--- title: "Monthélie, Burgundy: Wine Tasting and Village Walk" description: "Hillside village between Volnay and Meursault: 15 premier crus, fine reds, rare whites, once likened to Tuscany. Private driver from Beaune, 12 min." url: https://www.cote-privee.com/villages/monthelie lang: en updated: 2026-09-30 generated: 2026-10-08 image: https://www.cote-privee.com/og/villages/monthelie.png --- # Monthélie > Monthélie: a small hillside village between Volnay and Meursault, once compared to a village in Tuscany. Monthélie is a wine village (Côte de Beaune), 12 min by road (8 km) from Beaune. Red and white wines · 15 premiers crus · Private driver from Beaune: €65 one way for the whole car, up to 4 guests. Monthélie, pronounced Month'lie, is a small village on a hillside between Volnay and Meursault. Its narrow lanes, old houses and Romanesque church are worth a slow walk. The wines are mostly red, and share with neighbouring Volnay a reputation for finesse. The rarer whites are close cousins of Meursault. ## Key facts - Type: Wine village - Region: Côte de Beaune - Location: 7 km south-west of Beaune · Côte de Beaune - Coordinates: 46.9927, 4.7661 - 12 min from Beaune - Red and white wines - 15 premiers crus - Appellations: Monthélie - Grapes: Pinot Noir, Chardonnay - From Beaune: ≈ 12 min · 8 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): 12 min by road (8 km), €65 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 For centuries Monthélie belonged to the great abbey of Cluny. In 1078 the Duke of Burgundy gave the village church to Cluny, and the monks rebuilt it in Romanesque style in the 12th century. A wide side aisle was added in the 15th century, and its spire, covered in Burgundian glazed tiles, came later still. The church is now a protected historic monument. The writer Pierre Poupon compared Monthélie, pressed against the curve of its hill, to a village in Tuscany. Steep and compact, it has always been surrounded by vines, and it has kept its old houses and good cellars. The Monthélie appellation was created in 1937. Today, in the words of the Burgundy wine board, the personality of its wines asserts itself fully, in red as in white. ## The wines Monthélie has 15 premier crus. Most vines face south and south-east on gravelly Bathonian limestone covered with red clay and marl, continuing the Volnay slope. Others lie in the Auxey-Duresses valley on Argovian limestone, facing east or west, between 230 and 370 metres. Reds from Pinot Noir are ruby, with cherry and blackcurrant, fine tannins and a velvety feel. Whites from Chardonnay show hawthorn, apple and fresh hazelnut. **Well-known premiers crus (15 premiers crus)**: Les Champs Fulliots, Le Clos Gauthey, Les Duresses, Sur la Velle, Le Meix Bataille, Clos des Toisières ## What to see ### Église Saint-Germain-d'Auxerre A small Romanesque church rebuilt by the monks of Cluny in the 12th century. Its octagonal spire of multicoloured glazed tiles is the landmark of the village. ### Sentier des Buis This signposted walking trail loops through the village and past the church, then out into the vineyards, clearings and woodland around it. ### Printemps de Monthélie Each spring, local winegrowers open their cellars to visitors for a weekend of tastings. It is a friendly way to meet the people behind the wines. ## Good to know Monthélie is small, so 30 to 45 minutes is enough for a walk through the lanes to the church. Combine it with Volnay and Pommard, or with Auxey-Duresses and Meursault just beyond. The lanes are steep and narrow. ## Did you know? An old proverb says that in Monthélie a hen would starve during the grain harvest. The reason: vines have always filled the landscape, leaving little room for wheat. ## Around Monthélie What to combine with Monthélie on the same day, nearest first. ### Villages - [Volnay](https://www.cote-privee.com/villages/volnay) (1 km away): A hillside village high above the vines, loved for the finesse of its red wines. - [Auxey-Duresses](https://www.cote-privee.com/villages/auxey-duresses) (2 km away): A quiet valley village of supple reds and bright whites, set between wooded hills west of Meursault. - [Meursault](https://www.cote-privee.com/villages/meursault) (2 km away): The great white-wine village of the Côte de Beaune, with a glazed-tile town hall and 19 premiers crus. ### Châteaux - [Château de Monthelie](https://www.cote-privee.com/chateaux/chateau-de-monthelie) (1 km away): An 18th-century château with a glazed tile roof, home of the Suremain family's wine estate. - [Château fort de Meursault (Hôtel de ville)](https://www.cote-privee.com/chateaux/chateau-fort-de-meursault-hotel-de-ville), 2 km away: Meursault's town hall, a 14th-century castle keep under a bright glazed tile roof. - [Château de Cîteaux](https://www.cote-privee.com/chateaux/chateau-de-citeaux) (2 km away): A 19th-century château in Meursault, built over the cellars of the monks of Cîteaux. - [Château de Meursault](https://www.cote-privee.com/chateaux/chateau-de-meursault) (2 km away): A wine château with vast vaulted cellars, a walled Chardonnay clos and a forest garden. ### Things to do - [Ropiteau Frères](https://www.cote-privee.com/things-to-do/ropiteau-freres-meursault) (1 km away): A Meursault wine house founded in 1848, ageing its wines in old cellars that once belonged to the Hospices de Beaune. - [Domaine Bernard Delagrange et Fils](https://www.cote-privee.com/things-to-do/domaine-bernard-delagrange-meursault) (1 km away): A father-and-son Meursault estate in the old house of a 15th-century ducal physician, over two levels of cellars. - [Domaine Christophe Vaudoisey](https://www.cote-privee.com/things-to-do/domaine-christophe-vaudoisey-volnay) (2 km away): A Volnay family estate since 1804, now in its ninth generation, receiving visitors by appointment in the village. ### Restaurants - [Auprès du Clocher](https://www.cote-privee.com/restaurants/aupres-du-clocher-pommard) (3 km away · 1 MICHELIN star): Pommard's newly starred table, where the butcher's son cooks beside the church - [Le Carmin](https://www.cote-privee.com/restaurants/le-carmin-beaune) (6 km away · 1 MICHELIN star): Christophe Quéant's poised, product-first cooking in a Renaissance house on place Carnot - [Clos du Cèdre](https://www.cote-privee.com/restaurants/clos-du-cedre-beaune) (7 km away · 1 MICHELIN star): A winemaker's mansion by Beaune's ramparts, with a starred kitchen and a cellar of over 1,000 wines ### Events - **Easter weekend, Saturday and Sunday** · [Le Printemps de Monthelie](https://www.cote-privee.com/events/printemps-de-monthelie): Easter weekend in Monthelie, when the growers open their cellars and the village comes out to celebrate. (Wine festival · Monthelie) ### Guides about Monthélie - [Côte de Nuits vs Côte de Beaune](https://www.cote-privee.com/guides/cote-de-nuits-vs-cote-de-beaune) ## Questions about Monthélie ### How far is Monthélie from Beaune? Monthélie is about 12 min from Beaune by road (8 km). With a private driver, the trip from Beaune starts at €65 for the whole car, up to 4 guests. ### What wines is Monthélie known for? Monthélie makes mostly red wines under these appellations: Monthélie. It has 15 premiers crus. Its best-known premiers crus include Les Champs Fulliots, Le Clos Gauthey, Les Duresses. ### Can you taste wine in Monthélie? Yes. Many domaines in Monthélie receive visitors, usually by appointment. On a wine tour your driver plans the route and helps you book the tastings, which you pay directly to the domaines. ### Can a private driver take us to Monthélie? 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=village:monthelie): Half-day wine tour from Beaune: €290 for the car, up to 4 guests ## Sources - - - - --- Canonical page: