Where it all began
The Confrérie’s headquarters is in Beaune, France at the historic Château du Clos de Vougeot which is located on a 124-acre domain that was built in the 12th century by monks from the nearby Abbey of Cîteaux.
Founded in 1098, the Abbey set about creating a wine domain which it would run for the next 680 years called the Clos de Vougeot. In that time, it brought to the peak of perfection the Pinot Noir grape and its flamboyant red wine. The Cistercian monks brought to the medieval wine industry an era of order, continuity and peace, implanting cultural roots that would penetrate ever deeper over the centuries to come.
From 1789, under the French Revolution, Church property was confiscated – a fate the Clos de Vougeot did not escape. It was auctioned in 1791 and resold. The Ouvrards, a Parisian banking family, purchased it in 1818 maintaining a monopoly of the vineyards until 1889.
The Château remained virtually untenanted until 1889 when it was renovated by its new owner, Léonce Bocquet, wine-merchant and one of the region’s most colourful characters. At his death, it became the property of Étienne Camuzet, Mayor of Vosne-Romanée and a Member of Parliament, who in 1944 placed it under the collective ownership of several families of Burgundy. They, at once, entrusted the Château to the care of the recently created Confrérie de Chevaliers du Tastevin in 1945.
It was then made the official seat of the Confrérie and has since been restored and renovated. It is now the permanent venue for the Confrérie’s 16 annual Chapitre banquet dinners where more than five hundred guests dine together and enjoy Burgundy’s exquisite foods and wines.
The Château forms a unique architectural, structural and historical masterpiece with its medieval vat-house and presses. It attracts thousands of tourists from around the world who are passionate about its history, its architecture and its food and wines. It is known as one of the very best “table d’hôte” of France.
Restoration projects continue on a regular basis with financial contributions from Chevaliers around the world. The Château itself no longer produces wine nor does the Confrérie des Chevaliers du Tastevin, but it remains at the heart of Burgundy. It is a symbol of the region’s long history and love affair with wine. However, the domain of the Clos de Vougeot is one of the most famous vineyards in Burgundy. It has 80 wine growers in its 124 acres of land.