Florence and Daniel Cathiard are not alone, both their daughters and sons in law have become ambassadors for the Bordeaux lifestyle of wine, hospitality, wellness and beauty across the globe – each in their own unique way.
Innovation
From the very beginning of their Bordeaux adventure the Cathiards had a genuine desire to share their new found passion. Perhaps, back then, a vision only newcomers to a region could have had?
After three years renovating Château Smith Haut Lafitte, they dedicated the chateau buildings to wine production and wine tourism, moving their home into an 18th century chartreuse in the vines.
They opened the vineyard to visitors seven days a week, very unusual in the 90s, offering tours, tastings and workshops. They rebuilt a cooperage, making barrels on site with their own in house cooper. They have expanded the notion of tourism to include art, sustainability and even wellness.
Florence Cathiard has become such a leader in the sector she now presides The French Wine Tourism Board.
Art of Wine
Florence Cathiard is as passionate about art as she is wine, the chateau is a show case for her contemporary art collection, in the vines and the château. Every year she adds a piece to her collection, each one telling a story, for visitors to discover on a dedicated art and wine tour. In 2023, the sculpture by British artist Natalie Clark was chosen to reflect the link between soil and sky, planets and plants, echoing their commitment to biodynamic viticulture.
Environmental champions
Over 30 years they have nurtured the 87 ha estate, producing red and white Pessac Léognan wines, farming sustainably and winning critical acclaim for their wines.
Their growing understanding of and respect for the nature that surrounds them lead to their ‘bio-precision’ philosophy, a combination of traditional practices and latest R&D innovations. Organic since 2019, they use biodynamic practices including tisanes or herb teas grown locally and their own vine nursery on a nearby island in the Garonne River.
Their ‘Land Art’ installation, The Forest of the Five senses, thanks to which they won a Global Best Of Wine Tourism award in 2019, brings together these two philosophies. It’s hidden away in eight hectares of woods and designed as a discovery of nature and contemporary local art by young creators. At the end of the walk visitors discover ‘The Tisanerie’, where the herbs and wild plants, used in the biodynamics, are dried and stored. The farmyard here, with the goats, lamas and chickens and the majestic working horses that plough the vines, is all part of the rich biodiversity.
Art is not the only thing hiding in the woods. Their carbon neutral ‘stealth cellar’ where their second wine, Les Hauts de Smith, is made is tucked into in an old gravel quarry, completely integrated into the natural environment with its vegetal roof.
From wine to welcome
They quickly understood the best way of sharing their passion for the environment and the wines was to encourage visitors to stay. They opened the Les Sources de Caudalie hotel and spa, in the grounds of the chateau in 1999 to do just that, stay a while. They started with 29 rooms, a restaurant and the original Caudalie Vinothérapie® Spa (the very first destination wine spa) thanks to the spring waters found 540m below the estate.
Today, run by their daughter and son in law, Alice and Jerome Tourbier, Les Sources de Caudalie is a 5-star Palace, with 61 rooms and suites in a ‘village’ of six buildings, inspired by regional architecture and built from local and recycled materials. The 1500m2 spa is built to resemble the traditional tobacco drying barns of the region and the three restaurants include the two star Michelin La Grand’Vigne** under Chef Nicolas Masse.
In 2013, they opened La Chartreuse Du Château Le Thil, a neighbouring 18 century château. Surrounded by a park with a classified collection of old trees, it acts as a lodge offering a unique French château experience.
Wine and wellness tourism
Les Sources is spreading its wings. Staying true to its original objective of offering guests a relaxed environment to discover wine, Alice and Jérome opened Les Sources de Cheverny in the Loire Valley in Sept 2021. This traditional chateau deep in the forest won its first Michelin within a year of opening.
This success has given Alice and Jerome the confidence to launch an even more ambitious project, buying hotel chain Les Grande Etapes de France, fulfilling their ambition to welcome guests across the leading wine regions of France, and some of the most beautiful.
Rising to the challenge
It’s an ambitious project, there’s detailed work to be done to bring the properties up to Les Sources exacting standards. Renovation has started on the 16th century Château de Gilly (already a 5 star hotel) in Burgundy and Château d’Isenbourg in Alsace. The objective is to reopen these historic buildings and gardens in 2025.
Just like in Bordeaux, Alice wants guests to be able to see vines from their window, remaining close to nature as part of their sustainable philosophy. They want guests to take the time to discover these regions, their wines and their wine makers.
A family affair
If wine runs through their veins so does wellness. In 1995, Mathilde Thomas-Cathiard and her husband, Bertrand, founded Caudalie, a hugely successful, international cosmetics company. Originally inspired by and created from the by-products of wine making at Château Smith Haut Lafitte, these products are at the origin of the Caudalie Vinothérapie® Spas but are now found across the globe, carrying the name of Bordeaux, the winery and hotel with them.
Bordeaux-Napa
Florence and Daniel are also exporting their passion, not just their wines.
They first discovered Napa, another Great Wine Capital, in the late sixties. They loved it, so in 2019 when the opportunity arose to buy the Flora Spring Winery they jumped in. They were seduced by the biodiversity of the property thanks to the combination hillside slopes, valley floor, woods and lakes.
They have renovated the old stone winery, the horse shoe shaped cellar tunnelled deep into the Mayacamas mountains and the historic Louis Martini homestead. In February 2023, they opened as The Cathiard Vineyard to the public for visits and tastings.
The lakes are now reservoirs of biodiversity, which visitors discover driving along on the winding roads through the vines in a 1960s Land Rover powered with an eco-friendly electric engine.
Ecological, traditional, high tech, welcoming and a lot of fun – the Cathiard family signature.
Article's author: Wendy Narby - Insider Tasting Photos credits:©Wendynarby ©châteauSmithHautLafitte Video credits: ©laMaisonDuBonheur