6 min. read
In Meursault, in the heart of the Côte de Beaune, the Château de Cîteaux is writing a new chapter in its history. For its first address in Burgundy, Fontenille Collection is taking over a 19th-century estate built atop ancient 12th-century Cistercian cellars. A singular place where heritage, vineyards, gastronomy, and well-being meet.
Facing the vines, time seems to adopt a different rhythm. That of the seasons, the harvests, and a Burgundy shaped for centuries by the work of the land. A destination designed to discover Meursault in a new way, right down to the treatments at the new Spa Alaena.
The history of the Château de Cîteaux begins underground. Long before the château was built, Cistercian monks carved out vaulted cellars in the 12th century, intended for vinifying and storing the wines of Meursault. Today, they rank among the oldest Cistercian cellars in France. In the 19th century, Jules Bernard had a reception house built on these foundations, ushering the estate into a new era.
Fontenille Collection has chosen to preserve this dual identity rather than erase it. The depth of the cellars dialogues with the light of the salons, and monastic memory with the elegance of a Burgundian home.
The decor is inspired by the Second Empire without attempting to replicate it. Historical elements are combined with pastel shades, natural materials, patinated woodwork, parquet floors, and custom-designed furniture. The influence of the Barbizon School and Corot's landscapes brings a constant connection to nature and contemplation to the space.
From the windows and certain private terraces, the gaze falls directly upon the gardens, the village of Meursault, and the vineyards of the Côte de Beaune.
The project also highlights its local roots down to the finest details. The woodwork was crafted by Leblond Père et Fils, the stained glass restored by Maison SERF, and several decorative pieces come from the Manufacture de Digoin. Fabrics and wallpapers by Maison Pierre Frey complete this contemporary reinterpretation of heritage.
At the heart of the château, a library created in partnership with Gallimard holds more than 5,000 volumes from the Collection Blanche. It is a tribute to a literary Burgundy, from Lamartine to Colette, where landscapes, architecture, vineyards, and creation are closely intertwined.
The experience continues at the table with Célestine, the gourmet restaurant located in the Château's golden salon.
Its name is directly linked to the history of the house. Among the painted decorations is the portrait of Célestine, daughter of Jules Bernard, who owned the Château in the 19th century.
At the helm, Burgundian chef Christophe Vauthier offers cuisine deeply attached to its terroir, crafted according to the seasons. Snails, hazelnuts from the Morvan, arctic char, or Charolais beef meet a more contemporary culinary style.
In the cellars, the great neighboring appellations extend this immersion: Meursault, Puligny-Montrachet, Chassagne-Montrachet, Pommard, and Volnay sit alongside more exclusive estates. Tastings, encounters, and food and wine pairings allow visitors to discover a territory where the vine remains inseparable from the identity of the place.
Opening onto the gardens and vineyards, the Spa Alaena adopts a deliberately more mineral aesthetic. Stone, wood, and natural light compose a calm space, in contrast with the historic salons of the Château. This new address continues the collaboration between Fontenille Collection and Alaena, featuring a treatment menu designed specifically for Meursault.
Cistercian traditions and Burgundian herbalism meet dermatological expertise and Alaena’s certified organic cosmetics here. The protocols combine the precision of the technique, plant-based active ingredients, and an understanding of skin mechanisms, with one single standard: acting on the skin while embedding the treatment in the identity of the place.
Certain rituals have been created exclusively for the Château de Cîteaux. The Meursault Wood Massage uses locally crafted beechwood accessories, while the Château de Cîteaux Signature ritual draws its inspiration from Burgundian herbalist traditions.
The menu also brings together various treatment techniques, from botanical herbal pouch massages to Kobido and Tui Na, as well as professional peels using Alpha Hydroxy Acids. A meeting of traditional gestures and contemporary dermatological expertise.
More than just a new hotel address, the Château de Cîteaux offers an immersion into what defines Burgundy: its heritage, its landscapes, its gastronomy, its vineyards, and the craftsmanship that continues to bring them to life.
For Alaena, this new collaboration reinforces a shared conviction with Fontenille Collection: a spa should not be conceived independently of the place that hosts it. In Meursault, the treatments are therefore nourished by their environment—its plants, its materials, and its history.
A new destination where taking care of the skin also becomes a way to experience the territory.
Château de Cîteaux, Fontenille Collection
18 rue de Cîteaux, 21190 Meursault, Burgundy.
www.chateaudeciteaux.fontenille-collection.com
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