A 19th-century winemaking property with a Mediterranean-style court and garden,
nestled in the remarkable village of Meursault, near the town of Beaune in Burgundy
nestled in the remarkable village of Meursault, near the town of Beaune in Burgundy
Beaune,
COTE-D'OR
burgundy
21200
FR
Location
The property lies in the south of France’s Côte-d’Or department in the middle of the Bourgogne-Franche-Comté region. It is just a few minutes from the beautiful town of Beaune, the capital of Burgundy’s wine and ‘climats’ – special plots of vineyards on slopes just south of Dijon that are listed as a UNESCO World Heritage Site. There are many forests close to the property, as well as the spectacular Morvan regional nature park to the west. On the A6 motorway nearby, you can get to Paris or Geneva in less than 2 hours and 30 minutes and to the city of Lyon and its international airport in an hour. In just a few minutes on foot in the village, you can reach specialist food shops, medical services, primary schools and sports and cultural associations.
Description
The property lies on the edge of the village, near vineyards and paths for walking and cycling. The property is entirely enclosed with walls and buildings. From outside, it is discreet. The entrance gate is framed between two plain stone pillars. It is a wrought-iron gate with volutes. The gate is solid in its lower part. You can see tall trees beyond it, yet the courtyard remains a secret from outside. This gravelled courtyard is made up of small rectangular lawns and a wooden terrace beside the garden-level floor of the main house. On the right, there are outbuildings. There is an office, a lean-to with a zinc roof, and a large central storehouse that dates back to 1889. All the buildings protrude unevenly yet they form a coherent whole through their pale facades of stonework with pointing and their charcoal-grey shutters and window and door frames. Their roofs are covered with interlocking red tiles. On the left, there is a house with an east-facing gallery beneath a canopy that runs along the first floor up to an adjoining building at a right angle to it. This adjoining building is a former stable that has been renovated. A lean-to, also renovated, extends out from it. Throughout the grounds there are shrubs and trees, including cypresses, forsythias, bamboos, yews, wisteria, rose bushes and rhododendrons. This harmonious mix of vegetation embellishes the property. The courtyard is closed off with a stone wall with wrought-iron railings. A wrought-iron gate beneath the branches of tall trees leads to a garden beyond the courtyard.
The main house
The old stable, now converted into a home, is set back slightly from the courtyard. An annexe stands on one side of it. These buildings were renovated and converted into the property’s main house. A terrace of timber decking leads into the kitchen in the lean-to and into the lounge via a glazed stone archway – a former carriage entrance – or via a broad rectangular glazed door. Because these openings are entirely glazed, they offer sweeping views of the grounds and bathe the interior in natural light.
The garden-level floor
Like the lounge, the kitchen is at the same level as the terrace. There is a black cast-iron stove with all-round glazing in the middle of the kitchen. Furniture units are fitted along the lower part of two walls. Above them, broad windows let natural light inside and offer views of the trees and greenery outside. A high table stands like an island in a space that leads into the vast lounge. Exposed stonework with pointing forms the walls. And each glazed opening is like a broad picture of the lush space outside. Beautiful slabs of Burgundy stone adorn the floor and give coherence to the open-plan space. Thick, crooked oak beams run across the ceiling. The lounge features an elegant stone fireplace that can be used to make this reception room even more warm and welcoming. From this lounge, there is a sweeping vista of the greenery outside and the landscaped courtyard. A door leads into a boiler room and utility room. Another door leads into a guest lavatory. A partition wall hides a straight staircase of wooden steps that leads upstairs.
The upstairs
From the lounge, a staircase leads up to a landing on the first floor. On one side, this landing connects to the old house, a few wooden steps down. And on the other side, it connects to a small bedroom, which could serve as an office, and to a master bedroom with a walk-in wardrobe, a shower room and a lavatory. Oak strip flooring extends across the rooms. A walk-in wardrobe with many storage spaces links the master bedroom to the bathroom, which has a teak floor. Sliding pocket doors connect the rooms together. Some exposed beams have been preserved. They go well with the walls of exposed stonework with pointing. Windows offer clear views of the courtyard and garden.
The secondary house
The secondary house edges the street. It has a ground floor, a first floor and a second floor in the roof space. The ground floor is taken up by a cellar. You enter this cellar from the courtyard, beneath a gallery. You reach the first floor via two flights of outdoor stone steps.
The garden-level floor
The vaulted cellar lies at the same level as the courtyard. Indeed, you step inside this cellar from the courtyard. The entrance door is hidden behind a hedge beneath a first-floor gallery. A hallway takes you through a broad door into a remarkable vaulted stone cellar with thick pillars that are typical of the 14th century. Two small cellars extend it. Its earthen floor is partly gravelled.
