Gérard Bertrand’s Château l’Hospitalet: wine and wellness in Languedoc

Nestled in the craggy hills just off the shimmering Mediterranean coast near Narbonne is a sanctuary of refined elegance, celebrating all things concerning the vine and the natural environment. The brainchild of Gérard Bertrand, one of France’s leading independent winemakers, the wine resort, which is surrounded by biodynamic vineyards and peaceful olive groves, seamlessly marries refined luxury with rustic heritage. A member of the Small Luxury Hotels of the World, every detail is suffused with elegance and taste. 

With a total of 41 rooms and suites overlooking the vineyards and distant Mediterranean Sea, there is a pervading air of relaxed, serene simplicity. Natural stone, old pines and lavender provide a textured backdrop, capturing a harmony between nature’s palette and understated sophistication. 

A bar with adjoining courtyard terrace is the perfect place to sip a glass of Côtes des Roses, a delicate pink wine from amongst the extensive range of wines made by Gérard Bertrand. Even the glass bottle with its glass stopper is designed with taste, the bottom of the bottle being in the shape of a rose. Together with the hotel, two restaurants and Beach Club, every element reflects the same meticulous passion poured into Gérard Bertrand’s wines. 

Wine-centred gastronomic experiences 

L’Art de Vivre restaurant has attained a coveted Michelin green star, sourcing the majority of its ingredients from a radius of 30km from the château. Chef Laurent Chabert crafts an inventive and tasty cuisine of modern Mediterranean dishes which truly excite the palate. Oysters poached in their shells, stuffed with chives, hazelnuts and cucumber. Braised aubergine with tomato jus, goat’s cheese relish and a chick-pea tile. Local barbecued fish, pigeon with olives, poached peaches with wild rose flowers. These are just some of the flavoursome dishes served with pride in a setting brimming with sophistication and elegance. 

All these dishes can be paired with wines from the Gérard Bertrand collection, perfectly matched by the highly-skilled head sommelier Cyril Thevenet. For simpler yet still tasty dishes, there is a regular shuttle minibus from the hotel to Hospitalet Beach, a refined but relaxed restaurant with its toes in the sand. Fish and seafood are the kings, with daily specials of local Mediterranean fish on the blackboard, together with regular tapas style dishes, such as sea bass rillettes and crispy tempura prawns. 

The hotel and restaurants of Château l’Hospitalet are impeccably run with genuinely friendly, knowledgeable and professional staff and a relaxed and sophisticated environment. It is the ultimate wine paradise for immersion in the expressive, new wave Languedoc wines created by the region’s foremost ambassador, Gérard Bertrand. With a wide range of wines encompassing esoteric top crus and fabulously refreshing anyday rosés such as Gris Blanc and crisp, dry, refreshing whites such as La Grande Bleue, there is a wine to match the most discerning of palates, many available in the UK and better still when you visit the château. 

Outstanding world class wines 

Amongst the many quality wine styles produced is one which captures the spirit of the Georgian winemakers of 4,500 years ago: orange wine. A style gaining in popularity and now seen in many of the trendiest restaurants, it is made from white grapes, where the skins are left in the fermenting must, thus imparting the orange colour. Certified organic, as with the rest of the wine range, it is blended from a wide variety of grapes including Viognier, Grenache Blanc, Muscat and Clairette. Two different cuvées are produced, Orange Gold being the most accessible, with notes of apricot and candied peel.  

Villa Soleilla is a new wine to the orange range, produced in its own winery at the estate. Top winemaking techniques are employed, with carbonic maceration, separation of juices on pressing, fermentation in oak barrels and clay amphoras and six to nine months’ maturation in both types of container. Roussanne, Vermentino and Viognier grapes are used and each plot is vinified separately with an eye for detail, and careful daily attention is paid to every single step. The result is an outstanding amber-coloured wine with great structure and complexity, fragrant and intense with slight notes of a Palo Cortado sherry. 

On a continuum of excellence is the Clos du Temple, Bertrand’s boldest statement to date and the world’s most expensive rosé. A biodynamic wine from Cabrières, it is as cerebral as it is sensual – the palest shade of pink, vinified and aged with the precision one expects of Burgundy’s grands crus. It has become, in just a few vintages, a collector’s piece – a rosé with gravitas. 

A wine retreat par excellence 

Restaurants, terraces, pools, wineries, beautifully furnished bedrooms, a spa and a beach restaurant combine to create a magical oasis of peace. To visit Château l’Hospitalet is to witness the flowering of Languedoc’s potential. Once the rough-and-ready workhorse of French wine, the region now reveals a face of sophistication – thanks in large part to Bertrand’s relentless pursuit of excellence. Through his vision, hard work and dedication, he has elevated the art of winemaking to the level of a true artistic discipline. 

The estate itself is a marvel of preserved nature, with hundreds of acres of vines interspersed with an impressionist mix of pines, olives, and aromatic herbs. Perched above the sparkling Golfe du Lion, the vineyards enjoy a microclimate tempered by sea breezes and golden light. It is here that Bertrand practises biodynamic farming with rigorous devotion – not as marketing veneer, but as an ethos rooted in harmony and regeneration. The Bertrand empire now embraces 17 estates with 900 hectares of vineyards and a total production of around 25 million bottles per year. 

About the author 

Richard Esling BSc DipWSET is an experienced wine journalist, writer, educator and consultant. With experience in the wines and spirits industry spanning several decades, he is a member of the prestigious Circle of Wine Writers and an International Wine Judge. www.winewyse.com Twitter @richardwje