Chateau de la Crée

The venerable Château de la Crée estate in Santenay, Burgundy, dates back to the 15th century, when it belonged to Nicolas Rolin, chancellor to Philip the Good and founder of the Hospices de Beaune. Today, the Château's vineyards encompass seven rare Premier Cru blocks located entirely along the famous Côte d'Or escarpment, home to some of the world's most legendary Pinot Noir and Chardonnay wines. The Château de la Crée estate consists of 25 hectares of prime vineyard blocks in Pommard, Volnay, Meursault, Puligny-Montrachet, Chassagne-Montrachet, Santenay and Maranges and all plantations are located on Premier Cru sites. Biodynamic farming practices are employed in all vineyards to encourage optimal terroir expression and ensure soil and plant health.

Ken and Grace Evenstad, founders and owners of Domaine Serene Winery, came full circle in their passion for great Pinot Noir and Chardonnay when they bought the respected Burgundian wine estate Château de la Crée in April 2015.

“Owning and farming legendary vineyards in Burgundy is a dream come true for us,” says Ken Evenstad. “We have a once in a lifetime opportunity to make our own wines from famous vineyards like Morgeot in Chassagne-Montrachet, Clos des Angles in Volnay, and La Garenne in Puligny-Montrachet where world class wines have been made for centuries.”

Since their first vintage in 1990, The Evenstads have produced world-class award-winning wines. Recently, the Domaine Serene 2010 Evenstad Reserve Pinot Noir and the 2014 Evenstad Reserve Chardonnay were placed in the top 3 of Wines of the World by Wine Spectator Magazine. such high regard by the publication. In addition, Domaine Serene was awarded Best Pinot Noir in the World in 2016 for their Winery Hill Pinot Noir, winning Platinum Best in Show at the Decanter World Wine Awards. Their continued commitment to quality and innovation has earned the Evenstads worldwide recognition as an iconic producer of world-class Pinot Noir and Chardonnay. They apply that knowledge and experience to take the wines from the Santenay region to a higher level.

Château de la Crée uses a collaborative approach to winemaking that spans decades of experience under the guidance of Domaine Serene founders, Grace and Ken Evenstad. Since 2017, our winemaker Pablo Bosch and the viticulture team have been working closely with the team at Evenstads and Domaine Serene to implement techniques in the vineyard and cellar to improve wine quality. The Château de la Crée team strives to continuously combine innovative winemaking techniques to highlight the best qualities of the legendary terroir found only in Burgundy. While great wines start with great vineyards, no detail is left unexplored during the winemaking process. There is no cutback in the continuous quest to make the highest quality Chardonnay and Pinot Noir in the world.