped create the Crémant de Bourgogne appellation, whose decree was published in October 1975. Today some 430 growers supply grapes. The cellars produce more than three million bottles a year and keep a permanent stock of about 6.5 million bottles. ## What you will see The one-hour visit begins with a 45-minute guided walk through the galleries, where millions of bottles rest in the half-light. Along the way you see contemporary sculptures carved into the rock and learn the different stages of making Crémant. The visit ends with a tasting of two crémants, and you keep the glass. Audio guides are available in English, German and Dutch. ## Planning your visit Allow about an hour. Bailly is about 10 km from Auxerre and a few minutes from Saint-Bris-le-Vineux, so it fits into a day with Chablis or Auxerre. The caves stay at about 12 degrees, so bring a warm layer. Individual visits run in the afternoon, and groups must book. Please check the official website for opening times. ## Did you know? Before the growers moved in, the quarries at Bailly were used to grow mushrooms, from 1927 until the early 1970s. ## Around Caves Bailly Lapierre What to combine with Caves Bailly Lapierre on the same day, nearest first. ### Villages - [Saint-Bris](https://www.cote-privee.com/villages/saint-bris) (3 km away): Burgundy's Sauvignon village, built over a maze of medieval cellars. - [Irancy](https://www.cote-privee.com/villages/irancy) (3 km away): The red wine village of the Yonne, set in a bowl of vines and cherry trees. - [Chablis](https://www.cote-privee.com/villages/chablis) (16 km away): Burgundy's northern outpost, where Chardonnay grows on fossil-rich limestone above the river Serein. ### Châteaux - [Château Long-Depaquit](https://www.cote-privee.com/chateaux/chateau-long-depaquit) (16 km away): An 18th-century château in the heart of Chablis, home of the grand cru La Moutonne. - [Château de Maligny](https://www.cote-privee.com/chateaux/chateau-de-maligny) (19 km away): A castle above the Serein north of Chablis, whose name lives on in the Durup family's wines. - [Château de Béru](https://www.cote-privee.com/chateaux/chateau-de-beru) (21 km away): A family château above the Chablis vineyards, with a rare sundial and moon dial, and biodynamic wines. ### Things to do - [Domaine Borgnat](https://www.cote-privee.com/things-to-do/domaine-borgnat-escolives) (2 km away): A family estate and guest house in Escolives, with tastings in stacked 17th-century cellars and wines of Coulanges-la-Vineuse. - [Site archéologique d’Escolives-Sainte-Camille](https://www.cote-privee.com/things-to-do/site-archeologique-escolives-sainte-camille) (2 km away): The baths of a Gallo-Roman villa on the Via Agrippa, built on reused carved stones, with a Merovingian cemetery among the ruins. - [Domaine Pierre-Louis et Jean-François Bersan](https://www.cote-privee.com/things-to-do/domaine-pierre-louis-et-jean-francois-bersan) (3 km away): A father-and-son estate whose wines age in a maze of medieval cellars beneath Saint-Bris-le-Vineux. ### Events - **The weekend before Christmas.** · [Marché du Réveillon](https://www.cote-privee.com/events/marche-du-reveillon-saint-bris-le-vineux): A Christmas food market held in the medieval cellars beneath Saint-Bris-le-Vineux. (Christmas · Saint-Bris-le-Vineux) - **A weekend in January, close to the feast of Saint Vincent on 22 January.** · [Saint-Vincent de Chitry](https://www.cote-privee.com/events/saint-vincent-de-chitry): Chitry honours Saint Vincent with a parade, mulled wine for all and a Sunday of tastings. (Tradition · Chitry) - **Saturday 29 – Sunday 30 May 2027 (Confirmed by the organiser)** · [Fleurs de Vigne](https://www.cote-privee.com/events/fleurs-de-vigne-auxerre): The wine festival of the Yonne, held on the Auxerre quays as the vines come into flower. (Wine festival · Auxerre) - **A long weekend in late August.** · [Rues Barrées](https://www.cote-privee.com/events/rues-barrees-auxerre): Three days of free street theatre, circus and dance in the old streets of Auxerre. (Culture · Auxerre) ### Guides about Caves Bailly Lapierre - [Burgundy’s grape varieties](https://www.cote-privee.com/guides/burgundy-grape-varieties) - [A Chablis day trip from Beaune](https://www.cote-privee.com/guides/chablis-day-trip-from-beaune) ## Questions about Caves Bailly Lapierre ### How far is Caves Bailly Lapierre from Beaune? Caves Bailly Lapierre is about 1 h 45 from Beaune by road (156 km). With a private driver, the trip from Beaune starts at €390 for the whole car, up to 4 guests. ### How long does a visit to Caves Bailly Lapierre take? For the visit, allow 1 hour. ### When is Caves Bailly Lapierre open? Opening days and times change during the year, so check the official website (bailly-lapierre.fr) before you go. Your driver can plan the day around them. ### Can a private driver take us to Caves Bailly Lapierre? 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. → [Long-day wine tour, €880](https://www.cote-privee.com/wine-tours/long-day) ## Book - [Book a driver here](https://www.cote-privee.com/book?service=driver&place=sight:baillylapierre): €390 one way from Beaune · up to 4 guests ## Sources - - - --- Canonical page: