A former 19th century coaching inn in Meursault, Burgundy, in need of renovation.

A former 19th century coaching inn in Meursault, Burgundy, in need of renovation. At the bottom of the village, the street crosses the main road and heads through the fields towards the Saône plain. The pastures gradually give way to a newly urbanised area, a true incubator for businesses mainly linked to wine growing. The road runs alongside farmlands and vineyards towards the railway station before reaching the majestic stone silhouette of the impressive building with its small flat tile roofs. The property consists of a mosaic of 5 buildings, assembled over time and adapted to its different uses. Large tarmac areas provide ample parking space all around the buildings. Cypress and lime trees define and frame the property, so there is no hint of the presence of the nearby station. A field in a local Aoc wine-growing area stretches along the west side, thus guaranteeing and protecting the distant view of the hills from the terrace of the former restaurant.
At the end of the 18th century, the French statesman Turgot created a system to facilitate the circulation of royal messengers, establishing a network of stagecoach stops. In the 19th century, Alphonse de Lamartine, then President of the Saône-et-Loire General Council, backed the project to build a Paris-Lyon-Marseille rail link, with the nearby building meeting all the hospitality and service requirements. Over time, the staging post gradually fell into disuse before being brought back to life as a 150-seat restaurant, which became a local institution renowned not only for celebrating family events, but also for developing the tourism linked to the vineyards.