Bedrooms: 11 | Bathrooms: 11 en suite
Interior: 26,910 ft² (2,500 m²), including outbuildings
Lot: 408 acres (165 hectares)
Features: French formal gardens, two private ponds, heated swimming pool, guest house, stables, orangeries, hunting hall, dovecote, aviary and mill
Burgundy is best known for its vineyards, but the region's northwestern countryside has a different character. In the Yonne department, southwest of Auxerre, the Puisaye is a landscape of wooded hills, meadows, ponds and historic country estates. Approximately two hours from Paris, it offers a quieter side of Burgundy, within reach of the celebrated Chablis wine region.
Set on elevated ground within this landscape is a former hunting lodge, restored and expanded during the 19th century into a substantial country residence. The property occupies 408 acres (165 hectares), with formal French gardens, woodland, meadows and two large ponds. Listed with Emile Garcin (reference PPC-13607-AD) for €5.45 million, the estate includes the main residence and numerous outbuildings, providing more than 26,900 sq ft (2,500 m²) of combined floor space.
The residence is approached through wrought-iron gates and a long, tree-lined driveway. A dedicated hunting hall and extensive woodland reflect the property's history as a former hunting lodge.
Inside, a large entrance hall leads to four principal reception rooms: a dual-aspect living room, a formal drawing room, a smaller sitting room formerly used as a smoking room, and a dining room. Each opens onto a broad terrace overlooking the gardens. High ceilings, parquet floors and fireplaces remain prominent features of the interiors, which also include a billiard room, private study and a spacious kitchen with its own fireplace.
The first floor and tower accommodate 11 bedrooms and suites, each with a bathroom. The layout provides substantial accommodation while keeping the main residence separate from the estate's guest and service buildings.
Beyond the terrace, the French formal gardens are arranged around a central axis, with clipped hedges, shaped topiary, ornamental pools and fountains. Paths and garden pavilions extend through the landscaped grounds, with long views towards the surrounding woodland. A heated swimming pool and pool house are positioned within the gardens.
The wider estate includes two large ponds covering more than 37 acres (15 hectares), with a pontoon and footbridges, alongside woodland crossed by established paths and areas of open meadow. The property is fully enclosed, offering privacy across its grounds.
Its outbuildings reflect the estate's former agricultural and hunting uses. They include two former stables or orangeries, a tack room, dovecote, aviary, large hunting hall with annexes, guest house, caretaker's accommodation, farm buildings and a mill.
The surrounding Puisaye has a distinct cultural history. Known for its pottery-making traditions and wooded countryside, it is also the birthplace of French novelist Colette, whose childhood home is in Saint-Sauveur-en-Puisaye. Nearby villages, traditional markets and historic properties form part of a region that remains less internationally recognised than Burgundy's principal wine-growing areas.
The estate's location combines this rural setting with access to Paris via the A6 motorway, while the vineyards of Chablis and the historic towns of northern Burgundy provide further connections to the wider region.
