The Hotel

In ’99 to share this beautiful property and all its offerings with the world the family opened the hotel, Les Source de Caudalie. Run by the Cathiard’s other daughter Alice Tourbier, it has 40 rooms and 9 suites built around a picturesque lake.  The rooms and hotel are rustic charming with lots of wood and French country character.  Our room was homey and spacious with headboards made from wine crates, a huge bathroom with tub & shower (with Caudalie products) and a cute little balcony for enjoying wine in the sun.

The hotel has 2 great restaurants. The upscale La Grand’Vigne run by Chef Nicolas Masse, an ’07 Michelin Star, looks out over the lake and offers a ‘new adventure in cooking.’ Our Easter dinner was delicious from start to finish with the type of incredible service you dream of having every time you’re out.  Le Table du Lavoir is the country inn offering lighter fare and a splendid ambiance looking out on the Chateaux and vineyards.  They also have The Cave, their 16,000 bottle wine cellar, and Le French Paradox bar for drinks and snacks.  All staff were amazing beginning with Emmanuelle there to greet us on arrival.

If you aren’t heading to Bordeaux but are in Paris you can visit Alice and her husband Jerome’s new hotel Les Etangs de Corot, 15 from the city near Versailles. They also have plans for more.

Now you can see why… from Chateaux & Wine to Spa & Skincare to Hotel…Les Sources de Caudalie is worth the splurge!

Click here to see more photos.

*source Les Sources de Caudalie Magazine

THE Spa & the Skincare

It all started with the grape seed discovery. While at the vineyard in ’93, Bordeaux University of Pharmacy Professor, Joseph Vercauteren, mentioned to the Cathiard’s daughter, Mathilde Cathiard-Thomas, as he saw grape seeds being thrown out that they were throwing away ‘veritable treasures.’ Professor Vercauteren had just been the first to discover a fatty acid to stabilize the polyphenols found in grape seeds.  These polyphenols fight free radicals, which are responsible for 80% of skin aging, 10,000 times more powerfully than Vitamin E & A.  Mathilde signed a research partnership with the Department and founded the first wine-based skincare company, Caudalie (a caudalie is the amount of time a wine stays on the palate after swallowing, i.e. a young red is 5-6 caudalies and a dessert wine 20-22).  Their first products launched in ’95.  I started using several of the regimens, including VINEXPERT & Energizing, after trying them at the hotel & spa and I love them!  They’re not animal tested, use no animal based ingredients, no mineral oils and no coloring. After years of using my old regimen, I can really see an amazing positive difference in my skin!

Also on the property it was discovered that a patch of vines was producing inferior grapes.  As vineyards in Bordeaux are not allowed to use irrigation, they discovered 540 metres underground a water source rich in minerals and naturally hot causing the inferior grape.  But this would be perfect fr a spa. And thus the first Vinotherapie® Spa was born on the grounds in ’99.

The spa offers unique treatments combining the virtues of the spring water with those of the vine and grapes using all Caudalie products. An incredible experience, we spent a full day at the spa during our stay … soaking up the tranquility of the light airy space full of water features and smooth light woods. Whether you’re relaxing in the quiet rooms, the pools or outdoor decks or having a treatment in one of the 19 cabanas, the grapes surround you.  We tried several of their exclusive treatments…

• Barrel Bath: immersed in a giant barrel-like tub, you’re surrounded by water fullof essential oils, grape & red vine extracts to help drain your system of impurities and activate circulation.
• Wine Maker’s Massage: this sculpting massage is Caudalie’s signature and recreates the ritualistic steps of the wine-making process on the body, alternating techniques using bare hands and pressure on the energy paths as it activates blood circulation and muscle tone.
• Pulp Friction: this sculpting massage remineralizes and gently exfoliates using the fresh grapes and essential oils, it gives your skin lasting softness and moisture.
• Vinosource Facial: this nourishing treatment with fresh grapes was specially designed to restore comfort, radiance and softness to dry skin.

You can also enjoy Caudalie & Vinotherapie in your home via their product line, at Les Etangs de Corot hotel & spa 15 minutes outside Paris (also run by the Cathiard family), Marques de Riscal in the Rioja Region of Spain, and now in the U.S. at the Plaza Fairmont in New York City (spa with a Sommelier and wine lounge, French Paradox).

Coming tomorrow part 3, the Hotel.  Also see part 1, The Chateaux & the Wine and photos of the whole Bordeaux tour.

* source Les Sources de Caudalie Magazine

Les Sources de Caudalie has been on my ‘must visit’ list for years and I finally made the pilgrimage in April for a 4 day weekend to Bordeaux, France. Not only is Les Sources a 4 star Small Luxury Hotels of the World location on a top Châteaux, Smith Haut Lafitte, in Bordeaux with spa, but not just any spa…THE spa focused on the wine and vine.

The Châteaux & The Wine
Located south of Bordeaux in the Graves region and town of Martillac, the story of Les Sources de Caudalie starts with the Châteaux. In Bordeaux the châteaux is the heart of the quality system consisting of a vineyard and a building, it symbolizes the tradition and philosophy of the wine quality. Grapes started growing in this soil in 1365, it was given its current name Smith Haut Lafitte in the 18th century by a Scotsman and was even once owned by the Mayor of Bordeaux in 1842.

