The Association of the Climats – World Heritage is entering a new cycle! After an exceptional year in 2025, celebrating 10 years of UNESCO World Heritage status across the entire listed area, 2026 opens under the sign of renewal: new premises at the Cité des Climats de Beaune and the arrival of Cyprien Arlaud and Lauriane André, respectively as President and Deputy President.

This new era is rooted both in continuity and in the creation of fresh momentum, with a shared desire to renew the Association’s commitment and to project itself collectively into the next ten years.

Before an assembly bringing together founding members, partners, volunteers, patrons, and staff, Gilles de Larouzière expressed his deep gratitude for the five years he spent as President of the Association, before passing the torch to Cyprien Arlaud and Lauriane André, who officially assumed their roles as President and Deputy President of the Association of the Climats of the Burgundy Vineyard – World Heritage.

“Aubert de Villaine, Guillaume d’Angerville, and Gilles de Larouzière successively built a deeply human project and laid a solid foundation for our Mission—one that it is now up to all of us, collectively, to continue growing.”
Cyprien Arlaud

“The Climats are a beautiful and noble cause. I arrived in Burgundy 20 years ago and received an exceptional welcome. I am honoured today to be able to give back to Burgundy what it has given me.”
Lauriane André

“I will always remember the human richness of these last six years. Each person enriches the vision of our region, our professions, and our country. […] I feel deep gratitude toward each of you. […] My commitment allowed me to grasp the profound richness of the Climats, of our professions, and of our region. I learned that transmission is their vital energy; that this heritage takes multiple forms, can also be intangible, and is popular. […] The wines of Burgundy live through the vision of the Climats!”
Gilles de Larouzière

A New Presidency Elected Unanimously

The Board of Directors meeting on 27 January was primarily dedicated to the election of a new presidency, approved unanimously.

In the presence of the founding members representing public authorities (the Region, the Departments of Côte-d’Or and Saône-et-Loire, Dijon Métropole, the intermunicipal authorities of Beaune, Gevrey-Chambertin / Nuits-Saint-Georges, Grand Chalon, the cities of Dijon, Beaune, Gevrey-Chambertin and Nuits-Saint-Georges), as well as the wine interprofessional bodies (Comité des Vins de Bourgogne – formerly BIVB, CAVB and FNEB), Gilles de Larouzière officially handed over the presidency to Cyprien Arlaud, after five years as Deputy President.

Alongside him, Lauriane André becomes the new Deputy President of the Association. This duo of winegrowers represents the entire listed territory. Both are firmly committed to sustainable development and transmission to younger generations—two essential pillars for a UNESCO World Heritage site such as the Climats.

It should also be noted that Nicolas Rossignol-Trapet, a member of the Association since its inception and Treasurer since May 2016, has handed over this role to William Jacquin-Ponsot. He remains, of course, a Board member as representative of the CAVB.

 

Cyprien Arlaud and Lauriane André thus embody the two new faces of the Association—two new “Guardians of the Climats”, committed to relying on collective strength to continue the adventure of the Climats – World Heritage.

Cyprien Arlaud – Winegrower in Morey-Saint-Denis

At 49 years old, married and father of four, Cyprien Arlaud heads the family estate Arlaud Père, founded in the 1950s in Morey-Saint-Denis. He took over the estate in 1998 after gaining experience in New Zealand and South Africa, and produced his first vintage in 2004.

That same year marked the beginning of the estate’s conversion to organic farming across its 15 hectares, achieving certification in 2010 and biodynamic certification four years later. Cyprien works each of his Climats with deep respect for their diversity, across Grand Cru, Premier Cru, and Village appellations, located in Morey-Saint-Denis, Chambolle-Musigny, and Gevrey-Chambertin. Since 2012, he has also cultivated and vinified terroirs in the Hautes-Côtes de Nuits, guided by the same philosophy.

In 2018, he became involved in the cause of the Climats of the Burgundy Vineyard – World Heritage as a Board member, and in 2020 as Deputy President, in charge of sustainable development issues.

“Burgundy is a land of history and transmission, also shaped by resilience and adaptation. It is important to take part in this history so that it may continue for future generations.”

After five years alongside Gilles de Larouzière, he naturally assumes the presidency of the Association, with values deeply rooted and shared with his predecessors.

Lauriane André – Winegrower in Beaune

Aged 45, married and mother of three, Lauriane André represents a career at the crossroads of management, viticulture, and the enhancement of Burgundy’s heritage. Originally from Saint-Étienne, she settled in Beaune in 2004, where she initially served as Human Resources Director at Transdev Pays d’Or.

Four years later, she returned to studies at the CFPPA in Beaune in order to manage her in-laws’ estate, Domaine Françoise André. Upon her arrival in 2010, she initiated the organic conversion of the entire vineyard, which today covers 11 hectares and 19 appellations. The Climats occupy a central place in this work.

Convinced that the long-term future of the Climats also depends on transmission to future generations, she has long been involved in raising awareness among young people: welcoming school groups during harvest, participating in the film “Heritage and Biodiversity”, and leading educational workshops for the Saint-Cœur / Notre-Dame school group.

A firm believer in the power of collective action, she is also active in associative life. A member of the Confrérie des Chevaliers du Tastevin since 2017, she has also been involved for five years in the Saint-Vincent de Beaune mutual aid association and has served on its board for two years. Having joined the Association of the Climats as a Board member in 2024, she now becomes Deputy President.

William Jacquin-Ponsot / Nicolas Rossignol-Trapet

New Challenges Ahead

“After 10 years of managing a UNESCO World Heritage site, the Association is mature and ready to ensure exemplary protection of the site, through dialogue and goodwill. Our Association is rich in experience and expertise, yet remains in constant learning. Nothing is ever acquired. We therefore remain focused on our mission, with the definition of a new management plan for the next five years firmly in sight.”
Cyprien Arlaud

In the coming months, the Association will focus on:

  • Strengthening interactions with other UNESCO sites in France and abroad

  • Deepening knowledge of the history of the Climats and their territory

  • Continuing and expanding outreach to young audiences

  • Protecting the term Climats, particularly with the INAO

  • Sharing knowledge of the Climats and the listed site

  • Contributing to the international profile of the Cité des Climats et vins de Bourgogne

  • Further developing environmental leadership

Source: Vins de Bourgogne, Delphine Thevenot-Martinez

Photo Credit: © Michel Joly