Burgundy Private Wine Tour

This morning, you will start your tour in Beaune. Arrive by train, or our chauffeur can pick you up wherever you need and drive you to your 5-star Hotel Le Cep. After check-in, take some time to relax and get settled. Your welcome pack will be waiting in your room, including your personalized keepsake itinerary and a hand-selected bottle of wine. Enjoy a treatment at the onsite Spa Marie de Bourgogne; we particularly like the “Balneotherapy,” with 130 water jets of variable intensity — just the thing after a long journey.

Welcome to Burgundy! This afternoon you will kick off the wine tour with a fun private Burgundy wine masterclass with a local sommelier. Depending on your group size, this will take place in a charming wine boutique in Beaune or a private salon in your hotel.

Enjoy an introduction to the complexities and history of Burgundy’s wine. After the French Revolution in 1789, the vineyards were seized from the church and aristocracy and broken up into smaller holdings, which were in turn divided again into smaller parcels under new inheritance laws. Négociants — wine merchants — became increasingly important, specializing in wines from tiny, very localized areas. They are still an essential part of the Burgundy wine business today.

After an entertaining and insightful tasting, relax at your hotel or go for a walk through beautiful Beaune. Enclosed by a 13th-century wall, Vieux Beaune is a visual treat, with quaint narrow streets, timber façades and effortlessly charming bakeries, wine bars, and pâtisseries.

Your welcome dinner tonight is at the Michelin-starred Le Carmin. Savor chef Christophe Quéant’s seasonal cuisine in the bright and airy dining room. Welcome to gorgeous Beaune!

Start the day with a private tour and tasting at the iconic, family-run négociant Joseph Drouhin. Visit their beautiful cellar in the historic Duke of Burgundy’s Parliament building, built over Roman remains dating back some 1,500 years. Taste 6 (of their 60) fine wines.

Lunch then will be light at the convivial Michelin-recommended L’Alentour bistro. Here, you will taste a range of Burgundy wines along with local cheese, charcuterie, terrine, quiche, and small bites.

Some fresh air, architecture, and history will come after lunch. The emblematic Hospices de Beaune (also known as the Hôtel-Dieu de Beaune) was built in the 1400s during Burgundy’s Golden Age as a quite spectacular jewel-box hospital for the poor. Indeed, it was a functioning hospital up until the early 1970s. It holds the now mythical wine auction every November; a tradition started in 1859 as a way to raise money for the hospital and celebrate the new vintage from the property’s vineyards.

Your guide will walk you through the fascinating history and the wide range of rooms and halls on site, including the old pharmacy, the collection of Flemish tapestries, and more. After an insightful visit, enjoy a short, pleasant walk with your guide to your next Burgundy wine tasting at the highly esteemed Maison Champy. Founded in Beaune in 1720, it is Burgundy’s oldest wine house. You’ll enjoy a private tour of the atmospheric 15th-century cellars and a tasting of their wines.

En route, you might pop into the Fallot Dijon mustard shop and mill. La Moutarderie Fallot is a historic Burgundian family business that has made mustard since 1840. The neat thing is they still make their mustard with traditional stone grinders. Their “Pain d’épices” (gingerbread mustard) is astonishingly delicious! Pick up some goodies here.

The rest of the early evening is yours in the chocolate-box pretty Beaune. Check out your keepsake itinerary for local dining suggestions, and the hotel concierge will help you with any reservations.

Hit the road this morning for the Route des Grands Crus, fine wines are in store. The first stop is at Henri de Villamont, a local legend. The property is exceptional, with a beautiful house and vineyard-terraced hillside. Taste both whites and reds from this excellent property, and then sit down for a fantastic wine tasting lunch, which will be arranged for you at the beautiful Domaine Comte Senard in Aloxe-Corton. Visit their cellar before sitting down to a relaxed wine lunch of classic cooking, in their bright and cheery dining room.

An interesting architectural wine château visit is next at the alluring Château de Meursault. The object of this visit is really to breathe in the history and admire the beauty of the property, as there are few like this in Burgundy. Not many estates can claim 1,000 years of history! You will visit the magnificent Cistercian wine cellars and finish with a tasting of some of the estate’s more prestigious wines.

In the late afternoon, check in to the beautiful Château la Commaraine Hotel, Spa & Cuverie in Pommard, set within its own Pommard Premier Cru Clos Monopole vineyard. What a treat. Relax and settle in. You will sleep in a magical vineyard tonight! We will arrange dinner on-site, leaving you plenty of time to enjoy the spa.

Today you have a later start to enjoy the lovely grounds and Château. At 11 a.m., you will enjoy a private tour and tasting at Armand Heitz in Pommard. This place is great. After an introduction to the estate and its philosophy, visit their Pommard 1er Cru Clos des Poutures Monopole, then sit down for a private tasting of prestigious, emblematic wines, including a Grand Cru.

After lunch, transfer to the captivating Château du Clos de Vougeot, where you will have free time to wander the vines and museum, take photos, and enjoy the panorama. The walled 50-hectare vineyard, founded in the 12th century by the monks of Cîteaux, is amazingly divided up amongst more than 80 owners! The storied and much-loved Château was also built for the monks (to house them, as well as their wine cellar and press), and is now home to the Chevaliers du Tastevin — rock stars in the wine world.

