Château de Marsannay

Château de Marsannay is a wine estate in Marsannay-la-Côte, the first village on the famous Route des Grands Crus as it enters the Côte de Nuits just south of Dijon.

The property covers 40 hectares farmed entirely under organic methods. It's one of the few Burgundy estates where visitors can encounter all three wine colours in one place, since Marsannay is the only appellation in the whole Côte-d'Or authorised to produce rosé alongside red and white. Château de Marsannay is particularly known for these rosés, ranked among the finest in France, alongside reds and whites from Marsannay itself and neighbouring appellations such as Fixin, Gevrey-Chambertin, Vosne-Romanée and Clos de Vougeot.

How do you get there?

Marsannay-la-Côte sits just a few kilometres south of Dijon, right where the road running along the Côte de Nuits vineyards begins its stretch toward Gevrey-Chambertin and Nuits-Saint-Georges. The château has its own car park, making it an easy first stop for anyone starting a drive along the Route des Grands Crus from Dijon.

What is there to see?

The estate has a fully equipped visitor centre with cellars, tasting rooms and a 400 m² function room used for larger events. Tours lead through vaulted cellars, where the history of Burgundy wine and the region's "climats" — the precisely delimited, UNESCO-listed vineyard plots — is explained in an accessible, partly interactive way. Tastings take place in a room facing the vines themselves.

Two tasting formats are on offer: the shorter "Discovery" tasting, featuring six Côte d'Or wines (around €19), and the extended "Climats" tasting, with eight wines including Premiers Crus and a Grand Cru (around €25). Private cellar tours paired with a tasting of the estate's finest wines, held right in front of the vineyard rows, are also available — a popular choice for wine lovers keen to taste the differences between individual plots.

When should you visit?

The château is open year-round. From May to September it welcomes visitors daily from 10 a.m. to 6:30 p.m. From October to April, hours are 10 a.m. to noon and 2 p.m. to 6 p.m., and during the quieter December-to-March period the château is closed on Sundays. Group visits, corporate events and educational tasting workshops are arranged by prior booking — reserving ahead is advisable, especially in summer.

Frequently asked questions

Do you need to book a tasting in advance? Yes, both guided tours and tastings run by prior reservation, whether you're visiting alone, in a group, or as part of a corporate event.

What makes Marsannay different from other Côte de Nuits appellations? It is the only appellation in the Côte-d'Or producing all three wine colours — red, white and rosé — and Château de Marsannay is especially celebrated for its rosé.

How much does a tasting cost? The "Discovery" tasting (six wines) costs around €19, while the extended "Climats" tasting (eight wines, including Premiers Crus and a Grand Cru) costs around €25.

Is the estate organic? Yes, the entire 40-hectare property is farmed under fully organic methods.

Is parking available on site? Yes, the château has its own visitor car park, making it convenient to reach by car as part of a Route des Grands Crus itinerary.