Château de Laborde

From a simple fortress near Beaune to the “Versailles of Burgundy”

In 1119, La Borde de Reulée was a simple fortress located just a short distance from Beaune. From the 11th to the 13th centuries the estate belonged to the Dukes of Burgundy.
In 1645, the Barony was transformed into a Marquisate for Denis Brûlart, the first President of the Parliament of Dijon.
His son, Nicolas II Brûlart, built a magnificent château which was completed in 1678 and became known as the ‘Versailles of Burgundy’. It brought fame to the village, which was subsequently named La Borde au Château.
Its size, architectural style and original brick construction even made it the envy of King Louis XIV himself! Hervé Kerlann’s wines bear the château’s coat of arms which dates back to this glorious period in history.

A tradition for wine-growing, revived by Hervé Kerlann

According to historical documents, in 1704, Château de Laborde farmed at least 90 “ouvrées” (3.85 hectares) of vineyards.

The château was purchased in 1785 by a former banker, Jean Joseph de Laborde (the name is just a coincidence!), who was knighted by Louis XV, becoming the Marquis de Laborde. He was executed by guillotine in 1794 and the château was left abandoned until 1814.

During the Restoration Period, when the château was almost in a state of ruin, it was purchased back by his heirs. However, time has taken its toll and sadly only a few of the buildings adjoining the original château remain today, including the barn, which is now the vat-house (“la cuverie”), the stables, which have been turned into offices, and the old farmhouse where Hervé Kerlann and his family now live.

Back in 1998, Hervé and his wife Mandy fell in love with this château, steeped in history and located right alongside the great Burgundy terroirs.  For nearly twenty years, stone by stone, vintage by vintage, Hervé has worked tirelessly to reconnect Château de Laborde to its wine-growing past.

Thanks to his commitment, Château de Laborde’s nine centuries of remarkable history live on….