Next in store is a private tour and tasting at Domaine Michel Magnien in Morey-Saint-Denis. The domaine makes an impressive range of Grands Crus and Premier Crus, including Clos de la Roche Grand Cru, Clos Saint-Denis Grand Cru, Gevrey-Chambertin 1er Cru Les Cazetiers and Chambolle-Musigny 1er Cru Les Sentiers. Enjoy!

Then head to the ancient capital of the Dukes of Burgundy — lovely Dijon — in the early evening. Check in to the 5-star Grand Hôtel La Cloche and enjoy some free time. Lively Dijon is a beautiful cosmopolitan city with a postcard-pretty medieval core. Renaissance mansions and darling half-timbered houses make up most of the historic center. Chic shops, historic pharmacies and bakeries, and an abundance of artisan mustard makers line the cobblestoned back streets. Convivial bistros and Michelin-starred gourmet meccas grace the town, and you are spoiled for choice when it comes to wining and dining.

Dinner tonight is gourmet all the way at the two-Michelin-starred William Frachot restaurant at Hostellerie du Chapeau Rouge; feast on a tasting menu with wine pairings.

Meet your driver this morning after a delicious breakfast, and head to Les Ursulines in Nuits-Saint-Georges, home of Maison Jean-Claude Boisset. Set on the site of the former Ursuline convent, this striking winery brings the old buildings and a contemporary cuverie together. Visit the winery, cellars, and gardens, then taste a selection of their wines.

Another private tour and wine tasting are next at Domaine René Leclerc in Gevrey-Chambertin. This tiny family domaine produces celestial wines, including old-vine Clos Prieur and Premier Cru Lavaux Saint-Jacques. Taste a range of wines and enjoy a chat with your effervescent hosts.

You will love the casual and cozy lunch, which will follow at Domaine Trapet. It will be Table d’Hôte with estate wines and classic Burgundian cooking. This venue is so cute, with a big open fire, wood-beamed ceilings, contemporary furniture and French windows overlooking the garden.

After lunch, head to Marsannay for your last wine tour of the Côte d’Or at Château de Marsannay. We’ll arrange a private tasting in the cellars, showcasing wines from the estate’s Côte de Nuits vineyards.

In the early evening, you will enjoy the scenic short drive back to Dijon and some free time. Dinner is on your own tonight, with our tips on Dijon.

Chablis is the most northern sub-region of Burgundy, and known for its supremely elegant, minerally Chardonnays. You will visit Maison Régnard and Domaine Laroche. It’s about a 90-minute drive northwest to Chablis, so sit back, and either rest your eyes or enjoy a friendly conversation with your charming chauffeur. You will arrive at around 10:30 a.m. at your first port of call, Maison Régnard.

Maison Régnard was founded in 1860 and is one of Chablis’s historic names. Enjoy a private cellar visit and a tasting of five wines, including a Premier Cru and a Grand Cru.

Next, have lunch at Au Fil du Zinc, a classic restaurant set in a 12th-century water mill in the heart of Chablis. Chef Mathieu Sagardoytho serves creative modern cooking, with an excellent selection of Chablis and other Burgundies.

After lunch, stop at the beautiful Domaine Laroche for a relaxed visit and tasting in the historic cellars of the Obédiencerie.

On the way back to Dijon, you have two more memorable experiences. First is a visit to hilltop Vézelay, one of Burgundy’s most bewitching hamlets. Its Benedictine abbey was founded in the 9th century and became famous for the relics of St Mary Magdalene and as an important pilgrimage site. The basilica is exquisite and UNESCO-protected. Enjoy some free time here to explore and be inspired.

Before returning to Dijon, you have a highlight of this trip next: weather permitting, a balloon ride over the peaceful countryside and crisscrossed vineyards. Enjoy a toast of bubbly when you land, what a thrill! The evening is yours to grab a bite at the hotel or venture out.

This morning you have a fun treat in store: a private guided food, wine, and history tour of Dijon. Kick off the day with a tour of the 19th-century Les Halles market. Inspired by plans proposed by the Eiffel company in 1868, the Halles were built from 1873 to 1875 to the designs of engineer Louis-Clément Weinberger. The fresh-produce displays are incredible, and the aromas of pungent cheeses, ripe fruits, and freshly baked bread will have your tummy rumbling reasonably quickly. Enjoy food and wine tastings as you walk through the market and Dijon’s gourmet shops. Your guide is also a local art historian and will show you the best of what Dijon has to offer history lovers.

Afterward, you will appreciate a walk through lovely Dijon. A visit to the Musée de la Vie bourguignonne or Musée des Beaux-Arts can be included and is fascinating and a very worthwhile stop. Your guide will share fun anecdotes and oddities. Stop and make a wish on the tiny stone owl, carved on the exterior of the beautiful Église Notre-Dame. Legend has it that good luck will come your way if you give the owl a little rub with your left hand.

If you are able for it, your guide will take you up the 15th-century Tour Philippe le Bon in the Palais des Ducs. It is 316 steps to the top, and you can enjoy dramatic views over magical Dijon from the top.

Dinner tonight is a relaxed and very cozy affair at wine lovers’ haunt Dr. Wine. Enjoy a selection of tasting plates with wines chosen to accompany dinner.

This morning (or afternoon, check out is at noon), at your preferred time, your chauffeur will transfer you to your next port of call, such as the Dijon train station.

We hope you had the time of your life on this enchanting journey through the Burgundian wine country!