In short… A pastel-splashed 19th-century castle, Château de Cîteaux is the very first property in Burgundy for the fast-growing French brand, Fontenille Collection. In an area whose bottles alone can easily push past four figures, this new hotel does not, making it a more accessible entry and first foray into serious wine country.
The surroundings… Vines and vines as far as the eye can see. Contextually, Beaune is Burgundy’s wine capital; it’s the north star to one long road – the Route des Grands Crus, for those who might have traversed this region already, or for those who just like to cycle and sip – that threads down through bushy fruit-filled climats and spire-dotting villages including Meursault, where the château lives. Beaune is a 15-minute taxi ride away from the hotel and also where you’ll find the train station for Paris and Lyon.
The backstory… sort of begins underground with what lies beneath the château itself: the 12th-century cellars dug by Cistercian monks to vinify Meursault. They’re cool and dim-lit and used as a moody space for tastings and aperitifs – a pretty remarkable construction and blueprint for the monastic wine industry of the time. Seven centuries later, new owner Jules Bernard commissioned the current residence in 1865 – a tiered, wedding-cake-like home amidst all the Côte de Beaune’s domaines. The restaurant, Célestine, takes its name from Bernard’s daughter, said to be coquettishly peering out from the gilded salon’s frescoes, once you can spot her.
The vibe… is a mix of French château frill – frescoes, shutters, a ringing bell that signals it’s time for tea – but with a fresher, more relaxed feel. The interiors were carefully crafted by Guillaume Foucher, co-founder of Fontenille Collection, whose MO for the hotel was to keep it cool in atmosphere and color, and to subtly toe the line between the old-to-new space play. But there’s a rather painterly quality in the palette – a draw from the Barbizon School, the 19th-century en plein air artists – with dusty mints and sages, dark browns and creamy stone-y shades. It all looks lovely and soft, nothing too distracting to divert attention from the literary touch, including an impressive floor-to-ceiling Gallimard collection lining the grand stairwell. Wine-obsessed couples, young families, oenophiles from America, and chic locals were all spotted during my few days there.
The rooms… Currently 18 in the main château, with a further 17 opening in the restored Vieux-Clos outbuildings in early 2027, which should give the property a more finished feel. I slept in 27, a corner room with two tall windows with genuinely beautiful views, one looking straight out over the vineyards and the church spire of Meursault, the other onto the front garden of the château itself. They’re again all dressed in that more muted scheme (light greens and creams) from downstairs. Pretty, undeniably, but perhaps all a touch too cutesy – bobbin blush pink floor lamps, heart-shaped wicker seats, bouclé sofas, squiqqle frame mirrors – and youthful for what the setting could actually benefit from; something a little more layered in design, objets, and art could big up a building with this much history and story. A wall-mounted television feels superfluous – a modern-day fixture, sure, but one that slightly contradicts the page-turning partnership seen on display at the hotel’s entrance. A practical problem: my side-table telephone couldn’t ring down to reception (nor was there a number to do so, assuming it wasn’t the usual dial zero), and the lighting ran slightly spotlighted (no dimmers!) for evening reading. Small things, but ones of note.
The food & drink… A bit on the formal side for what you actually want to eat in between regular wine drinking. A salade verte or a nice piece of grilled fish would feel more fitting to sunny terrace lunching than a thicker chicken supreme with pommes purée. Breakfast is help-yourself only, which is nice for some things (cheeses, juices, pastry piling), but I didn’t want to boil my own egg or top the greens of my own strawberries. The jars of many jams, however, were delicious, spread thick on a slice of fruity nut bread with salted French butter. Dinner at their restaurant Célestine can be a five-course event, à la carte, or just snacks from the bar menu, which features a very nice tomato and buffalo mozzarella and incredibly moreish and fluffy gougères (cheesy choux bites) that I ate by the dozen. Chef Christophe Vauthier makes the most of his Burgundian training: quail in Meursaultienne-style, Bresse chicken, snails from a village nearby. Of course, the wine list is superb and as local as can be.
The wellness… A handful of relaxation rooms are at the ready for smart-skincare facials and detoxifying massages. The Alaena spa – whose treatments lean on the monks’ original apothecary practices – claims as much space and emphasis as the front desk when you walk into the hotel itself, so it does feel like a genuinely thought-out and cared-for part of the property. At the time of my stay, they had a spacious outdoor pool with breezy scalloped umbrellas – a nice feature for hot summer days despite its proximity to a somewhat active car park. What they didn’t have, to my dismay, was a gym, something some guests will inevitably be craving, but they are working on it with the highest priority, alongside an indoor pool, too.
Is it kid-friendly? Yes, of all ages. It’s all very relaxed, with plenty of space for prams and kids in tow to play. While the setting is adult-leaning, the French countryside hospitality makes it very easy to settle in comfortably with the whole family.
Be sure to…see some of the world’s greatest, most delicious wineries by bike. The hotel can set you up with e-bikes for easy-going rides and can direct you on where to go and what to sip along the way. It’s an exceptional point of view to take in while on the move – fun fact: just an acre of land here sells for about €1.5 million, if you can get it. Do also spend some time in Beaune, on foot. The old town is worth looking up at – the medieval half-timbered merchant houses, its Basilique Notre-Dame de Beaune and the pièce de résistance: the Hospices de Beaune with its electric geometric roof of green, yellow, red and black glazed tiles shining bright with any light from the sun.
Parting words… Don’t just bring a carry-on suitcase; bring a big bag to stuff full with wines of all shades and mustard, too.
Date of stay… September 13-16, 2026
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