Decadent degustations and vineyard views at COMO Le Montrachet

Steps from Burgundy’s legendary vineyards, COMO Le Montrachet combines village charm with refined design, offering immersive wine experiences and award-winning gastronomy

COMO Le Montrachet ‘place du village’ inn fits so comfortably into the village landscape of Puligny Montrachet in the heart of wine-rich Burgundy, you’d think it had always been there. Although opened only in April 2023, the three buildings that comprise the boutique accommodation overlook the town square and have indeed been part of village life since 1824.

When COMO acquired the property just metres from the legendary Le Montrachet vineyard in 2022, it underwent a massive refurbishment. All the staff were retained and since reopening, the property hasn’t missed a beat. Last year it was awarded a One Michelin Key award.

Originally the town’s post office, then a bistro and village ballroom and, more recently, a hotel, the main building today houses 15 rooms plus reception, bar and restaurant. Next door, the Residence with eight rooms was once the stables. Opposite the square, Villa Christine houses five rooms and has always been a gracious private family home. In between is a local restaurant, L’Estaminet des Meix, and alongside it – the Hotel de la Ville or Mairie, the administrative town hall for the village: population 350.

French elegance

Italian architect-designer Paola Navone has revitalised the 28 rooms and suites – named after different types of homes in a traditional French village such as clos and manoir – using a soft palette of blues, greens and greys to create luxurious peaceful spaces, and featuring toile de Jouy depicting typical scenes of the French countryside.

The two-bedroom COMO Suite is the largest, designed to feel like a true French ‘home-from-home’ in Burgundy. It has a large living space and can cater for up to four dining guests.

Our Manoir Suite on the second floor is in the former stables and overlooks the village square. Plush fabrics in soft greys create a warm welcoming space. Exposed painted beams add atmosphere, its angles giving interesting dimensions to the elegant room. The fully tiled bathroom features a bath and shower recess and luxurious COMO Shambala amenities.

It’s mid-winter and we take in the scene from the window: at first tranquil, but then quietly exciting as flurries of unseasonably early snow start falling and local children begin rolling in the snow. Even adults make snowballs to throw at each other.

Award-winning dining

Food-loving Francophiles might recall the highly acclaimed Michelin-starred restaurant, Le Montrachet, in the hotel’s earlier incarnation. Chef Romain Versino has been with the original LeMontrachet restaurant since 2018 and now happily presides over a kitchen crew of 15, including pastry chefs. Restaurant Manager and experienced Head Sommelier, André Berthier, has been with the property for more than 20 years and continues to delight guests with his extensive knowledge of local and international wines.

The spacious restaurant features limestone walls and huge suspended ‘moon’ lights, with a lovely outside garden terrace in summer. The chef and sommelier work closely together to offer a taste of the region, each dish paired with a recommendation from their extensive cellar of vintages from Burgundy’s most prestigious wine-growing estates.

We enjoy a five-course degustation dinner with matching wines.  Chef Romain has a deft touch with delicate ingredients and creative presentations from an amuse bouche, Arctic char, black Bresse chicken to poached pears and other sweet treats. Charolais beef and pikeperch from the Saône often appear on the menu, while the chef’s year-round signature dish is pigeon and foie gras in a cereal crust.

The cheese trolley is truly formidable with many local cheeses including Époisses and Aisy Cendré from Berthaut, Ami du Chambertin from Gaugry, Comté 18 months, Régal de Bourgogne and Délice de Pommard from Fromagerie Delin, Tomme aux fleurs séchées, Brillat-Savarin, Soumaintrain and Abbaye de Cîteaux made by Cistercian monks, nearby.

We take a private cooking class with chef Romain who shares his culinary techniques as we try our hand at making mushroom velouté and crisp boiled eggs in between lunch and dinner service. A combination of three different types of fungi go into the velvety emulsions, while eggs are timed to the split second, bread-crumbed and deep-fried. The result is a delicious dish that is sure to impress dinner guests back home.

A Burgundy immersion

Having earned an enviable reputation for their spa products, health programs and pampering treatments, COMO has plans to incorporate a spa in an existing building adjacent to the main reception. A 25-metre outdoor pool is scheduled to open later this year.

Guests can also enjoy a chef-prepared picnic in the vineyards, ride through the vineyards on eBikes, take a vintage car ride through the countryside or go shopping with the chef at Beaune market, then return to prepare a four-course Burgundian menu. Wine-lovers can immerse themselves in the region with private tastings at local wineries, take wine and cheese tours, go on a wine tasting tour with head sommelier André or discover the secrets of local winemakers in Côte de Beaune and Côte de Nuits through a knowledgeable private chauffeur-driven experience.

Comohotels.com

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July to August is high summer season in Burgundy when the region also hosts many music festivals; the cooler spring and autumn seasons are from April to June, then September to October; the grape harvest or vendange takes place in August.

COMO Le Montrachet is three and a half hours by car from Paris, 90 minutes from Lyon, less than an hour from Dijon and Macon, and 20 minutes from Beaune.