Saint-Vincent Tournante 2026: Heading for The Maranges

In Maranges, the vines grow at an altitude of between 240 and 400 meters, in the heart of a preserved mixed farming environment (market gardening, cereal crops, pastures, etc.), where woods rub shoulders with Pinot Noir and Chardonnay vines. A "small country with a warm soul," as described by the painter Henri Vincenot. Obtained in 1989, The AOC Maranges, the youngest of the Côte de Beaune appellations. Today, it covers nearly 200 hectares (180 of which are planted with Pinot Noir), including 86 classified as premiers crus, spread across seven iconic climats: La Fussière, Clos des Rois, Clos des Loyères, Clos de la Boutière, Clos de la Fussière, Croix Moines, and Clos Roussots . The vineyard, which has remained small in scale, brings together some eighty winegrowers.

Even though the Maranges doesn't follow the typical alignment of the Côte de Beaune, the nature of the soil, clay-limestone, remains the same. It can also be noted that this entire area is rather cool and late-ripening. The Cozanne River is complemented by a network of underground waterways that give the soil a natural coolness, which may have been a handicap in the past but is now a real asset in the context of global warming.

Since the Saint-Vincent Tournante festival in 1997, which attracted nearly 100,000 visitors, a new generation has taken over, combining respect for tradition with a willingness to question and embrace modern practices. While the prospect of tasting Maranges wines did not particularly excite the tasters at Bourgogne Aujourd'hui when the magazine was created in 1994, things are very different today. Maranges red wines naturally have some of the densest tannic structures in Burgundy, and through their work in the vineyards (plant material, yields, soils, etc.) and in the winery, the winemakers have managed to preserve this natural quality of concentration while producing delicious wines with fresher, riper fruit and silkier tannins. These wines are totally in tune with the times.

The vintages

As for tasting, the official kit (€20 in advance, €25 on site) will include a collector's glass signed by Maison Lehmann, a glass holder, a guidebook, and eight tickets to taste the seven collective vintages (six maranges villages, premiers crus, reds, and whites, and one Bourgogne hautes-côtes-de beaune blanc) from the 2018, 2020, 2022, 2023, and 2024 vintages, to which will be added donations of bottles from various estates bearing their own labels. The collective vintages, representing more than 15,000 bottles in total, were made from grapes donated by the appellation winegrowers. They also benefited from donations of barrels, bottles, corks, oenological monitoring, etc. This year, Maranges opening the doors of 15 tasting cellars, five per village, throughout the weekend. For lovers of older vintages, a special "old vintages" cellar will be set up in Maranges, where wines from 2015 and 2016 will be available for tasting.

The Maranges set the tone

Nearly thirty years after first hosting the major wine festival, the appellation is preparing to relive the event on the theme: "The Maranges "In Music." Each village will have its musical universe: Cheilly-lès- Maranges in jazz, Dezize-lès- Maranges in disco and Sampigny-lès- Maranges rock music. The weekend will kick off on Saturday morning with the traditional procession of the brotherhoods. More than 80 societies from all over Burgundy will parade at dawn, carrying banners and statues of Saint Vincent, before the religious ceremonies in Cheilly and Dezize, followed by the inductions in Sampigny. The wine cellars will then open their doors for tastings, punctuated by brass bands, concerts, and musical entertainment. This year's event will also cater to younger visitors: wooden games, treasure hunts, vine-vine mazes, and eco-friendly, parent-powered rides. Access to villages will be facilitated by a shuttle and park-and-ride system, with dedicated bicycle parking areas for those who opt for sustainable transportation. Regarding accommodation, the tourist offices of Beaune Chalon-sur-Saône and the surrounding area offer numerous accommodations, from gîtes nestled in the heart of the vineyards to family-run bed and breakfasts. All the practical information you need to plan your visit can be found on the official Saint-Vincent Tournante website . With this 2026 edition, the Maranges above all, they hope to remind everyone that they are no longer a "new kid on the block" on the Côte de Beaune but a vineyard in its own right, proud of its wines, its landscapes and its people.

The poster

The steering committee selected the poster from 16 artistic proposals, and the winning design was submitted by the Mâcon-based agency T-in communication, becoming the official poster for SVT 2026. In a modern and elegant style, it incorporates all the elements of the festival (the wine tasting, the vineyard, the Brotherhood of the Knights of the Vineyard). Tastevin , Saint-Vincent…), not forgetting of course the three villages organizers.

Morgane AIGU

Journalist (part-time)