Gourmet boltholes
LES SOURCES DE CAUDALIE
BORDEAUX, FRANCE
A very special bolthole in the heart of Bordeaux
Tucked in among the vineyards of Château Smith Haut-Lafitte, only 20 minutes from Bordeaux-Mérignac airport, Les Sources de Caudalie is a unique blend of luxury hotel, grand cru wines and Caudalie grape-seed treatments. Elegantly pairing antique flea-market finds with contemporary pieces, Alice and Jérôme Tourbier, who manage the property, have decorated the 49 rooms and suites in local historic themes. Cutting-edge designer Martin Margiela was commissioned to redesign ‘Ile aux Oiseaux’ (Bird Island), a handsome colonial style house on the waterside of the property’s lake. The 1,500sqm spa within, styled by French architect Yves Collet, specialises in anti-ageing treatments. The signature barrel bath, which uses vine and grape-seed products, might be exceptional, but don’t miss your chance to actually drink the wines – on Saturdays, head sommelier Aurélian Farrouil holds tastings in his bar, which opens onto a cellar containing at least 1,500 precious bottles. Luxurious La Grand Vigne – recently awarded a Michelin star – is headed by young chef Nicolas Masse, and is styled after an 18th-century orangery. Masse’s well-balanced, light cooking – a style he calls ‘cuisine équilibrée’ – features starters such as mango, crab and coriander cannelloni with grilled sweet red pepper sorbet. For mains expect roasted monkfish with crispy black pudding and rich apple compôte, or Pyrenean lamb, slow-cooked and served with potato purée. Sample the ‘chocolate extravaganza’ for dessert – it’s as decadent as it sounds – paired with a sweet and sticky wine recommended by the sommelier. The hotel’s second and more casual restaurant, La Table de Lavoir, is the vineyard’s former laundry and the place where grape-pickers came to wash their clothes. In a nod to this, daily specials are displayed on laundry beaters; while beef and lamb roast enticingly in the huge fireplace once used for drying.
Foodie diversion: Take home a box of canelé; the individual, intensely flavoured, fluted signature custard cakes of Bordeaux, made to a 300-year-old recipe. Stock up at Pâtisserie Antoine (19 Cours Portal), the best in Bordeaux.
Details: Doubles from €200. Table de Lavoir, from €27 per person with wine; La Grande Vigne, around €77 with wine. Les Sources de Caudalie, Chemin de Smith Haut-Lafitte, Martillac, Bordeaux, France (00 33 5 57 83 83 83; sources-caudalie.com).
Come here for: a gastronomic break amid the vines of Bordeaux.
See the October issue of Food and Travel for more gourmet bolthole recommendations
