Picture this: a food and wine lovers’ paradise with a spa that borders on the sacred, and grounds that sprawl in every direction. A place where parents and childfree travellers alike can unwind and leave feeling not just replenished, but downright spoilt. And where everyone — no matter their age — can run free in nature.
I know. It sounds literally too good to be true. A family in all their boisterous, unpredictable energy is the exact vibe most people would pay good money to avoid. (Heck, sometimes I’d join you.) But what if there was a place where those realities could co-exist? Well, reader, I have found it — it’s called Les Sources de Vougeot, a 14th-century château and former Cistercian priory in Burgundy.
From the moment we rolled past the moat (yes, a moat!) and through the wrought-iron gates, the welcome was immediate and warm. To the delight of our three- and five-year-olds, the valet greeted us with a wicker wagon intended for our luggage, which was promptly repurposed as transport for its smallest passengers.
To step inside Les Sources de Vougeot is to travel back in time. The former priory, established in the sixth century and later transferred to the Cistercians, is now listed as a historical monument. Those monks were no idle scholars: they shaped Burgundian viticulture, pioneering winemaking techniques still used in the vineyards surrounding the estate. In the 1300s, the priory became the Château de Gilly-Lès-Cîteaux. The reception sits in what was the original kitchen, and — happily — the 14th century hasn’t been tidied away. A double fireplace still dominates the room. Above you, vaulted ceilings arch between hewn columns.
Reimagining a centuries-old château is not without its challenges. Alice and Jérôme Tourbier know this better than most. For nearly three decades, the couple have been building something rare in French hospitality: a collection of estates that place wine, scenic surrounds and relaxation at the centre of the guest experience. Their first property, Les Sources de Caudalie, opened in 1999 on the grounds of Château Smith Haut Lafitte vineyard in Bordeaux. Their second, Les Sources de Cheverny, in the Loire Valley, followed in 2020. Les Sources de Vougeot, their third chapter, opened its doors earlier this year. ‘When we first discovered Château de Gilly,’ Alice tells me, ‘we immediately felt it shared the same DNA as Les Sources de Caudalie. A place deeply rooted in its history, shaped by centuries of hospitality.’
Our room, winefully named Le Nectar Divin, is a Signature Suite. Large, shuttered French windows open onto the gardens below. Toile tirée climbs the walls in a beautifully intricate floral pattern. The rotary-dial telephone is gloriously vintage (I had to explain to my Gen Alpha offspring what it was). ‘We wanted guests to feel as though they had been invited into a beautiful family residence, rather than checking into a hotel,’ Alice says.
Every room and suite has its own personality, but a few deserve special mention. Ask about La Cabotte des Enfants if you’re travelling with children: a dedicated bunk bedroom designed to sleep four kids in cabin-style beds. It connects directly to two suites, one on either side, useful for sleeping extended family or friends travelling together. For groups wanting full autonomy, Le Moulin is a private house on the banks of the Vouge that sleeps five, with its own terrace, garden and Nordic bath. And then there is La Vigne Rose. At 1,130 square feet, with a coffered ceiling, original frescoes, herringbone parquet, a library and a bar stocked with Baccarat crystal, this private suite is a piece of living French history. Fabuleux.
The estate spreads generously across formal French gardens that run from the main château to the banks of the Vouge, with geometric hedging, a circular central feature and long rectangular ponds. The garden may be formal in style but is relaxed in nature. Children are welcome to run and play. A heated outdoor pool and tennis courts sit at the far end of the grounds. Electric bikes are available at reception for exploring the vineyards of the Route des Grands Crus, which winds directly past the front gates.
Sustainability is no afterthought at Les Sources de Vougeot. We made the journey from our home on the Côte d’Azur to Burgundy by electric vehicle, and after several hundred kilometres, the complimentary car-charging on-site was a much-appreciated gesture. The hotel’s kitchen sources from local producers, artisans and winemakers, and the menu shifts with the seasons. As Alice puts it: ‘Sustainability, for us, is not simply about environmental measures. It is about respecting the land and ensuring that every decision contributes positively to the region that welcomes us.’
L’Auberge des Cîteaux, the convivial, bistronomic restaurant, was formerly the estate’s stables. Le Clos de la Tour, the gastronomic variant, operates a seasonal tasting menu with sommelier-paired wines for dinner from Wednesday to Sunday and lunch at weekends.
Chef Julien Martin, a Burgundy native who trained under two-Michelin-starred chef Nicolas Masse at Les Sources de Caudalie, oversees both restaurants. His Auberge cooking is generous and rooted: slow-cooked boeuf bourguignon and oeufs meurette (poached eggs in red wine sauce) were highlights. ‘The open kitchen in L’Auberge des Cîteaux is the true beating heart of our project,’ Alice tells me. ‘I love seeing Chef Julien and his team transforming ingredients into beautiful plates, and there is always a gougère (cheese-filled pastry) or dessert to taste.’
The sommelier guided us through the wine list and matched the glasses to our preferences. For my husband, a 2024 Chablis: structured, dry, with notes of citrus and green fruit. For me, a Louis Bouillot Crémant de Bourgogne, a white, floral and fruity sparkling wine. No complaints here.
Le Bar du Château is a seductive spot for a house cocktail or two. Try The Monk Fashion, a rum and coffee riff on an Old Fashioned with blackcurrant bitters, or L’Herboriste made with alcohol-free gin and Batak berries. Deep emerald-green velvet armchairs are designed to sink into; there are board games and a roaring fire in winter — this is, in short, exactly what a hotel bar should be.
The pièce de résistance is the atmospheric Caudalie Spa set underground in the former wine cellars of the Cistercian monks. The moment you descend beneath the soaring stone vaults and see two mirrored pools between ancient columns, something akin to reverence overtakes.
A particularly thoughtful suggestion from the hotel was a family spa slot, from 9am to 11am, when the children were welcome to enjoy the indoor pools without us spending the entire session worrying about disturbing other guests. They loved it. We exhaled properly for the first time in what felt like months.
My spirit now lifted, it was time to do the same to my face. In the treatment rooms upstairs, I opted for the Resveratrol-Lift facial. The treatments are by Caudalie, the cult French beauty brand founded by Alice’s sister Mathilde Thomas and built around active ingredients drawn from the vine. Resveratrol, grape-seed extracts, polyphenols: the same compounds, the thinking goes, that keep a vine productive for up to a century. Here’s hoping it can do the same for my face (although 100 years might be pushing it).
For anyone who has ever entertained the fantasy of being submerged in wine, the grape marc bath is the closest experience you can get; it turns out, all that resveratrol is excellent for your skin.
The underground passage that linked the château’s mediaeval kitchen to its wine cellars now connects the spa to the reception. This means you can comfortably make the journey through 700 years of history in your fluffy white bathrobe.
But the part most fondly remembered in our household? The moat. Now drained and grassed over, it is home to the château’s friendly goats, a few sheep, and what I can only describe as some very grand-looking French chickens. All of which you are welcome to meet as they freely roam. My children, unmoved by centuries of monastic history, lost their minds completely. They are still talking about their friends, the ‘moat goats’. A core memory locked in.
And that is the thing about Les Sources de Vougeot. It offers centuries of layered history, exceptional wine, world-class cooking and one of the most extraordinary spa settings I have encountered anywhere in France. But what it really offers, if you let it, is something more precious. Alice Tourbier told me her ambition was never to transform the soul of the property, but to reveal it. She and her husband have done exactly that — and touched all of our souls in the process.
Book your break in Burgundy, set off on an art trail through the South of France, or meet some more inspirational French hoteliers