Signature Luxury Travel & Style
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Michel Reybier, the owner of the La Réserve hotels in Paris, Ramatuelle and Geneva, invites guests to experience his family home, nestled within the vineyards of Cos d’Estournel in Bordeaux. Capable of sleeping 16 across six bedrooms and two suites, La Chartreuse offers all the warmth and discreet elegance of an exclusive retreat en famille. The residence is only available to rent in its entirety, providing the rare opportunity to experience life on the estate.
Perched on Saint-Estèphe hill to the north of the Médoc region, the Grand Cru-classified Château de Cos d’Estournel spans 91 hectares of grapes that have been vinified since the days of Napoleon Bonaparte. Founder Louis Gaspard d’Estournel was nicknamed the Maharajah of Saint-Estèphe in honour of his worldly pursuit of new markets, notably India. His exotic taste is still evident in the design of the château, with its pagoda-inspired towers and carved door, imported, it is said, from the Sultan of Zanzibar’s palace.
La Chartreuse adjoins the main château, offering an indoor pool and hammam, as well as patios overlooking the garden to bask in the morning sun and ornate fireplaces to settle before in the evenings. “Above all, I want my guests to feel at home and to be able to savour an art of living imbued with extreme quality, simplicity and discretion,” says Michel Reybier.
In keeping with this vision, a Home Family Manager is on hand to attend to your every need, from organising delectable meals prepared by a private chef to arranging behind-the-scenes experiences of the winemaking process. Not just for oenophiles, a stay at La Chartreuse is an experience to be sought by all connoisseurs of history, culture and extravagance.
The Eastern metaphor extends throughout the property; the elephant – symbolic of strength and wisdom, and the Michel Reybier Hospitality group emblem – is a recurring motif in many decorative features. Flourishes from the founder’s travels abound throughout, from ancient, blackened Indian doors to shimmering decorative silks and a fresco depicting life in an 18th-century Chinese village. This rich aesthetic was accomplished by renowned interior decorator Jacques Garcia – a frequent Reybier collaborator – who endeavoured to preserve the soul of the place and highlight Louis Gaspard’s visionary legacy. estournel.com, leaseguier.com