A Loire Valley Gem Reawakens: Les Hauts de Sancerre Blends Art, Heritage, and Hospitality

Perched high above the sweeping Loire Valley and just 2.5 hours from Paris, a once-hidden château is quietly being reborn. Les Hauts de Sancerre, the bold new hospitality venture from David Chicard and Audrey Dumont, reimagines the historic Château de Sancerre as a refined retreat where heritage meets contemporary design, terroir, and art in equal measure.

Closed to the public for over 150 years, the château was long the private residence of the Marnier-Lapostolle family. Today, its doors open to a new chapter, anchored by a dual ambition: to revive a forgotten cultural landmark and to offer an immersive guest experience blending fine cuisine, wellness, and creativity.

At the heart of the project are eight elegant suites, each infused with a quiet grandeur. The interiors, curated by Belgian designer Jérôme Lescrenier, embrace the château’s architectural soul while introducing an understated modern aesthetic. Natural stone, soft textiles, and custom furnishings create a seamless dialogue between the past and the present.

Culinary innovation finds a home in La Table d’Arnaud, a 16-seat pop-up restaurant led by rising star Arnaud Munster, the youngest contestant in France’s Top Chef. With a €90 five-course tasting menu, Munster’s residency presents a deeply seasonal, terroir-driven cuisine that offers a bold first act for the estate’s future permanent restaurant, slated to open in 2026.

In the château’s ancient cellar, a wine library invites oenophiles to explore the nuances of Sancerre’s famed Sauvignon Blanc and Pinot Noir. For those seeking stillness, a treatment room in partnership with La Chênaie offers oak-infused wellness rituals inspired by the nearby Bertranges Forest, merging dermocosmetic science with the grounding power of nature.

Art is not an accent here; it is a core pillar. Under the artistic direction of Stanislas de Poucques, former director of the Brussels Museum of Contemporary Art, Les Hauts de Sancerre unfolds as a living gallery. Inaugural exhibitions include woven works by Belgian textile artist Emma Terweduwe and earthen-hued canvases by Dutch painter Roan van Oort, complemented by outdoor installations that echo the estate’s natural surroundings.

Beyond the château’s walls lie several hectares of parkland and the Tour des Fiefs, an emblem of medieval Sancerre. Guests are invited to wander, reflect, and reconnect with the landscape, whether through guided wine tastings in 13th-century cellars or artisan encounters in nearby ceramic villages like La Borne.

This is just the beginning. By 2026, the estate will expand to 16 rooms, welcome a permanent gastronomic restaurant L’Atelier des Cèdres, unveil a landscaped pool, and cultivate a permaculture garden. Between 2026 and 2027, further forest-lodging accommodations and a full spa are planned, creating a sanctuary of slow luxury rooted in place and purpose.

Les Hauts de Sancerre is more than a destination. It is a renaissance. A poetic revival where art, land, and legacy converge and where guests are invited not just to stay, but to become part of the story.