Michel Reybier has acquired the house of the founder of Cos d’Estournel, Chateau Pomys to make it a country residence. This Australian winter/European summer, this elegant refurbished hotel surrounded by vineyards in centuries-old grounds will reopen with simple, attentive service within a refined and relaxed décor.
La Maison d’Estournel is located next to the St Estèphe property and was already a hotel when acquired by Cos d’Estournel’s current owner, Michel Reybier, in 2017.
Due to reopen this winter, the refurbished hotel, surrounded by vines and the estate’s parkland, boasts 14 rooms, a restaurant, library and tasting room.
Located in Saint-Estèphe in the Médoc, a few hundred meters from Cos d’Estournel, La Maison d’Estournel is part of the property inherited by Louis Gaspard d’Estournel in 1791 Nicknamed the Maharaja of Saint Estèphe, he lived in Pomys, Cos being devoted to the wine business.
Michel Reybier has now brought together the two fundamental elements of the estate, and the property finally has found its original structure: Cos d’Estournel, palace dedicated to wines, and La Maison, warm home of the founder.
Michel Reybier’s own personal home, La Chartreuse, is on the same estate. Both are located 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 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. based in Sydney.
