Above all, it ensures the preservation of the cultural and natural heritage of Burgundy’s Côte wine region, and guarantee its transmission for future generations.
An Association was created in 2007, bringing together all of the area’s stakeholders (the mayors of Dijon and Beaune, elected representatives of local authorities, from the Région and the Côte-d’Or Département and professionals from the wine trade). The Association is chaired by Aubert de VILLAINE, a Côte-d'Or winegrower. Its initial mission was to ensure the production and submission of the inscription application. It also continues to organise the mobilisation of all those involved in this process.
Elected representatives, scientists and local authority officials are involved on a daily basis in putting together our application dossier, and continue to provide their support and commitment to this huge project.
Burgundy has been built over 2,000 years according to a terroir-based model. This model is founded on the quest for a unique character and identity for each Climat. The most remarkable example of this can be found on the winegrowing hillsides of the Côte. Extending over 60 kilometres, from Dijon to Santenay, almost 1,500 Climats form a tightly knit mosaic, like a giant jigsaw puzzle. The Climats have slowly evolved thanks to the combination of human ingenuity and an exceptional natural environment, and each one has its own history, a unique flavor, and its own place in the hierarchy of the area’s crus.
Encompassing the cities of Dijon and Beaune, which are the historical centres of political, economic and cultural power, the Climats of Burgundy represent a site of Outstanding Exceptional Value. The transmission of this precious treasure must be protected for humanity.
This is the World Heritage List inscription application presents and proposes the Climats as a “cultural site”, the combined works of nature and man.
The Climats of Burgundy are nominated for inscription on the World Heritage List as a cultural site, understood as being: “the combined works of nature and man, and areas including archaeological sites which are of outstanding universal value from a historical, aesthetic, ethnological or anthropological point of view.” Article 1, paragraph 3 of the World Heritage Convention.
To feature on the World Heritage List, a property must meet at least one of the ten selection criteria defined by UNESCO. The Climats’ application dossier meets the following two criteria :
An exceptional testimony of a living cultural tradition
The Climats of Burgundy, with which the Côte cities of Dijon and Beaune are associated, form a unique fragmented parcel-based geo-system. This remarkable example of a historic winegrowing site, handed-down over the centuries, has remained intact, and its present-day activity is more vibrant than ever. The transmission of tried and tested winegrowing practices, and the accumulation of at least two centuries of scientific and technical data, handed down from generation to generation, lies at the heart of the area’s current vitality. The ranking system of sites and wines has been accompanied by the gradual implementation of a regulatory framework, resulting in the creation of the Appellation d’Origine Controlée, or A.O.C., which appeared in France in the first half of the 20th century.
An outstanding example of a traditional human settlement, land-use which is representative of a culture, or human interaction with the environment
The Climats of Burgundy are the result of the historic construction of precisely delimited parcel-based vineyards, which represents a unique cultural event. The area was chosen by a human community because of its soil composition and climate, indicators of the quality and diversity of a widely renowned product, developed through the combination of a remarkable natural environment and the creative ingenuity of man. The Climats are therefore particularly representative of both multi-secular culture, and man’s interaction with his environment.
Intended for examination by international experts who will evaluate the nomination, the dossier provides comprehensive information on all aspects of the site (geography, history, etc.). It describes the site and the qualities that justify its inscription on UNESCO’s World Heritage List. It also shows the tools that will enable the protection of the site in the future.