Les Sources de Caudalie, nr. Bordeaux, France
Daniel Cathiard, founder of the Go Sport chain, and Florence Cathiard, Vice-President of McCann Europe, started a new life by buying Château Smith Haut Lafitte. They started work on renovating the château, known as the “sleeping beauty of the Graves”. They installed two underground cellars, reintroduced traditional vineyard management methods (e.g. no chemical weedkiller), and set up their own cooperage.
The Caudalie cosmetics venture was launched in September 1993. Mathilde Cathiard-Thomas and her husband, Bertrand, were taking part in the harvest at Smith Haut Lafitte when they met the head of the Bordeaux Pharmacognosy Laboratory, who was visiting the estate. When he saw a heap of skins and seeds about to be thrown away, he remarked that they were wasting “a veritable treasure!”. In fact, grape seeds contain polyphenols, active substances capable of fighting free radicals much more effectively than vitamin E. Free radicals, generated by daylight, cigarette smoke, pollution, and stress, are responsible for 80% of skin ageing phenomena.
Mathilde and Bertrand were thus the first to have the idea of using
stabilised grape seed polyphenols in cosmetics and created the Caudalie
range in August 1994.
“Caudalie”, a term borrowed from wine-tasting, describes the persistence
of a wine on the palate: the longer a wine’s aftertaste, the higher its
“caudalie” rating.
Hot springs
Florence and Daniel Cathiard observed that a low-lying area in the
vineyard produced lower-quality grapes than the rest. A water diviner
was called in and discovered a natural spring in that spot. Analyses revealed that, 540 metres underground, there was a naturally hot spring with a high concentration of minerals and trace elements. This discovery facilitated the development of the first Vinothérapie® Spa in the world. Internationally-renowned Caudalie products are used together with water from the hot spring in a series of treatments devised by Mathilde and Bertrand Thomas.
The sub-standard vineyard was pulled up to make room for a luxury
“hotel de charme” alongside the Spa, opened in June 1999: Les Sources
de Caudalie.
Credit cards accepted
CB, Visa, Amex, Master Card, Diners
Why stay here?
Because it’s right in the heart of the world’s finest wine region and it’s good for you!
The most expensive wine on the list
La Romanée Conti - Dom. De la Romanée Conti, 1996 (red) €5382. Château Haut-Brion, cru classé de Graves, 2001 (white) €940
Oldest wine on the list
Château Smith Haut Lafitte, cru classé de Graves, 1878. €1450
Cheapest wine on the list
Château Lehoul, 2003. €31 (Graves, red).
Saumur - Domaine de Fosse Sèche, 2004. €29 (Loire, white)
Wines by the glass?
Yes.
Size of the cellar
15,000 bottles
In the know…
The rooms in the Lièvre are the most charming.
Looking the part
Casual during the day but people like to dress for dinner.
Bar talk
The French Paradox bar, with its polished parquet floor and deep leather armchairs, is a cosy, charming haven devoted to wine. La Tour des Cigares is the last stop on our tour of the gracious vineyard lifestyle. Enjoy the best Havana cigars and old Cognacs in this British-Cuban club overlooking the glorious vineyards of Château Smith Haut Lafitte.
Languages spoken
Yes.
Do not go if…
..you haven’t much time. This is a place to relax and enjoy the facilities.
Do go if…
You’re in the area for more than a few days
Ingestion
La Grand Vigne, inspired by 18th-century glasshouses, overlooks a pond where the incessant ballet of elegant swans contributes to the enchanting atmosphere. Franck Salein offers two completely different types of cuisine, both featuring subtle harmonies: The “Gourmande” menu is the epitome of sensual pleasure and its lighter counterpart, “Aux Sources de la Minceur”, may be low in calories (under 500 Kcal per meal) but is no less flavourful.
La Grand’Vigne is open from Wednesday lunch to Sunday dinner.
La Table du Lavoir, an authentic country inn built with beams from the famous cellars at Château Lafite Rothschild, serves complex, exciting “bistrot” cuisine. Everything is reminiscent of the time when grape-pickers from Martillac used to do their washing in a similar structure, even down to the laundry beaters used to display the menus.
Menu selections
Lobster with avocado sorbet and melon dressing; Sole and shellfish, young leeks, Aquitaine’s caviar cream; Cocotte of John Dory fish, baby potatoes and onions with foie gras dices; Pyrenees’ lamb, tomato tart with fresh goat cheese and basil; Hot chocolate “soufflé” and “crème brulée” with pear sorbet.
No. of rooms
40 rooms plus 9 suites
Prices
$$$
Closures
Open all year
Take a tour by clicking on this link… or on any of the images below.
Chemin de Smith Haut Lafitte
33650 Bordeaux-Martillac
France
Tel : +33 (0)5 57 83 83 83
Fax : +33 (0)5 57 83 83 84
sources@sources-caudalie.com
www.sources-caudalie.com
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