It is not the Elysée or Versailles, but the historic vineyard of the Côte de Nuits, in Burgundy, that Emmanuel Macron has chosen to honor Angela Merkel. In order to mark the Franco-German friendship a little more strongly and to round off the sixteen years in power of the German Chancellor in style, the French President welcomed her to dinner on November 3, 2021 at the powerful Château du Clos de Vougeot (Côte -Golden).
Already in 1993, Kohl and Mitterrand
It is not the first time that this castle of the XIIe and XVIe centuries, of Cistercian and Renaissance style, located about twenty kilometers south of Dijon, serves as a framework for bringing together the leaders of the two countries. 1is June 1993, Chancellor Helmut Kohl met François Mitterrand there for the 61e Franco-German summit. In 1968, Willy Brandt received the insignia of the Confrérie des Chevaliers du Tastevin, responsible for promoting Burgundy wines. For Angela Merkel, it’s different: it’s less about thinking about the future than about thanking a departing chancellor. Hence the idea of an almost family dinner.
The Château du Clos de Vougeot is in line with the policy of a president who has continued to highlight heritage sites during his five-year term.
Emmanuel Macron has continued to highlight heritage sites during his five-year term. However, the Château du Clos de Vougeot is in line with its policy. It is classified as a historical monument, but is also a “remarkable site of taste”. It is surrounded by 50 hectares of gently sloping vines (the largest estate of grands crus on the Côte de Nuits), enclosed by a low wall since the 14th century.e century, but it no longer produces wine. It is open to visitors all year round, hosts parties and ceremonies. It is the seat of the climates (terroirs) of Burgundy, listed since 2015 as a UNESCO World Heritage Site, and of the brotherhood of Tastevin. “It is a stronghold of the region and also of the French collective”justifies the steward of the place, Arnaud Orsel.
On November 3, the two illustrious guests first visited the hospices of Beaune, a site for a time envisaged for the summit meeting in a city which is the capital of the Burgundy vineyard. They were welcomed at 7:30 p.m. at the Château du Clos de Vougeot by the Republican Guard. And by Claude Charles, mayor of the village (171 inhabitants) for twenty years: “Receiving the President of the Republic with a European personality marks a mandate! » In the cellar of the castle, where the monks once raised their grand crus, the pianist Alexandre Kantorow gave a recital on a Steinway & Sons in front of a hundred people. “We then drank a glass of Crémant de Bourgogne, says the mayor. This gave a sympathetic side to an event that did not remain fixed in the labels. »
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