La Grand’Vigne

La Grand’Vigne is the crown jewel of Les Sources de Caudalie, a hotel and spa opened in June 1999 by Daniel and Florence Cathiard on the grounds of their Pessac-Léognan estate, Château Smith-Haut-Lafitte. Managed by daughter Alice Cathiard and her fiancé, Jérôme Tourbier, it may now offer the finest dining experience in Bordeaux.

The elegant 45-seat restaurant, a Michelin one-star, is both sober and opulent. Bay windows open to a patio and a pond where swans glide against a pastoral backdrop of gently sloping vineyards hemmed by woods.


Chef Franck Salein, 37, is from the Languedoc. His cuisine is delicate and flavorful; the dishes emphasize the quality of the ingredients, allowing their pure flavors to shine. The impeccable service is friendly and attentive. The excellent wine list offers 600 selections backed by a 15,000-bottle inventory — two-thirds from Bordeaux (with impressive verticals of the first-growths), one-third from Burgundy, Spain and other regions. Chief sommelier Stephen Towler, 31, knows his wines intimately and will match a different wine with each dish if you like.

Caudalie’s second restaurant, a bistro named La Table du Lavoir, is less sophisticated but no less appealing. There, diners can order from the main wine list or from a smaller, less expensive list filled with good-value Bordeaux such as the 1999 Château Gigault Côtes de Blaye Cuvée Viva ($43). La Tour de Cigares, built in a tower above the restaurant and outfitted with leather armchairs, offers a 35-cigar selection of Cuban, Honduran and Dominican cigars, aging in a walk-in humidor.

Address:
Les Sources de Caudalie, Chemin de Smith-Haut-Lafitte, Bordeaux-Martillac 33650
Telephone: (011) 33-5-57-83-83-83
Web site: www.sources-cau dalie.com
Open Lunch and dinner, Wednesday to Sunday
Cost Entrées $31 to $47
Credit cards All major
Best of Award of Excellence