--- title: "Domaine La Croix Montjoie: How to Visit and What to See" description: "Domaine La Croix Montjoie is a family wine estate in Tharoiseau, a village on the slopes facing the hill of Vézelay." url: https://www.cote-privee.com/things-to-do/domaine-la-croix-montjoie lang: en updated: 2026-10-08 generated: 2026-10-08 image: https://www.cote-privee.com/og/things-to-do/domaine-la-croix-montjoie.png --- # Domaine La Croix Montjoie > Domaine La Croix Montjoie: a family estate making Vézelay whites in an old château farm, with a terrace facing the basilica across the valley. Domaine La Croix Montjoie is in Tharoiseau (Yonne), 1 h 25 by road (120 km) from Beaune. Opening hours: 1 April to 31 October: Monday to Saturday, 10:00 to 19:00; 2 to 7 November: Monday to Saturday, 10:00 to 17:00 · Allow 45 minutes to 1.5 hours · Private driver from Beaune: €310 one way for the whole car, up to 4 guests. Domaine La Croix Montjoie is a family wine estate in Tharoiseau, a village on the slopes facing the hill of Vézelay. Sophie and Matthieu Woillez make white Vézelay and a few reds here, in a 19th-century former farm of the Château de Tharoiseau. You can taste without booking from spring to autumn, and book a guided visit of the cellars and vines. ## Key facts - Type: Wine experiences - Where: Tharoiseau · Yonne - Location: 90 km north-west of Beaune · Yonne - Coordinates: 47.4601, 3.8045 - 1 h 25 from Beaune - Open 1 April to 7 November - Allow 45 minutes to 1.5 hours - Official website: [lacroixmontjoie.com](https://www.lacroixmontjoie.com/) - From Beaune: ≈ 1 h 25 · 120 km - €310 one way from Beaune with a [private driver](https://www.cote-privee.com/private-driver) ## Getting there - [Private driver from Beaune](https://www.cote-privee.com/private-driver): 1 h 25 by road (120 km), €310 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 Sophie, granddaughter of Beaujolais winegrowers, and Matthieu, an oenologist, met while studying agronomy in Montpellier. In 2009 they settled near Vézelay with a group of enthusiasts and moved into the old farm at Tharoiseau with their three young children. The domaine takes its name from the Croix Montjoie, the cross at the entrance to the village, which once marked the pilgrims' first sight of Vézelay, a starting point of the roads to Santiago de Compostela. Since then the estate has grown from 10 to 15 hectares. Most of the vines lie in Tharoiseau on the Champ Cervin site, on deep clay soils with limestone breaking through at the top of the slope. Since 2021 the domaine has also farmed En Merlutte, a sandier, sunnier plot, and it has a parcel of Pinot Noir at Asquins. The estate was certified organic from 2018 to 2025, then paused the certification while keeping its methods. ## What you will see Without an appointment, you can taste the wines, buy bottles and walk freely in the vines. The range centres on white Vézelay, an appellation of Chardonnay with its own village status since 2017, in cuvées named L'Impatiente, L'Élégante, La Voluptueuse and En Merlutte, alongside red Bourgogne, Irancy, Crémant de Bourgogne and ratafia. Booked visits for 2 to 9 people add the cellars, the vineyards or an introduction to tasting. On summer evenings, except Sundays, the terrace becomes a wine bar facing the sunset over Vézelay. ## Opening hours and tickets - Opening hours: - 1 April to 31 October: Monday to Saturday, 10:00 to 19:00 - 2 to 7 November: Monday to Saturday, 10:00 to 17:00 - Booking: Not needed Checked on 8 October 2026 on [the official site](https://www.lacroixmontjoie.com/visites). ## Planning your visit Allow 45 minutes for a tasting, up to an hour and a half for a guided visit. Tharoiseau is 4 km from Vézelay and about 1 hour 25 minutes from Beaune, so a tasting fits easily into a day at Vézelay and Saint-Père. The cellar is open without appointment from Monday to Saturday from April to October and in the first week of November, and by appointment in winter. Book guided visits online in advance. ## Did you know? From November to March the domaine's own flock of about twenty Wallachian sheep grazes between the vines, which keeps the grass down and spares a spring ploughing when the risk of frost is high. ## Around Domaine La Croix Montjoie What to combine with Domaine La Croix Montjoie on the same day, nearest first. ### Châteaux - [Château de Vault-de-Lugny](https://www.cote-privee.com/chateaux/chateau-de-vault-de-lugny) (6 km away): A moated castle with a tall square keep near Avallon, now an intimate five-star hotel. - [Château de Bazoches](https://www.cote-privee.com/chateaux/chateau-de-bazoches) (9 km away): The castle Vauban bought with a royal reward, and turned into a workshop for his military engineers. - [Château de Chastellux](https://www.cote-privee.com/chateaux/chateau-de-chastellux) (10 km away): A towered fortress at the gateway to the Morvan, still lived in by the family of its name. ### Things to do - [Site archéologique des Fontaines Salées](https://www.cote-privee.com/things-to-do/fontaines-salees) (2 km away): Salt springs used for more than 4,000 years, with oak well casings, a Gallo-Roman bath complex and a discovery centre below Vézelay. - [Église Notre-Dame de Saint-Père](https://www.cote-privee.com/things-to-do/eglise-notre-dame-saint-pere) (3 km away): A luminous Gothic church at the foot of Vézelay hill, with a 50-metre bell tower and a carved porch restored after Viollet-le-Duc. - [Basilica of Sainte-Marie-Madeleine, Vézelay (Basilique Sainte-Marie-Madeleine de Vézelay)](https://www.cote-privee.com/things-to-do/basilique-de-vezelay), 4 km away: A Romanesque masterpiece crowning a hill, where Saint Bernard preached the Second Crusade. ### Restaurants - [Le Valucien](https://www.cote-privee.com/restaurants/le-valucien-vault-de-lugny) (5 km away · 1 MICHELIN star): A starred table with Mauritian accents inside a moated castle near Avallon. ## Questions about Domaine La Croix Montjoie ### How far is Domaine La Croix Montjoie from Beaune? Domaine La Croix Montjoie is about 1 h 25 from Beaune by road (120 km). With a private driver, the trip from Beaune starts at €310 for the whole car, up to 4 guests. ### How long does a visit to Domaine La Croix Montjoie take? For the visit, allow 45 minutes to 1.5 hours. ### When is Domaine La Croix Montjoie open? Opening days and times change during the year, so check the official website (lacroixmontjoie.com) before you go. Your driver can plan the day around them. ### Can a private driver take us to Domaine La Croix Montjoie? 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. → [Private driver from Beaune](https://www.cote-privee.com/private-driver) ## Book - [Book a driver here](https://www.cote-privee.com/book?service=driver&place=sight:croixmontjoie): €310 one way from Beaune · up to 4 guests ## Sources - - - - - - - - --- Canonical page: