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Wine Presses of the Dukes of Burgundy (Pressoirs des ducs de Bourgogne)

Two giant 15th-century wine presses of the dukes of Burgundy, in the old village of Chenôve.

  • Wine experience
  • 40 min from Beaune
  • Allow 30 to 45 minutes
  • UNESCO World Heritage

€140one way from Beaune with a private driver

Book a driver here 
Pressoirs des ducs de Bourgogne
Photo: photography taken by Christophe.Finot, CC BY-SA 3.0

At a glance

Location 30 km north of Beaune · Côte de Nuits
See it on the full map
Where
Chenôve · Côte-d'Or
Nearby
Dijon
Official website
chenove.fr⁠

Getting there

Private driver from Beaune: 40 min by road (42 km), €140 one way for the whole car.

Or add it to our full-day wine tour, €560.

Coming by train or plane? Transfers from stations and airports →

About the place

In the old village of Chenôve, just south of Dijon, a stone building shelters two enormous wooden wine presses made for the dukes of Burgundy. With those of the Clos de Vougeot, they are the largest and oldest presses in the region. They stand inside the area listed by UNESCO as the Climats of Burgundy.

What you will see

Step under the tall timber roof and take in the size of the two presses and their great levers. Together they could press up to 100 barrels' worth of harvest a day, about 23,000 litres of wine. Picture the harvest crews who worked here each autumn for more than five centuries. Chenôve is the first winegrowing village south of Dijon, and its old lanes still feel rural.

History

Archives date the two presses to between 1404 and 1407, under John the Fearless. Around them the dukes farmed about 50 hectares of vines. After the death of Charles the Bold in 1477, Louis XI took them into the royal estate, and they remained crown property until 1567. Private owners and merchants then used them to make wine without a break until 1926.

The presses worked like giant nutcrackers. Grapes were piled on a platform of 16 square metres beneath a beam 9 or 11 metres long, which a capstan screw pulled down. A movable stone counterweight of 4 or 8 tonnes added pressure. They stand under a cathedral-style timber roof with an 18-metre ridge. The building was listed as a historic monument in 1934, and one press was restored in 1987.

Planning your visit

Tips for your visit

The presses are not open every day, and visits are occasional. Contact the Dijon tourist office or the town of Chenôve before you go. The building is in the old village, a short drive south of central Dijon, and fits well into a wine day on the Côte. Check the official website for opening times.

Around here

What to combine with Wine Presses of the Dukes of Burgundy on the same day, nearest first.

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Questions

Wine Presses of the Dukes of Burgundy is about 40 min from Beaune by road (42 km). With a private driver, the trip from Beaune starts at €140 for the whole car, up to 4 guests.

Did you know? The movable stone counterweights, of 4 and 8 tonnes, are unique in Burgundy. Tradition nicknamed the counterweight the Margot, after Margaret of Burgundy, wife of King Louis X.

Sources

Wine Presses of the Dukes of Burgundy with a private driver

€140 one way from Beaune · up to 4 guests

Book a driver here