Thoughts of Provence evoke images of winding roads bordered by a sea of olive trees, grapevines, and lavender; of iron gates, unpaved lanes, and enormous stone homes filled with handwoven carpets, Louis XV furniture, and an infinite supply of pale-pink rosé. And nothing, perhaps, is more picture-perfectly Provence than Château d'Estoublon.
Built in 1489 by an aristocratic Genoese family, this wine- andStéphane Courbit, owner of the Les Airelles hotel collection and Ladurée, the French macaron bakery turned café; former French president Nicolas Sarkozy and his wife, the model, singer, and onetime first lady of France, Carla Bruni; and Jean-Guillaume Prats, whose family owned Cos d'Estournel and who has previously held the role of CEO at both Château Lafite Rothschild and LVMH's fine-wine division. The result is a spectacular 22-room retreat with a restaurant, cinema room, bar, and billiards room (not to mention all that homegrown wine and olive oil) situated just two hours by car— but an entire world away—from the French Riviera.