The first floor
Just beyond the property’s entrance, on the left, a straight flight of outdoor stone steps leads up to an open-sided gallery on the first floor. A long canopy with white wrought-iron volutes, upon which wisteria grows, shelters this raised terrace. The entrance door leads into a small hallway with a floor of blue and brown tiles. On the left, there is a bedroom filled with natural light from a window that looks out at the gallery and another window that faces the street. This bedroom has a plain pink-marble fireplace, oak chevron parquet, mouldings and ceiling friezes. It connects to a shower room with wood strip flooring and a lavatory. This shower room is filled with natural light from a street-facing window. To the right of the entrance hall, there is a bedroom with wood strip flooring, wooden panelling and a stove alcove. Next, there is another bedroom at the back and a dining room that has large cupboards against two walls and a floor of cement tiles patterned with black diamond shapes with touches of white and grey. A door leads to a bathroom with a lavatory. And a corridor connects to a bedroom with a street-facing window. This corridor also leads to the bathroom, a lavatory and a kitchen. From the gallery outside, a door leads straight to a fitted kitchen with turquoise furniture units and stainless steel fittings and to a small lounge with a wood-burning stove. Terracotta tiles adorn the floor. And through a wall of exposed stonework with pointing, a passage with a few wooden steps leads to the main house.
The second floor
From the hallway on the first floor, a door leads to a staircase. These stairs lead up to a roof space with wooden flooring. Up here, there are two separate former bedrooms. There is also a vast loft space beneath exposed beams. This loft space could easily be converted.
The outbuildings
Three industrial buildings stand alongside the edge of the property on the right. Gabled roofs of interlocking tiles crown these buildings, which form a row. Their stone elevations are similar in style, partially coated with beige rendering. Their windows are slightly arched and set in redbrick surrounds with keystones. Their sliding doors are broad. Two of the buildings have an upstairs floor. And the third building houses a space that stretches all the way up to the roof ridge. Inside, the three buildings connect to each other. There have three broad separate entrances. Two of the buildings are currently rented out with short-term leases. They provide rental income of over €1,000 per month. Beside the property’s entrance, there is an annexe that houses a ground-floor office. And opposite it, there is a storeroom with a single-slope zinc roof. This storeroom lies at a right angle to a building that was once used for fermentation. On the floor, a brick passage bears witness to a former pathway along which wine barrels would have been transported from the gravel court to the middle of the fermenting room. A broad sliding door in the middle of the facade leads into the building.
The garden, the orchard and the swimming pool
A courtyard is demarcated by buildings on three sides. A low stone wall with railings reveals a partial view of the garden and orchard beyond it. A pedestrian gate leads to the garden and orchard. From the dining room, a sliding glazed door leads out onto a south-facing wooden terrace in the shade of young plane trees beside it. A path lined with lavender, rose bushes and rosemary leads to a swimming pool surrounded by timber decking. Several cypresses by the house, as well as a fig tree and olive trees, embellish the property, giving it a Mediterranean feel. A little further away, there is a shed. It is used as a technical installations room and it stands in a wilder section of the garden, beside a stream. A tree-lined path runs alongside an enclosing stone wall that is crowned with stone tiles. Via this path, you can walk down the edge of the whole property up to the back of the outbuildings. There is a mix of bamboos, ashes, oaks, lilacs, mock oranges and linden trees. In the middle of the grounds, there is an orchard with apple trees, cherry trees, pear trees and walnut trees. They recall a time – not so long ago – when jam was often made at home after an enjoyable session of fruit-picking.
Our opinion
This discreet home is a splendid gem that enjoys absolute privacy behind its tall stone walls and lush vegetation. This former winemaking property is a true reflection of Burgundy and its fine wines. It even offers the possibility of rekindling a wine business on the site. The charming complex of stone buildings evokes an authentic winemaking spirit. It is ready for a future owner to settle into it comfortably and enjoy the Burgundian art of living, here in a delightful courtyard with a Mediterranean feel. The garden and orchard are wilder in nature. In contrast, the courtyard, terraces and structured paths and driveways, lined with stone walls and embellished with cypresses, lavender and climbing roses, blur the boundaries between the interiors and outdoor spaces. Indeed, this unique property is a rare jewel. You do not often find such an adaptable secret haven with historical charm on a plot that is at once cosily condensed and pleasantly spacious – and with huge potential for business.
2 500 000 €
Fees at the Vendor’s expense
Reference 387375
| Land registry surface area | 3911 m2 |
| Main building surface area | 320 m2 |
| Number of bedrooms | 5 |
| Outbuilding surface area | 670 m2 |
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NB: The above information is not only the result of our visit to the property; it is also based on information provided by the current owner. It is by no means comprehensive or strictly accurate especially where surface areas and construction dates are concerned. We cannot, therefore, be held liable for any misrepresentation.
