Château de Savigny-lès-Beaune

The village of Savigny-lès-Beaune, about 5 kilometres northwest of Beaune, is worth visiting for its wine (the appellation produces elegant, underrated reds and whites) and also for one of the most eccentric museums in France. The grounds of Château de Savigny hold over a hundred military aircraft, motorbikes, and racing cars — including Alouette helicopters, a Mirage jet fighter, and a full-scale Fiat G91 — arranged around the gardens as if they just landed there.

The château also operates as a winery, and you can taste the Savigny-lès-Beaune premier crus in the cave while looking through the window at a Lockheed T-33. Whether this improves or complicates the tasting experience depends on your temperament.

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A story
The collection of fighter jets came about through the single-minded enthusiasm of one man, Michel Pont, who bought the château in 1978 and spent the next four decades filling its grounds with military aircraft from NATO air forces. The result is one of those gloriously improbable combinations that make travel worthwhile: perfectly drinkable Burgundy premier cru from vines growing between the wheels of a Mirage IV.

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