A Thousand Years of Patience in a Glass
You're cycling along the Route des Grands Crus, somewhere between Dijon and Beaune. To your right, a low dry-stone wall. To your left, a stone gateway opens onto a few rows of vines. On a wall, a name carved into the stone: Clos de Vougeot, Les Amoureuses, Richebourg. A few metres further, another. Every parcel has its own.
What you're riding through, slowly, is a landscape unlike any other in the world. A patrimony shaped over nearly a thousand years, recognised by UNESCO in 2015, and which the Burgundians call by a single word: the Climats.
What is a Climat in Burgundy?
In Burgundy, the word climat has nothing to do with the weather. It refers to a precisely delimited parcel of vines, recognised for centuries by its own name, its geology, its exposure to the sun — and above all by the wine it produces.
Two neighbouring parcels, just a few metres apart, can produce very different wines. This singularity, carefully observed and passed down from one generation to the next, is the foundation of the Burgundy vineyard's reputation.
Today, there are 1,247 Climats in the Côte d'Or alone — a narrow sixty-kilometre strip running from Dijon to Santenay, along the Côte de Nuits and then the Côte de Beaune.
A Thousand Years of Patience and Observation
The first written mention of a named vineyard plot in Burgundy dates back to the year 640: the Clos de Bèze in Gevrey-Chambertin. But it was the Cistercian monks, settled at Cîteaux Abbey from the 11th century onwards, who truly shaped the landscape we see today.
Patiently, parcel after parcel, they tasted, compared, took notes. They noticed that the soil changed every ten paces, that exposure made all the difference, that some slopes produced exceptional wines while others gave only ordinary ones. So they delimited. They built walls. They named.
This work of observation continued through the centuries. During the Renaissance, the Dukes of Burgundy promoted the finest crus across Europe. In the 18th century, Beaune wine merchants spread this knowledge across the continent. In the 19th century, classifications became systematic. In 1936, the Appellations d'Origine Contrôlée (AOC) sealed the whole system into law.
It is this near-millennium of continuity — gradual recognition, careful delimitation, faithful transmission — that gives the Climats their unique value.
A Worldwide Recognition: The 2015 UNESCO Listing
On 4 July 2015, after nine years of work and mobilisation, UNESCO inscribed the Climats of the Burgundy Vineyard on its World Heritage List, in the "cultural landscapes" category.
The protected site stretches over 60 kilometres, from Dijon to Santenay, and includes the historic centres of Dijon and Beaune — the two urban hubs that, over the centuries, drove the organisation and renown of the vineyard. It encompasses the famous Hospices de Beaune, the Palais des Ducs in Dijon, and the celebrated Château du Clos de Vougeot.
In 2025, Burgundy celebrated the tenth anniversary of this inscription — a fine moment to (re)discover what the listing actually protects.
Stone Gateways, Walls, and Cabottes: The Heritage in Stone
What strikes you most as you cycle through the Climats is not just the vines. It's the stone
The dry-stone walls, first of all. There are 220 kilometres of them within the protected perimeter alone. Built without mortar, they delimit the parcels, hold the soil on the slopes, and shelter lizards and insects beneficial to the vines.
The stone gateways, next. Monumental for the most prestigious estates, more modest elsewhere, they mark the entrance to enclosed parcels (or *clos*). Carved from local limestone, they often bear the name of the climat they guard, etched into the stone — small masterpieces of vernacular craftsmanship.
The cabottes, finally — those small dry-stone huts where vintners would shelter from the rain and store their tools. You spot them between the rows of vines, sometimes nearly hidden by the vegetation.
These constructions, humble in appearance, tell the story of patient work passed down through generations of winemakers. They are now protected and restored by the Association des Climats du Vignoble de Bourgogne.
Discovering the Climats of Burgundy by Bike
For anyone who wants to truly feel this landscape, cycling is probably the best way. You move slowly enough to read the names on the walls, fast enough to take in the succession of appellations.
Two cycling routes pass through the heart of the Climats:
The Route des Grands Crus runs from Dijon to Santenay, following the Côte de Nuits and then the Côte de Beaune. Gevrey-Chambertin, Vosne-Romanée, Clos de Vougeot, Nuits-Saint-Georges, Pommard, Meursault, Puligny-Montrachet… one legendary name after another.
The Voie des Vignes, a dedicated cycling path, extends and complements this route, running close to the vines and away from busy roads.
At Safrantours, we have designed several itineraries to help you discover the Climats at your own pace, with carefully chosen accommodation, luggage transferred from stage to stage, and the time to stop, taste, and understand.
Discover our Burgundy cycling tours →
Whether you come for a tasting, a cellar visit, or simply to read the names carved into the old stones, the Climats are best discovered at human pace — or saddle pace. A thousand years of history await you by the side of the path.