After more than 151 years of silence, the legendary Château de Sancerre has been transformed into a 5-star hotel — the first of its kind in this iconic French Wine Town.
Perched high on its rocky spur, the Château de Sancerre has long watched over the Loire Valley in silence — a familiar silhouette, yet closed off from the world. Since the late 19th century, it had belonged to the Marnier-Lapostolle family, who transformed it into a private residence, hidden behind the trees. For decades, it remained inaccessible. Forgotten. Untouched.
Until now.
Driven by a deep love for heritage and terroir, a couple dared to imagine the impossible: bringing the château back to life. That dream is now becoming a reality.
On the 1st July, the first chapter of Les Hauts de Sancerre began with the opening of a five-star hotel. Eight refined suites, a gourmet pop-up restaurant, a wellness space, and a wine library in the château’s original 12th-century cellar will mark the first phase of this evolving project.
By 2026, additional rooms will be available, along with a signature restaurant, a permaculture garden, and a landscaped pool. Between 2026 and 2027, the estate will expand further, with 10 to 15 unique accommodations nestled within the surrounding forest, offering intimacy, a deep connection with nature, and uncompromising comfort. A whole spa experience is also being imagined. Here, everything evolves in harmony with the rhythm of the land, the seasons, and the stories shared along the way.
Yet, beyond its luxury, this is above all a Renaissance—a revival of history, a story of transmission, intuition, and passion.
A Castle Awakened by Passion: A Letter and a Vision
It reads almost like a modern-day fairytale. David Chicard, born in Nevers, grew up between the Nièvre and Sancerre regions, with the Château de Sancerre ever present on the horizon—an emblematic landmark etched into his childhood memories.
At 15, he left his native region to travel the world, first as a mechanic for the Dodge racing team, then turning to real estate. He would go on to found and lead the Belgian branch of Sotheby’s International Realty for nearly a decade.
In 2020, together with his wife, Audrey Dumont, he began restoring a family home near Nevers. The couple discovered a shared love of hosting and reconnected with the region. This passion soon led them to create Collectible.house, a tourism investment fund devoted to breathing new life into exceptional, often forgotten sites.
Late in 2022, during a walk through Sancerre, they dropped a letter into the mailbox of the château—a bold, almost whimsical gesture, expressing their dream of acquiring the place. To their astonishment, a reply came. A relationship of trust grew with the Marnier-Lapostolle family, and soon, the château was theirs. Their first major project had begun.
In 2024, they opened the gates to the public for a special exhibition honouring Victor Vasarely. The response was overwhelming: over 30,000 visitors wandered the grounds, explored the Tour des Fiefs, and stood in awe of the surrounding vineyards.
Now, Les Hauts de Sancerre is preparing to open as a refined hotel and cultural destination—yet it will remain partially open to the public, with exhibitions, events, and guided tours. For Audrey and David, this is more than a renovation. It’s a legacy. A story of return. A memory to be shared.
A Reinvented Place: Between History & Modernity
To guide the château’s transformation, David and Audrey turned to interior designer Jérôme Lescrenier. His mission: to honour the soul of the place while bringing it a new, understated elegance.
The project embraces a deeply respectful approach to the château’s original architecture, with meticulous attention to space, light, and noble materials.
Natural stone, fine woods, and soft, muted fabrics shape a serene and welcoming atmosphere. Every element has been thoughtfully chosen to create an experience where heritage meets contemporary art de vivre— where history is not only preserved, but quietly reimagined.
“We aimed to rediscover the balance of historical proportions while creating a space with fluid, intuitive flow. The goal was to craft a place that feels both grand and lived-in—a place where you simply feel good.” – Jérôme Lescrenier.
Natural stone, fine woods, and soft, muted fabrics shape a serene and welcoming atmosphere. Every element has been thoughtfully chosen to create an experience where heritage meets contemporary art de vivre— where history is not only preserved, but quietly reimagined.
Art as a Common Thread: A Living Gallery
Since welcoming the public in 2024, the Château de Sancerre has asserted itself not only as a place of hospitality but as a cultural landmark. That summer, in partnership with the Vasarely Foundation, an optical art exhibition drew over 30,000 visitors, laying the first stone in the château’s artistic identity. With the opening of Les Hauts de Sancerre, that vision takes root. Contemporary art is now woven into the very fabric of the estate.
Artistic direction is led by Stanislas de Poucques, former head of the Brussels Museum of Contemporary Art, who signs here his first hotel project. His curatorial eye has shaped a refined yet accessible visual universe, blending curated furniture, original works, and site-specific pieces—always in conversation with the château’s heritage and emerging artists.
For this inaugural season, two European artists have taken over the space. In the lobby and salons, Belgian artist Emma Terweduwe, trained in textile arts, presents a series of fifteen woven works. Wool, linen, and cotton converge in geometric compositions that evoke softness, abstraction, and materiality.
