Domaine du Prieuré

The history of Domaine du Prieuré

Domaine du Prieuré is the family estate of the Meurice family. Its history began in the early 20th century, with Auguste. At the time, he was working for other winegrowers in Vougeot, 20 kilometers from Savigny lès Beaune. In addition to his working days - to which he added the commute by bicycle - he began to plant a few vines in Savigny lès Beaune and run them for himself.

Born in 1921, his son Henri expanded the vineyard to 4 hectares. As they were not enough to support his family, he pursued a double activity as a broker.

It wasn't until 1966 that Henri was able to buy the Prieuré, a Cistercian building dating from the late 18th century. Domaine du Prieuré was born. Jean-Michel, Henri's son, joined his father in 1974 to manage the estate. He buys new plots, notably in the Hautes Côtes de Beaune.

The estate now covers 12.5 hectares. As the Prieuré was no longer sufficient to process the grapes, a new winery was built in 1992, at the entrance to the village of Savigny lès Beaune. This was an opportunity to rejuvenate and modernize the production unit. In the early 2000s, it was Stephen's turn to take up the family torch.

The Domaine du Prieuré vineyard

Domaine du Prieuré is run as a family business, as close to nature as possible. Know-how is handed down from generation to generation. It's important to look after the vines every season of the year, without delegating tasks.

The Meurice family is keen to preserve the terroir by using as few herbicides or other chemicals as possible. They believe it's essential that the soil's microbial life be intense and that nature's cycle take its course. This is why all the vines are ploughed.

We plant at a density of 11,000 vines per hectare. This competition between vines contributes to low yields. The vines are forced to extend their roots as deep as possible, in order to draw the nutrients and water they need to produce the best grapes.

Most of the work is carried out by hand, particularly the green work of disbudding and trellising. This ensures that the grapes are evenly distributed so that they benefit from the best exposure. Harvesting is done by hand. Each plot is treated separately.

The wines of Domaine du Prieuré

Domaine du Prieuré produces 12 appellations:

-Bourgogne aligoté
-Savigny-lès-Beaune Blanc
-Bourgogne Pinot Noir
-Bourgogne Hautes Côtes de Beaune
-Savigny-lès-Beaune Vieilles Vignes
-Savigny-lès-Beaune Moutier Amet
-Savigny-lès-Beaune Les Gollardes
-Savigny-lès-Beaune les Grands Picotins
-Savigny-lès-Beaune Les Lavières
-Savigny-lès-Beaune Les Haut Jarrons
-Beaune 1er cru Les Champs Pimont
-Volnay