From the castle on the rock to the leading estate of the Côte Chalonnaise
Château de Chamirey sits enthroned on a rocky outcrop above the village of Chamirey and looks down on the vineyards of Mercurey. Built in the early 18th century based on an Italian model, the estate changed hands several times before it came into the family of the Marquis de Jouennes d'Herville. The decisive turning point came in 1934: The Marquis was one of the first producers in the region to start bottling his wines at the estate — at a time when the Burgundy trade was almost entirely handled by the négoce. His son-in-law Bertrand Devillard later took over the estate and expanded it to its current size. Today, Aurore and Amaury Devillard, grandchildren of the Marquis, run the Château in the fifth generation.
Manual labor in the vineyard, natural fermentation in the cellar
With 37 hectares in the best locations of Mercurey — 27 hectares of Pinot Noir, 10 hectares of Chardonnay — Château de Chamirey is the largest winery in the appellation. 15 hectares of this carry the Premier Cru classification, distributed over six climats, including two monopoly sites: the Premier Cru rouge "Les Ruelles" and the Premier Cru blanc "La Mission". The vines are planted as densely as Burgundian tradition dictates, with 10,000 plants per hectare — high planting density as an instrument for yield regulation and concentration.
In the cellar, the team works with natural yeasts and relies on hand-picking with subsequent cold stabilization before fermentation. The red wines macerate for about 15 days, and a portion of the grapes is used as whole clusters. Maturation takes place in French oak barrels with a moderate proportion of new wood — for the Premier Cru "En Sazenay" about 17 months, 20% new barrels. The white wines mature for about 11 months in 400-liter barrels made of Allier, Burgundy, and Vosges wood, which keeps the Chardonnay fresh and racy without hiding it behind wood aromas.
Pinot Noir and Chardonnay with the drive of the Côte Chalonnaise
Clay and limestone soils with an increased iron oxide content, southeast-exposed slopes, continental climate — this results in red wines that combine clear red fruit (wild strawberry, cherry, raspberry) with an earthy-nutty depth while remaining leaner in body than many Côte de Nuits counterparts. The white wines show stone fruit and white flowers, supported by fresh acidity. In 2021, the family created the Premier Cru "Les Cinq", an assemblage from the best barrels of five different Premiers Crus — Les Ruelles, En Sazenay, Clos du Roi, Clos l'Évêque, and Champs-Martin — a consistent answer to the question of what Mercurey as an appellation can achieve. The assortment ranges from the accessible village wine to these parcel-selected top cuvées and makes Chamirey the most reliable address for Burgundy beginners as well as for connoisseurs who want to rediscover the Côte Chalonnaise.
