Chateau Grange Cochard
Chateau Grange Cochard was built in 1759 but it sits upon older foundations. The lane outside the house is a Roman road. Little used today, it was a major route featuring on the Antonine maps of 280 AD. In medieval times the older house was a staging post belonging to the ancient order of the Knights Hospitaller. They sheltered pilgrims on their way from the great churches of Autun and Cluny to Lyon and beyond.
Today the vineyard consists of 8 hectares of Morgon. These vines are some of the finest in the area and include the top of the prestigious Côte du Py, the ancient volcanic outcrop first planted with vines by the Romans. The current vines are themselves mostly very old, between 40 and 100 years of age. These gnarled and twisted plants give low yields, great intensity and complexity, with deep root systems penetrating the different layers of soil and rock. This chateau is also committed to sustainable viticulture, following a policy of minimum intervention using natural farming methods to nourish the soil and maintain a healthy and balanced eco-system.
Outside in the park surrounding the chateau are numerous unusual trees planted in the middle of the nineteenth century as an arboretum. They lead down to the Morsille, a stream which comes from the hills above us and forms a wildlife corridor down to the river Sâone. A truly picturesque Domaine.
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