In Spain, a pocket palace in the heart of La Rioja
Still preserved, the Rioja Alavesa deploys the patchwork of its 1,300 hectares of vines on the borders of the Spanish Basque Country. In this setting of cordilleras crossed by the Ebro are dolmens, bodegas (wine cellars) and medieval villages. Blond stones, balcony overlooking the grand cru valley of La Demanda, a small 18th century palace opens onto the main square of Samaniego. When Ariane de Rothschild discovers it, it is love at first sight. From this pied-à-terre, a few rows of vines from Macán (an exceptional estate that the family has built, plot by plot, with Vega Sicilia), it will make a confidential address on the wine route and the way to Compostela.
Today, behind the coat of arms of its facade are hidden a cocoon of 9 rooms, a delicious Bacchic and Iberian table and a small terraced garden where a waterfall murmurs. A first shaded terrace extends the feasts there while a second hides a swimming lane. The soul of a family house, Ariane de Rothschild's touch is everywhere. She shares her passions: for Murano with a myriad of vases, or for the Amazon, with ceremonial headdresses and necklaces. A mix & match that is not at all incongruous when we remember the golden eagle, grazed on the way, lookout for this wild sierra which of vineyards and its fortified villages has made the protective bastion of the kingdom of Navarre. A kingdom where the contemporary art of cellars (signed Frank Gehry for Ysios,Santiago Calatrava for Marqués de Riscal, Enrique Johansson for Macán…) has also found his chosen land.
Palacio de Samaniego
.
9 rooms, 1 restaurant "Tierra y Vino", 1 bar, 1 gym, 1 swimming pool.
From € 279.
To get there, it takes 1 hour 15 minutes by car from Bilbao, 2 hours from Hendaye.
Read also: Via Garona, the other way to Compostela
In the Luberon, silent eco-hamlets
Perched on a rock, isolated or in the middle of olive trees, above lavender fields, the typical Luberon villages plunge guests into the Provençal hinterland.
Fred Raevens - Domaine Les Davids / Press photo
The mauve hills of Grand Luberon for line of sight, perched at an altitude of 580 m, Domaine Les Davids cultivates biodiversity - vines, orchards, market gardening ... - and the art of living in Provence that has "kept the taste of silence and peace ”, the one Giono cherished.
Life-size resorts in the land of roses, four beautifully restored hamlets can accommodate 6 to 20 people.
Domaine Les Davids
(Tel: 04 90 04 97 48).
From € 2,100 per week.
Read also: Luberon: which villages to visit?
The
Figaro
selection
In Occitania, digital detox in the vines
In this Languedoc village, renovated stone after stone, we stroll through the alleys without a car and we rest in one of the 24 cocoons revealed by the Castigno.
Castigno / Photo press
A former castle of the Knights of Malta restored stone by stone, a sublime cellar covered with cork, a car-free hamlet with 24 rooms and suites, a guest house, a spa, a Michelin-starred restaurant, a Thai restaurant, a grill bistro , a grocery store…: an extraordinary project, Castigno was born 10 minutes from Saint-Chinian.
Marc and Tine Verstraete, a Belgian couple crazy about wine, at the head of 32 hectares of organic vines, have made this sinking wine village into an incredible wine resort where you can see the pink life.
Castigno
(Tel .: 04 67 24 26 41).
From 130 € per room.
Read also: In Aude, taste the heritage and natural wonders of the Cathar country
Rendezvous: Words to mouth
During an exceptional oenological stay, our collaborator, journalist Frédéric Durand-Bazin, will guide readers of the magazine through the mysteries of Saint-Émilion.
Designed by Voyages F (
Figaro
Group
), the program alternates between visits and tastings in remarkable properties: Château Pavie, Château Angélus, Château Figeac, Château Cheval-Blanc, Château Dassault and Château de Ferrand.
The icing on the cake: a dinner at La Table de Pavie, directed by chef Alléno.
Les Voyages F
(Tel.: 01 57 08 70 02).
Wine trip to Saint-Émilion, from October 8 to 10, 2021, from € 2,800 per person.
