Timeline

Key figures

Origin and history

The Château de Meursault found its origins in the 11th century, when Robert I, Duke of Burgundy and son of King Robert II, granted the fief du Moulin Foulot to one of his squires. This territory, located in the Gold Coast, becomes a strategic issue between the Duchy of Burgundy and the crown of France, frequently changing hands between the 12th and 16th centuries. The political struggles of that time deeply marked its history, reflecting tensions between local and royal power.

In 1645, the estate was acquired by Pierre Legoux de La Berchère, seigneur of La Rochepot, before passing in 1662 to François de Raigecourt and his wife Béatrice de Beaufremont. Four years later, in 1666, he was transferred to Pierre de Blancheton, a lawyer in the Parliament of Burgundy. The Blancheton family kept the castle until the French Revolution, during which time it was confiscated as a national property and then sold to Pierre Jobard, a Beaunois merchant. He left him to his daughter Jeanne-Marie Philippine, who married Charles Serre in 1818, marking the beginning of an era of architectural and wine-making transformations.

In the 19th century, the Serre family considerably expanded the estate and modernized its infrastructure, laying the foundations for its current reach. In 1928, the Countess of Moucheron inherited the castle, then reduced to a quarter of its present size, before transmitting it to her son Étienne. In 1973, André Boisseaux, owner of the Patriarche group, acquired and restored the castle entirely. Since the end of 2012, the Halley family has managed it, perpetuating a wine tradition of excellence.

The vineyard of the castle now extends over 65 hectares, distributed in more than 110 plots on prestigious appellations such as Pommard, Volnay or Puligny-Montrachet. The cellars, carved between the 12th and 16th centuries in a Cistercian style, house up to 800,000 bottles and 2,000 oak barrels. The estate, which produces as many red and white wines, is also a major place to visit, welcoming 20,000 tourists annually for tastings and discoveries of its architectural and wine heritage.

The architecture of the castle includes typical vaulted cellars, while its wine production is based on traditional methods and meticulous manual work. The grapes, sorted and pressed parcels by parcels, are vinified in a modern winery using gravity. The wines, raised in oak barrels or in stainless steel vats, benefit from a minimum ageing of one year in the historical cellars before their marketing.

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