Self-assembly of cellulose nanocrystals (CNCs) doped with anisotropic gold nanorods (AuNRs) was studied by small-angle neutron scattering. Correlation distances and structured domains were analysed to determine the influence of CNC and AuNR concentration on structuring. The transfer of the nematic structure of CNCs to AuNRs is explained in terms of an entropy-driven evolution from an isotropic to a cholesteric phase, with small nematic domains already present in the "isotropic" phase in equilibrium with the chiral nematic phase.