But in 1990 Florence and Daniel Cathiard fell in love with the Châteaux and purchased it. They undertook a 2 year massive renovation reclaiming the two underground cellars, re-adopting traditional vinegrowing methods, stopping use of chemical weed killers, began hand harvesting the grapes and employed their own artisan barrelmaker who makes 400 of the 800 new barrels used each year. The results…55 acres of vines producing 2 red wines and 2 white wines, their ’98 production was named one of the top ten red wines in the world by Wine Spectator.

Our tour of the Châteaux gave us a behind the scenes look at this beautiful property and their wine making facilities. The care given to the grapes and the wine focuses on quality not quantity thus producing some of the best wine possible. We saw the barrel making shed (only 4 Châteaux in Bordeaux make their own) and after tasting the wines in the tasting room enjoyed a sneak peak of the private cellar (the floor literally opens up to let you in) which houses Smith Haut Lafitte wines from 1878 to 1989. Check out the photos from the tour.

A wine worth trying and a Châteaux to visit.

Coming tomorrow part 2, The Spa.

A 4-day Easter Weekend escape to Les Sources de Caudalie, my dream spa & wine destination, took me to Bordeaux. But as I researched our trip then experienced it in person, I was amazed by all this city and region of France have to offer! Obviously if wine is your thing this is a must visit… the Châteaux, the festivals, the tours.  But there’s more… architecture, art, music, monuments, churches, walking & biking & boat tours, shopping, dining, the river, and even beaches not too far away!  In our 4 day visit we barely scratched the surface.

Bordeaux is a beautiful city…more like a town in feel but so very majestic! It reminds me of a mini Paris…and turns out Baron Haussman, who was asked by Emperor Napoleon III to transform Paris into a modern capital, used Bordeaux’s 18th century rebuilding as a model. Built on the River Garonne just in from the Atlantic coast, its has been a major port since pre-Roman times and was named a UNESCO World Heritage Site in June 2007.  As you walk the streets of gorgeous 18th century facades, you’ll see why.

A few MUST GO’s for your trip…

* Bordeaux City Walk – a very walkable city, there is much to see on foot…

• Sites: the stunning Place de la Bourse, right on the river with the Mirror of Water; Le Grand-Théâtre (the Bordeaux National Opera House); Esplanade des Quinconces; Triangle District with streets named after Enlightenment philosophers.
• Tourism Office: (12 cours du XXX Juillet) stop by upon arrival to town (check out their website for pre-planning tips, festival details, etc…), its one of the best city tourism offices I’ve seen full of maps, information, helpful staff, gifts and THE place to sign up for all sorts of tours.
• Wine Bars: Bar ā Vin (3, cours du XXX Juillet) is a must stop, across from the Tourism Office, and was named by Travel & Leisure this spring as one of the best wine bars in Europe. Its run by the region’s wine council (CIVB) with sampling of wines from throughout the region for only €3 per glass, nibbles to pair with your wine and a beautiful interior design to enjoy with walls full of wine bottles and stain glass art of Bacchus, the Greek god of wine.
• Cuisine: so many choices…two we really enjoyed were Karl (6 Place du Parlement), for a great French lunch of tartines and salads, and Le Régent (46, Place Gambetta), an upscale brasserie serving the Bordelais for 117 years (we had an incredible braised pork asparagus risotto).
• Shopping: check out Le Comptoir Bordelais (1 bis rue des Piliers de Tutelle), a great little 18 year old gourmet shop.

* Bordeaux Wine Country – can you believe wine dates back to the 1st century here?  Bordeaux is the largest fine wine district in the world, has 60 appellations and 8,650 winemakers. 89% of the wine is red (Merlot, Cabernet Sauvignon, Cabernet Franc), 11% white (Sauvignon, Semillon, Muscadelle). No wonder it can seem overwhelming! Here are a few ways to explore…

• Wine Road Drives: there are 5 official wine roads of Bordeaux as mapped by the CIVB so a car is a must: The Châteaux Road to the North-West (Médoc), The Hillside Road to the North-East (Bourg, Blaye), The Heritage Road to the East (Saint-Emilion, Pomerol, Fronsac), The Fortified Towns Road to the South-East (Entre-Deux-Mers) and The Graves Road to the South-West (Grave, Sauternes).  The CIVB site has a map for each with details on what to explore.
• Tours & Tastings: Tours are a great way to see many wineries all pre-arranged for you…check out the Tourism site or CIVB site for details.  You can also do your own thing which we did (and I was able to try wine from 13 of the most well know appellations)…our hotel offered us a tour of the fabulous Smith Haut Lafitte Châteaux where we stayed, Le Winery is a great place to explore the entire region in one place and get your Wine Sign, and many wineries like Château Pape Clément are open for tours so check out the Tourism/CIVB sites for more details.

Where to stay? We loved the Les Sources de Caudalie, an amazing property in the Graves with the Smith Haut Lafitte winery, two restaurants, hotel and legendary spa. More to come on that slice of heaven in my next post!  You can browse many accomodation options on the Tourism website.

As French writer Andre Berry said, “But if beauty is of no regard to you, if wine is not your taste, then visitor return from whence thou came, the bridge of Bordeaux is closed to you.”   I think you should go.

To see more great photos of Bordeaux visit the gallery.