Domaine La Croix Montjoie

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.

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.