In the two decades I’ve been visiting Burgundy’s Côte d’Or – the darling of French wine regions just two hours by train from Paris– I am consistently struck by how limited the hotel offerings are. Burgundian wines draw nearly 5 million visitors per year to the area during the high season. All the more surprising, then, that it has taken so long for a property to match the ambition of its wines.
“It wasn’t that Burgundy has ever lacked admirers, but its hotels were largely stopovers—somewhere to lay your head between destinations, not a destination in themselves,” explained Jérôme Tourbier, co-founder of the five-star Les Sources de Vougeot, a former priory-turned-castle, opening this week. Tourbier knows something about giving travelers more than one reason to spend a few days in wine country. He and his wife Alice were early evangelists of oenotourism, opening Les Sources de Caudalie in Bordeaux in 1999 as an extension of her family’s Château Smith Haut Lafitte. In 2020, they added Les Sources de Cheverny in the Loire Valley to their growing collection of vineyard hotels. This new property occupies the former Château de Gilly, long run as a hotel and a commanding presence in the quaint 600-person village of Gilly-lès-Cîteaux, midway between Dijon and Beaune. Unlike the Tourbiers’ other destination hotels, it isn’t surrounded by vines, but it sits within a kilometer of the Clos de Vougeot, at the heart of the Côte de Nuits, which is known for exceptional pinot noir.
The hotel lobby.
Jules Focone/Les Sources de Vougeot
I left Paris in torrential rain, only to be greeted by equally heavy downpours in Dijon. And yet the conditions mattered very little once I stepped past the front gate, crossed an ancient drawbridge stretched over a dried-out grassy moat, and into the grand, vaulted reception– once the priory’s kitchen–where a crackling wood fire awaited. Centuries-old with heritage-listed details, the château still reveals its medieval origins in places: a restored coat of arms in one guest room, frescoed wooden beams on the coffered ceiling of another. But following a two-year renovation, the modern has been deftly woven in.
“The goal was to slip into the existing structure without disturbing the vernacular, which makes it so special,” said Antoine Ricardou of Atelier Saint-Lazare, the firm that oversaw the hotel’s design overhaul. Decoratively, that unfolds differently between rooms. The pub-style lounge features English green-velvet sofas and golden chandeliers, while a couple of steps up, the Orangerie, with its rattan bistro chairs, brilliant natural light, and vibrant vineyard-inspired fresco painted by the artist Sophie Estève, brings the outdoors in. Guest rooms vary in size and layout, but each pairs contemporary tapestries and modern artworks with antiques and flea market–sourced curiosities to bring château living into the present. It all has the unfussy elegance that has become the Tourbiers’ signature.
This is perhaps most palpable in the Caudalie spa, housed in the château’s centuries-old wine cellar. Two hulking water basins are flanked by stately columns, one meant for swimming laps, the other dotted with water jets. Workers were still putting the finishing touches on this area during my visit; otherwise, I’d have spent the better part of a day slipping in and out of a plush robe. Fortunately, grape-infused treatments and idyllic dips aren’t the only strengths of a Tourbier property; dining is a reason to visit unto itself, as are strolls along the Vouge, a river that runs along the edge of the property, and a round or two of tennis on the on-site courts.
Here, a look at what else there is to love about the Les Sources de Vougeot.
Forty-nine rooms blending contemporary design with antiques are spread throughout a historic property that was once a Cistercian priory, then an abbey residence, before becoming a château hotel.Two on-site restaurants with an incredible Burgundy-heavy wine list: a chic auberge and a fine dining restaurant with Michelin ambitions.A cavernous Caudalie spa with two indoor basins set within the former priory’s vaulted wine cellars.An ideal location along the Côte de Nuits between Dijon and Beaune, surrounded by the region’s legendary climats, or individual vineyard parcels recognized as a UNESCO World Heritage Site since 2015.
The Rooms
The 49 guest rooms and suites (six categories in all) are spread across the historic château and its former outbuildings, each named after former abbots or Burgundian figures. The aesthetic is consistent: crisp, white bed linens; antiqued furniture; plenty of books; and contemporary works of art. Minibars come stocked with regional snacks and wines, and coffee can be prepared on a retro Illy espresso machine. What varies is what, if anything, graces the walls. I stayed in a Prestige room that popped with a floral wallpaper, lining every surface except the ceiling. Rooms with original exposed beams, particularly those featuring frescoes, were understandably left pared back with white and cream tones. The most impressive suite, which can be connected to the adjacent room, is La Vigne Rose; 1,130 square feet with soaring ceilings, herringbone floors, and floor-to-ceiling windows that look out onto the grounds.
For families or travelers who want even more privacy, there’s the Moulin, a pavilion slightly removed from the château that sleeps five.
Food and Drink
Two full-service restaurants, both overseen by rising-star chef Julien Martin, occupy a newly built structure. L’Auberge des Citeaux, billed as the more accessible and casual of the two, is worth a stop even if you’re not staying on property. In a sprawling dining room with mustard banquettes and a working fireplace, the chef anchors the menu in Burgundian classics, like beef bourguignon, oeufs en meurette, jambon persillé (a Burgundian terrine with ham and parsley), with the occasional detour, like a risotto made from einkorn, an ancient grain. It all comes served on floral porcelain dishware. Le Clos de la Tour is a much more intimate and sophisticated dining experience that will certainly attract Michelin inspectors. Chef Martin has created a four or six-course tasting menu built around regional staples, like escargot, sweetbreads, mushrooms, and other produce, and gives them a refined, imaginative twist (one example: the snails are incorporated into a croque monsieur with a layer of persillade). The meal is well-paced and generous.
While it isn’t technically another fully fledged restaurant, breakfast in the Orangerie is generous: breakfast pastries and breads from the village’s bakery Chez Charles (which specializes in ancient grain baking), local honeys and jams, and several egg dishes kept warm under silver cloches.
Activities and Amenities
Interior of the spa.
Jules Focone/Les Sources de Vougeot
The spa is thoughtfully designed and generously equipped– there are seven treatment rooms, a relaxation area, sauna, fitness room, and two large basins beneath the vaulted ceiling of the 14th-century wine cellar. At reception, a bas-relief in chestnut wood depicting the four seasons, carved by artist Victor Gianotta, presides over the check-in desk. On the way to the water basins, guests pass by a trompe l’oeil Roman bath-meets-vineyard scene painted by the muralist Jeanne Larnaudie. The mezzanine rest area, ideal for lounging pre- and post-treatment, is furnished with red-and-white striped loungers and armchairs. Come summer, an outdoor pool and tennis court will draw guests into nature. Beyond the property, the village is charming and worth a stroll and the Côte de Nuits wine route puts some of the world’s most celebrated vineyards within easy reach by bike, which can be borrowed from the hotel. The hotel can arrange vineyard visits, private tastings, and other experiences upon request.
Family-friendly Offerings
There are several connecting rooms that make it easy and comfortable to travel as a family.
Accessibility and Sustainability
Three rooms are fully accessible for guests with reduced mobility. Elevators are available to reach guest rooms and suites as well as the spa from within the hotel. The hotel also uses refillable bath amenities, limits single-use plastic across the property, and even selected reusable cotton swabs and bio-based slippers made from cornstarch that can be washed.
How to Book
Les Sources de Vougeot is not part of any points-based loyalty program. However, the hotel will offer special packages on its website.
Nightly rates at Les Sources de Vougeot start from $412.
Dining and Cooking