Fit for a king
Stay like royalty in three of France’s newly restored chateaux.
Some of the plushest new hotels in France are now providing a window into lesser-known chapters of the country’s past. Three chateaux in different pockets of rural France are telling these stories, bringing their narrative into contemporary culture. Discover Languedoc-Roussillon’s connection to silk, the centuries-old tradition of producing Sauternes in Bordeaux, and one Loire Valley chateau’s legacy in art.
Silk Route
When husband-and-wife team, Rolf and Andrea Bertschi, took Chateau de Montcaud on in 2016, they set about restoring the 1848-built property’s original identity. The chateau’s founder, Alexandre Eugene Collain, made his fortune in the silk trade, so the story naturally fell to this aspect of the region’s heritage.
Now, this silk theme runs throughout the hotel, which proudly made its debut last year. Panels of French silk add pops of colour to the high-ceilinged rooms, the resident chef Matthieu Herve weaves silk inspiration into the fine dining restaurant’s menus, and the Bertschis collaborated with master perfumer Antoine Lie to create an exclusive Chateau de Montcaud scent incorporating ingredients from the ancient Silk Road. Local silk artisans Sericyne created a specially commissioned artwork for the restaurant, and the Bertschi family planted mulberry trees in the sprawling grounds so they can eventually produce silk at the property.
A spa is also on the cards with exclusive-to-the-chateau cosmetics containing silk enzymes. Frescoed ceilings and original paintings show the new owners’ dedication to celebrating the property’s history, but it has simultaneously been brought up to date with Swiss modern design.
The former library where Collain spent much of his time is now the ultra-luxe Collain Suite combining high frescoed ceiling, wooden floors and large shuttered windows opening out into the gardens with state-of-the-art tech, rainforest showers, rose marble detail and a freestanding bathtub with a view. The two-bedroom duplex suite upstairs comes with a private terrace built into the tiled roof, and the old gatehouse, La Maison, now acts as a stand-alone suite with everything you need for self-catering. The estate’s woodland and rose-filled parkland celebrates the chateau’s rich history too, with elements of its design representing the original garden plan, which the couple found hidden in one of the old walls.
TO DO Dine in the restaurant and bistro spilling out to a shaded spot beneath chestnut trees where Sunday jazz brunches take place in warmer months. Pick herbs from the kitchen garden for cooking classes in the chef’s kitchen and sample a few of the local wines. By borrowing the chateau’s bicycles you can easily explore the Ceze Valley, while visiting local wineries such as Domaine la Remejeanne for cellar door tastings. Venture a little further to visit Uzes for its picturesque Saturday market; rooms from $274 a night.
Noble Vines
Bordeaux may be best known for its cabernet sauvignon and merlot reds, but this is also the region for sauternes, a sweet wine combining semillon grapes that have been affected by noble rot with sauvignon blanc and, in some cases, muscadelle. Chateau Lafaurie-Peyraguey is one of the sauternes appellation’s most prestigious first-growth estates, and while parts of the property date back to the 13th century, last year saw the 400th anniversary of its winery.
Fittingly, it was on its 400th year that the new hotel and restaurant by Lalique opened, making this 36ha estate the third property in the French lifestyle brand’s hotel portfolio, combining a celebration of food and fine wine with the lavish crystal decoration. Lalique designers Lady Tina Green and Pietro Mingarelli led the renovation of the property, integrating art, crystals and red and green accents into each room, and displaying Damien Hirst’s artwork Eternal Belief in the chapel.
Four underground cellars hold a staggering 350,000 bottles of wine, and a crystal barrel of the estate’s 2013 vintage was unveiled earlier this year. A modern glass extension by architect Mario Botta houses the newly Michelin-starred restaurant (impressively, it earned its first star just a few months after opening) where chef Jerome Schilling creates seasonal sauternes-inspired dishes. Tours take in the vineyards where horses plough the fields, before moving on to the oak barrel-lined cellars, ancient chapel and modern wine boutique with tasting sessions. In an effort to modernise the image of sauternes, the hotel highlights the sweet wine in a range of seasonal infusions and by serving over ice with orange rind as an aperitif.
TO DO Several of the region’s most prestigious chateaux sit on the upper slopes of the lush landscape surrounding the small village of Sauternes. Borrow one of Chateau Lafaurie-Peyraguey’s electric bicycles to cycle the short distance between properties on roads leading you through vineyards and woodland. Stop by the most prominent sauternes producer Chateau d’Yquem for guided tours and tastings, and visit Chateau de Rayne Vigneau for a treetop wine tasting. Just be sure to book ahead for each visit. Before jetting off, explore the city of Bordeaux, home to the internationally acclaimed wine museum, La Cite du Vin; rooms from $401 a night.
■ lafauriepeyragueylalique.com
Artful Legacy
Originally built as a summer palace for Baron Jacques Pineau de Viennay, Chateau du Grand-Luce was completed in 1760. Now, it’s considered one of the finest examples of neoclassical architecture in France, with particular importance in art. Louis XV commissioned statues for the property when it made its debut, and during World War II the chateau housed paintings belonging to the Louvre. Between these two dates, upon the baron’s death, Chateau du Grand-Luce was passed to his daughter, Louise Pineau de Viennay, who was an aristocratic supporter of the arts, hosting philosophers and artists such as Diderot, Voltaire, Rousseau, Mozart and Grimm during the Age of Enlightenment.
The estate was eventually taken on by the French government, which restored the gardens and buildings, and in 2003 acclaimed American designer Timothy Corrigan set about renovating it as his home, integrating his distinct style into each room. Corrigan sold the property to a new owner in 2017 and it has now completed its journey to becoming a hotel chateau, opening this month.
Drawing on their reverence for the history of the chateau, the design team led by Paul and Shannon Wehsener of Paul Allen Design repurposed the opulent interiors to create a modern hotel environment. It pairs limestone and white oak floors with walls adorned with boiserie, Persian rugs, chandeliers and swathes of custom fabric by legendary designers such as Pierre Frey, Christian Lacroix and Jean Paul Gaultier. Of the 17 suites, the Baron Suite stands out for its abundant art, private library and casement windows overlooking the medieval-walled garden, which was inspired by the gardens of Versailles.
TO DO Enjoy seasonal French gastronomy and Sancerre wine in the chapel-turned-restaurant Le Luce, relax in the spa and outdoor pool, and explore the 32ha estate’s classic gardens and white oak forest. UNESCO declared the Loire Valley a World Heritage site in 2000, naming it an outstanding cultural landscape of great natural beauty for its historic towns and architectural monuments. More than 100 chateaux in this landscape are open to the public, making it a region you could return to year after year; rooms from $1524 a night.
Lauren Hill was a guest of Chateau de Montcaud and Chateau Lafaurie-Peyraguey.