In the suites, each room features a piece by Roan van Oort, a young Dutch painter known for his textured canvases made from sand, lime, and earth. Subtle and raw, his paintings reflect the imperfection of nature and echo the tones of the château and its landscape.
Outside, ‘Hexa 8’, a monumental sculpture, a vestige of the Vasarely exhibition, continues the dialogue between art and environment, anchoring this living gallery in both past and present.
A New Culinary Destination in Sancerre
At just 21 years old, Arnaud Munster, the youngest contestant in Season 15 of Top Chef, brings his bold, thoughtful cuisine to the Loire Valley, taking the helm of the ephemeral restaurant at Les Hauts de Sancerre.
Arnaud grew up in the kitchens of Wine in the City, his family’s restaurant in Brussels, where he developed a passion for cooking at an early age. Between experiences in prestigious Michelin-starred restaurants, he always returned home, where his love for the craft was first nurtured. For him, cuisine is a dialogue: with the product, the land, and the people who carry its stories.
Now, at the heart of the château, Arnaud begins his first solo residency. He envisions a cuisine that is elegant yet intelligible, rooted in the Sancerre terroir, and deeply seasonal. Each dish reflects a place, a moment, and a gesture—respecting tradition while looking resolutely forward.
Housed in one of the château’s refined salons, the restaurant will offer an intimate setting with 16 seats, alongside a large 8-person table d’hôtes designed for convivial encounters. A single €90 tasting menu will be served, accompanied by two food and wine pairings: one dedicated exclusively to the region, the other open to the world’s vineyards.
This pop-up restaurant sets the stage for what’s to come: L’Atelier des Cèdres, the château’s future gastronomic destination, opening in 2026. With just 32 seats, it will offer an immersive journey where taste, landscape, and creation converge. It will also serve as a hub for the estate’s wine, art, and event programs.
In the meantime, Arnaud Munster is already crafting his signature—young, precise, and sincere—shaping a new chapter in Sancerre’s culinary story.
The La Chênaie Spa
Just a short drive from the château, nestled in the village of Murlin, La Chênaie was born from the Bertranges Forest—one of Europe’s most majestic oak woodlands. Created by the Charlois family, master coopers for generations, the brand brings the strength, longevity, and resilience of oak into the world of skincare and wellness.
At Les Hauts de Sancerre, the La Chênaie SPA offers more than treatments—it offers a forest-inspired escape. Each ritual is designed like a walk through the woods: soothing, grounding, and deeply revitalising. Gentle movements, rich textures, and subtle, woody scents come together to awaken the senses and calm the mind.
Infused with patented oak extracts rich in antioxidants and regenerating power, La Chênaie’s exclusive formulas blend advanced dermocosmetic science with a holistic approach to wellbeing. Backed by research, this connection between the forest and the body helps reduce stress, boost natural defences, and restore inner harmony.
True to the spirit of the place, La Chênaie SPA embodies a mindful, rooted kind of beauty—one that, like the oak, only grows stronger with time.
More Than a Stay: The Immersive Experiences in Sancerre
At Les Hauts de Sancerre, luxury goes beyond the elegance of the surroundings or the finesse of a dish. It lives in the experience itself—in the time taken to discover, to connect, to awaken the senses.
True to their vision of meaningful hospitality, Audrey Dumont and David Chicard have imagined a series of immersive experiences—natural extensions of the estate, each one deeply rooted in the Sancerre region.
Among them, a visit to the nearby Charlois Cooperage offers a rare glimpse into the art of barrel making. In this temple of wood and fire, visitors discover how oak, patiently shaped by the hands of master coopers, influences the soul of great wines.
The experience concludes with a guided tasting that reveals how wood and wine share a common language of time and transformation.
For a more artistic journey, guests can head to La Borne, an iconic village of contemporary ceramics, just twenty minutes from the château. There, they’ll meet artisan potters, explore ancestral kilns, and tour the renowned ceramics centre. A tactile, elemental experience—where earth and fire once again come together in quiet conversation.
And for those drawn to the vines, the estate offers curated wine tours led by local winemakers or sommeliers. These guided journeys through the Sancerre vineyards end in a 13th-century cellar or at the château itself, with a tasting that uncovers the layers of Sauvignon Blanc and Pinot Noir—the signature grapes of this singular terroir.
More than activities, these are invitations to feel, to understand, to belong. To experience the region not as a visitor, but as part of its living story.
Château de Sancerre – Where & How?
The eight-bedroom Château de Sancerre is located at Les Hauts de Sancerre Esplanade Porte César, 18300 Sancerre. The property features a pop-up gourmet restaurant, “La Table d’Arnaud,” which seats 16 and is open to external customers. Guests have access to the park and the Tour des Fiefs throughout the year. Room rates range from $275 to $385 per night. More information is available at www.hautsdesancerre.com.
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