The Château de Maltroye is a wonderfully restored bourgeois house. Built in the 18th century over the burnt-out ruin of a previous (15th century) building; the beautiful vaulted cellars date from that older house. The only parallels in Burgundy to such a house - immaculately and artistically presented - would be the 'statement' headquarters of Jadot or Bouchard Père. It is a real compliment to the current owner, Jean-Pierre Cornut.
Well shielded from the road by large iron gates, it is easy to miss the château from the road. Behind the Château where once was a vegetable garden, are lines of vines that head down the hill some 200 metres. This one area of vines encapsulates the vagaries of Chassagne - much of it unwritten - the vines are in the AOC 1er Cru of Maltroie which has 3 subdivisions; Maltroie, Maltroie Crêtes and the walled Clos de la Maltroye of, and named after, the Château. Each could appear as a separate 1er Cru on a label, but the blending of any of these three means the label must be Maltroie 1er Cru - oh, and of-course they are all planted with a mix of red and white grapes!
