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Heritage classified

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Origin and history

Château de la Velle, also called castel de Villeneuve, is a fortified house located in Meursault (Côte-d-Or), Burgundy-Franche-Comté. Its origins date back to the 13th century, although its current structure dates mainly from the 16th century. The architectural ensemble consists of houses, towers and commons organised around an open courtyard, with defensive elements such as archery days and pebbles doors in the middle of the hangar. The site also includes a well with its stone pulley holder and a bread oven, testimonies of past domestic activities.

Over the centuries, the castle changed hands several times, passing between various lords before being occupied by the Huguenots in the 16th century. At the end of the 18th century it belonged to Guéret de Villeneuve, whose name is associated with the appellation castel de Villeneuve. The buildings, constructed of visible stone bellows, have roofs covered with flat tiles or lavas, and rectangular bays with various frames (stone or wood). The whole, including the oven and well, has been protected as historical monuments since 1989.

Today, Château de la Velle remains a remarkable example of Burgundy seigneurial architecture, combining residential, agricultural (press) and defensive functions. Its state of conservation makes it possible to understand the life of a strong house in modern times, between wine-growing – Meursault being a renowned wine-growing village – and architectural adaptations linked to religious conflicts. The Darviot family, a winegrower for several generations, installed its cellars there in 1973, thus perpetuating the link between heritage and local wine tradition.

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