--- title: "Saint-Romain, Burgundy: Cliffs, Castle and Wine" description: "A cliff-ringed village above the Côte de Beaune, with crisp whites, fresh reds, castle ruins and wide views. 18 min from Beaune by private driver." url: https://www.cote-privee.com/villages/saint-romain lang: en updated: 2026-09-29 generated: 2026-10-08 image: https://www.cote-privee.com/og/villages/saint-romain.png --- # Saint-Romain > Saint-Romain: a cliff-ringed village above the Côte de Beaune, known for crisp whites, fresh reds and wide views. Saint-Romain is a wine village (Côte de Beaune), 18 min by road (12 km) from Beaune. Red and white wines · Private driver from Beaune: €75 one way for the whole car, up to 4 guests. Saint-Romain lies in a side valley west of Auxey-Duresses, split between a lower village and an upper village on a rocky spur. Tall limestone cliffs ring the lower village, and castle ruins look out over the valley. It sits at the edge of the Hautes-Côtes, yet has its own village appellation for red and white wine. ## Key facts - Type: Wine village - Region: Côte de Beaune - Location: 10 km west of Beaune · Côte de Beaune - Coordinates: 46.9994, 4.7088 - 18 min from Beaune - Red and white wines - Appellations: Saint-Romain - Grapes: Pinot Noir, Chardonnay - From Beaune: ≈ 18 min · 12 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): 18 min by road (12 km), €75 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 People have lived around these cliffs since the Neolithic, and the Burgundy wine board counts Saint-Romain among the first sanctuaries of Celtic and Gallo-Roman winegrowing in Burgundy. In the Middle Ages a castle rose on the rocky spur above the lower village. It belonged first to the lords of Saint-Romain, who held it by the 12th century, and passed to the dukes of Burgundy in the 14th century. It was dismantled at the time of the French Revolution, and only ruins remain today. During the Revolution the village was also renamed Belle-Roche for a time, to remove its religious name. Saint-Romain received its own appellation on 14 October 1947, for red and white wines, and it has no premier cru. The cliffs and the Verger path beneath them have been a protected site since 1934. The village has hosted the Saint-Vincent tournante, Burgundy's roving winter wine festival, twice, in 1964 and again in 2008. ## The wines Vines grow between 280 and 400 metres, facing south to southeast and also north to northeast, on marl and limestone slopes where clay banks suit Chardonnay. In 2022 whites covered about 71 hectares and reds about 36, per the Burgundy wine board. The whites are pale gold with green glints, lime blossom, white flowers and a mineral line. The reds, from Pinot Noir, show cherry, raspberry and redcurrant, turning towards spice and smoke after four or five years. ## What to see ### Castle ruins The remains of the medieval castle stand on a rocky spur in the upper village, Saint-Romain-le-Haut. From here the view takes in the cliffs, the lower village and the vineyards below. ### The cliffs and the Verger path Protected since 1934, the limestone cliffs form a natural amphitheatre around the lower village. The Verger path runs at their foot, below the cave where the earliest traces of human life here were found. ### Parish church The 15th-century church has a porch tower and a 16th-century baptismal font. A 16th-century stone cross stands in front of it, close to the castle ruins of the upper village. ## Good to know Allow an hour or more if you want to walk. A loop from the upper village past the cliffs and the castle ruins gives the best views. Combine with Auxey-Duresses on the way up and the castle of La Rochepot. ## Did you know? According to the Burgundy wine board, bears and lions frequented the site of Saint-Romain some 100,000 years ago, long before farmers and vines arrived in the valley. ## Around Saint-Romain What to combine with Saint-Romain on the same day, nearest first. ### Villages - [Auxey-Duresses](https://www.cote-privee.com/villages/auxey-duresses) (3 km away): A quiet valley village of supple reds and bright whites, set between wooded hills west of Meursault. - [Monthélie](https://www.cote-privee.com/villages/monthelie) (4 km away): A small hillside village between Volnay and Meursault, once compared to a village in Tuscany. - [Blagny](https://www.cote-privee.com/villages/blagny) (5 km away): A tiny hilltop hamlet between Meursault and Puligny, with a rare red appellation and celebrated white premiers crus. ### Châteaux - [Château fort de Saint-Romain](https://www.cote-privee.com/chateaux/chateau-fort-de-saint-romain) (1 km away): Medieval castle ruins on a rocky spur, with wide views over the Saint-Romain cliffs. - [Château de Melin](https://www.cote-privee.com/chateaux/chateau-de-melin) (2 km away): A Renaissance manor in a wooded park, now an organic wine estate with guest rooms. - [Château de Monthelie](https://www.cote-privee.com/chateaux/chateau-de-monthelie) (4 km away): An 18th-century château with a glazed tile roof, home of the Suremain family's wine estate. - [Château de Gamay](https://www.cote-privee.com/chateaux/chateau-de-gamay) (5 km away): A medieval fortified house in the hamlet that gave its name to the Gamay grape. ### Things to do - [Ropiteau Frères](https://www.cote-privee.com/things-to-do/ropiteau-freres-meursault) (5 km away): A Meursault wine house founded in 1848, ageing its wines in old cellars that once belonged to the Hospices de Beaune. - [Cirque du Bout du Monde](https://www.cote-privee.com/things-to-do/cirque-du-bout-du-monde) (5 km away): A limestone amphitheatre near Nolay, with sheer cliffs, a spring-fed waterfall and falcons overhead. - [Domaine Bernard Delagrange et Fils](https://www.cote-privee.com/things-to-do/domaine-bernard-delagrange-meursault) (5 km away): A father-and-son Meursault estate in the old house of a 15th-century ducal physician, over two levels of cellars. ### Restaurants - [Auprès du Clocher](https://www.cote-privee.com/restaurants/aupres-du-clocher-pommard) (7 km away · 1 MICHELIN star): Pommard's newly starred table, where the butcher's son cooks beside the church - [Ed.Em](https://www.cote-privee.com/restaurants/ed-em-chassagne-montrachet) (7 km away · 1 MICHELIN star): A starred couple's table in the heart of Montrachet country, with 600 wines to match - [Le Carmin](https://www.cote-privee.com/restaurants/le-carmin-beaune) (10 km away · 1 MICHELIN star): Christophe Quéant's poised, product-first cooking in a Renaissance house on place Carnot ### Guides about Saint-Romain - [Côte de Nuits vs Côte de Beaune](https://www.cote-privee.com/guides/cote-de-nuits-vs-cote-de-beaune) ## Questions about Saint-Romain ### How far is Saint-Romain from Beaune? Saint-Romain is about 18 min from Beaune by road (12 km). With a private driver, the trip from Beaune starts at €75 for the whole car, up to 4 guests. ### What wines is Saint-Romain known for? Saint-Romain makes mostly red wines under these appellations: Saint-Romain. ### Can you taste wine in Saint-Romain? Yes. Many domaines in Saint-Romain 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 Saint-Romain? 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:stromain): Half-day wine tour from Beaune: €290 for the car, up to 4 guests ## Sources - - - - --- Canonical page: