Saint-Romain
A cliff-ringed village above the Côte de Beaune, known for crisp whites, fresh reds and wide views.
- Wine village
- 18 min from Beaune
- Red and white wines
€290for a half-day wine tour from Beaune, up to 4 guests
At a glance
- Appellations
- Saint-Romain
- Grapes
- Pinot Noir, Chardonnay
Getting there
Private driver from Beaune: 18 min by road (12 km), €75 one way for the whole car.
Coming by train or plane? Transfers from stations and airports →
About Saint-Romain
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.
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.
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.
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.
Tips for your visit
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.
Around here
What to combine with Saint-Romain on the same day, nearest first.
Guides about Saint-Romain
Questions
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.
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.
Sources
Saint-Romain with a private driver
Half-day wine tour from Beaune: €290 for the car, up to 4 guests