Château de Cîteaux
Fontenille Collection Unveils its First Opening in Burgundy with Château de Cîteaux
This summer, as Fontenille Collection celebrates its 10-year anniversary, the group sets roots in Burgundy for the first time with the transformation of Château de Cîteaux. Rising over 12th-century Cistercian cellars among the oldest in the region, this 19th-century house in the heart of Meursault brings together winemaking legacy, monastic heritage and contemplative contemporary design within a setting that feels quietly timeless.
About 2h30 from Paris by train, 30 minutes from Dijon and a short 10 minutes from Beaune, the château is a natural fit for travelers pairing the capital with wine country, celebrating milestone moments, or seeking a deeper wine-led journey across France through the Fontenille lens.
A TALE OF BURGUNDY
The story of Château de Cîteaux begins not with a château, but with monks. In 1098, Robert de Molesme founded the Cistercian order at the Abbey of Cîteaux, some 35 kilometres north-east of Meursault. The Dukes of Burgundy soon granted the brothers vineyards in Meursault's celebrated Vieux-Clos, and on that land, they built the vaulted cellars that survive intact beneath the château today. In 1865, architect Jules Bernard raised the current house directly over the monastic foundations, creating a building that is, in the most literal sense, built on centuries of winemaking.
The estate's modern story is just as deeply rooted in place. Château de Cîteaux holds a central role in the viticultural life of Meursault through its long association with the Bouzereau family, one of the village's most emblematic winemaking dynasties.Philippe Bouzereau, the estate's former owner, remains a neighbor and friend of the house. Several of his wines, from Domaine Château de Cîteaux, feature on the list, at once a tribute to that friendship and an introduction to the character of Meursault.
ROOTED IN PLACE, COMMITTED TO THE FUTURE
The 35 rooms and suites—18 in the château at opening, with a further 17 in the restored Vieux-Clos opening in early 2027—draw on the visual language of the Second Empire, deliberately quieted. Torsade columns appear as subtle markers, moldings are present but never insistent, and the palette of aged greens, stone greys and earthy browns echoes the surrounding vineyard. Parquet above gives way to terracotta below, with bespoke furniture set against restored stonework and patinated woodwork.
The interiors echo the aesthetic of the Barbizon School, the 19th-century painters who privileged Burgundy's light and landscapes over decorative effect. Several rooms open onto private terraces set into the building's historic base, with views over the Côte de Beaune.
The restoration was carried out in close collaboration with regional craftspeople, a Fontenille Collection signature approach. Local joinery atelier Leblond Père et Fils, specialists in historic monuments, produced bespoke woodwork throughout; conservator Alice Gardien brought the paintings and frescoes in the restaurant's reception hall back to life; and a grand library skylight was restored by glassmakers SERF, flooding the room with Burgundian light. Select tableware comes from local Manufacture de Digoin.
As a certified société à mission and Green Key holder, Fontenille Collection's environmental commitment is structural rather than decorative: environmentally-friendly materials, energy optimization, and the deep involvement of regional artisans at every stage of the project.
A LIVING WINE COUNTRY
To arrive in Meursault is to feel Burgundy beating to the rhythm of the seasons. The vines unfurl across golden coteaux that shift color throughout the year, from tender green in spring and brilliant gold in autumn, to deep brown in winter. The Climats of Burgundy, inscribed as a UNESCO World Heritage landscape in 2015, form a mosaic of vineyard parcels, each with a story and character of its own.
Beneath the château, the 12th-century Cistercian cellars open for tastings from September. A nearly thousand-year continuity of vinification in a single place, felt rather than explained.
CÉLESTINE’S TABLE
The restaurant takes its name, Célestine, from the house itself. In the gilded salon, a set of painted medallions personifies the arts; one, it is said, is not an allegory but the portrait of a girl reputedly named Célestine, the daughter of Jules Bernard, who rebuilt the château in the 19th century. Her name echoes overhead too, in a painted ceiling of cherubs adrift in a celestial cloud.
Célestine is led by Chef Christophe Vauthier, a Burgundian by origin and by instinct. His menu is rooted in its terroir: Bresse poultry, Burgundy snails, river fish, vegetables from local market gardeners, and the cheeses of the region: Époisses, Brillat-Savarin, Soumaintrain. This is generous, produce-led cooking–a kitchen that lets the ingredient set the pace and moves with the rhythm of the vines. The wine list shifts between the great appellations of the Côte de Beaune and smaller local growers, with Philippe Bouzereau's own cuvée given pride of place.
Fontenille's signature experiences thread through a stay: brasero dinners, vineyard picnics, fortnightly tastings with neighboring winemakers, and themed evenings devoted to bœuf bourguignon, raclette and fondue. From late August through September, a harvest morning with Philippe Bouzereau offers one of the most direct encounters with winemaking the region offers.
THE GARDEN APOTHECARY
The spa opens where the château's decorated rooms give way to something quieter: a pared, light-filled space of stone, wood and glass, nearly 2,000 square feet turned outward to the gardens and the vineyards of Meursault. It was conceived with Alaena, the French botanical skincare house, as a place to slow down, to breathe with the rhythm of the vines just beyond the glass.
Signature treatments pair time-honored hand techniques such as Kobido and Tui Na with botanical elixirs that echo Burgundy's monastic herbal tradition, the Cistercian apothecary craft once practiced across the region. Running alongside that heritage is Alaena's contemporary botanical science, down to tools like the Nooānce LED mask, so each ritual is at once rooted, high-performing, and made to measure.
Beyond the treatment rooms, guests swim in the heated indoor pool, soak in the jacuzzi, and move between hammam and sauna before settling back into the stillness of the vines.
BETWEEN VINE AND VAULT
Set in the heart of Meursault, Château de Cîteaux is an ideal gateway to the treasures of the Côte de Beaune. The Route des Grands Crus is minutes away, winding through the storied villages of Puligny-Montrachet, Chassagne-Montrachet, Pommard and Volnay. At its centre sits Beaune, capital of Burgundy wines and home to the Hospices de Beaune and their celebrated annual auction. Further afield, the Cistercian heritage continues at the Abbey of Cîteaux and the Clos de Vougeot, while the medieval streets of Dijon lie 30 minutes north.
Back at the château, the magic continues. Whether it is a tasting in the 12th-century cellars, a quiet hour in the library beneath restored skylights, or a glass of Meursault as the sun sinks behind the vines, Château de Cîteaux is where the essence of Burgundy reveals itself, slowly and generously.
For more information on how to plan a trip, visit chateaudeciteaux.fontenille-