Some weekends call for extra relaxation and a quick getaway with the girls! Our favorite escape outside the city is by visiting Château Élan Winery & Resort.🍷 With more than 3,500 acres of vineyards, this luxury retreat will make you feel as if you’re far away in the French Country-side but its located less than 40 miles away from the city of Atlanta. There’s so much to do at Château Élan, more than just wine tastings. Indulge in many of their activities, spend a weekend in their elegant suites, or enjoy one of their seven restaurants on site. They have events happening all year round and we love to visit every season! Not only is this 16th century-styled French château a premier destination for couples, but it’s also perfect for a long-overdue girl’s trip!
Château Élan Winery & Resort
📍100 Rue Charlemagne Dr, Braselton, GA 30517
🖥 https://www.chateauelan.com/
📞 678-425-0900
Staying at The Inn
With a day filled with wine tastings, you’ll need a place lay your head at night so we definitely recommend staying at The Inn! Inside of the Inn at Château Élan, you’ll find some of their restaurants, a cocktail lounge, conference center, and a common area (known as the atrium) that is decorated with a touch of French elegance all within a few steps from your room. Their rooms have an elegant countryside feel and come with a flat-screen TV, huge beds with luxe bedding fit for a queen, and suites have a whirlpool tub! They have many offers and packages such as their Girls Just Wanna Have Wine, which is perfect for a girls’ weekend!👯♀️ This package includes overnight accommodations either at The Inn or the Villas, lunch for two at their Fleur de Lis restaurant, Marc in the Winery, or Versailles (one entree per person), and wine tasting for two (8 wines) at the Cellar Door, and an 80-minute Chateau Essential Facial per person! Check out their website here to find the perfect packages for couples (like the Château Romantic Retreat) as well as seasonal packages!
Dining at Château Élan
As you can imagine, Château Élan has a plethora of wine varieties to choose from, so of course, they have a range of seven incredible restaurants perfect for anyone’s taste, from casual dining to cuisines from around the world. Whether you’re in the mood for a traditional Southern dish, going overseas for European brews and spirits, or having an intimate candlelit dinner, they have it all!
Versailles Restaurant
Conveniently located in the atrium, in the center of the Inn at Château Élan, Versailles is a great casual dining choice featuring a buffet with an array of meats, cheeses, and vegetable dishes all under a glass roof bringing in all the natural sunshine.☀️ They also have a set limited menu with chargrilled steaks and other regional favorites. For guests staying overnight, this is a great place to grab a cup of coffee or meet the group for breakfast!
Hours:
Breakfast: 6:30 am – 10:30 am
Lunch: 11:30 am – 2 pm
Dinner: 5 pm – 10 pm
🌟Open 7 days a week with hours that vary. And may be closed due to private parties and events.
Menu: https://www.chateauelan.com/menu-dining/menu-dining-versailles/
Marc
This gorgeous restaurant is located inside of the Winery and is a great spot to grab a meal after a wine tasting. We highly recommend reservations as they can be completely booked, even on a night during the week. At the Marc, plates are inspired by southern cuisine with sides that are perfect for sharing. They specialize in larger cuts of meat, locally sourced ingredients, and of course great pairing options for your meal, complete with intimate lighting and an industrial-chic ambiance. We absolutely loved their Gen. Tso Brussels Sprouts and Spicy Cauliflower “sidekicks”. 😋
Hours: Open Tuesday – Saturday, Closed on Sunday & Monday
Lunch
Friday & Saturday: 11:30am – 3:00pm
Dinner
Tuesday – Thursday: 5:30pm – 9:00pm
Friday & Saturday: 5:00pm – 10:00pm
Menu: https://www.chateauelan.com/menu-dining/menu-dining-marc/
Fleur-de-Lis
Overlooking the lake, Fleur-de-Lis is great for anyone that is looking for healthier options at the winery, and is the perfect spot to get the morning started before a day at the spa.🧖🏼♀️🧖🏻♀️ They offer guilt-free desserts and we would eat anything off their entrees selection. We haven’t visited here yet, but it’s on our list for the next time we’re at the winery!
Hours:
Open Daily
9am – 3pm
Menu: https://www.chateauelan.com/menu-dining/menu-dining-fleur-de-lis/
Paddy’s Irish Pub
Gather here to catch a live sporting event or to enjoy traditional Irish food and spirits! ☘️ Paddy’s is completely authentic with furniture designed all the way from Ireland and brings in a fun and lively crowd, especially on weekend nights! And they also have live music!🎶 Whenever we visit pubs, we always get our favorites, a cold glass of Guinness and a basket of fish and chips! Sláinte! 🇮🇪
Hours:
Open 7 Days a Week
Monday – Friday: 4 pm – Midnight
Saturday & Sunday:
Menu: https://www.chateauelan.com/menu-dining/menu-dining-paddys-pub/
L’Auberge Lounge
The L’Auberge Lounge has been a hot spot for winery guests to come hang out and mingle. The atmosphere is casual and perfect for sports fans. They offer a full bar, wine, and cocktail list and live music on the weekends. For anyone with the late night cravings, they have shareable plates and plenty of seating. They stay open late on the weekends and is probably everyone’s final destination before calling it a night at The Inn!
Hours: Open 7 Days a Week
Saturday & Sunday: Open 5 pm
Monday – Friday: Open 7 pm
Menu: https://www.chateauelan.com/menu-dining/l-auberge-lounge/
Sarazen’s Bar & Grille
After a good round of golf, Sarazen’s Bar & Grille has a casual American menu, a full bar, and a gorgeous view of the golf course! Perfect after a long day on the course.🏌🏼♂️⛳️ For any early risers, they serve breakfast items, like Steak and Eggs, Maryann’s Flap Jacks, and Three-Egg omelets. For any late night owls, this is a great spot with a pub-like atmosphere yet in a modern, sophisticated setting!
Hours: Open Sunrise to 9pm
Bar closes at 10pm
Menu: https://www.chateauelan.com/menu-dining/menu-dining-golf-grille/
Le Soleil Pool Bar
What sounds more relaxing than a refreshing cocktail by the pool?🍹💦 This full-service bar will bring you what you need to have an enjoyable afternoon poolside. So why not grab a few snacks, a cold beverage, and layout under the Georgia sun while listening to their cascading waterfalls.😍
Hours
Friday & Saturday: 11:30 am – 6pm (Most Saturdays, they have live music!)
Activities
From spending a day at the spa to taking a tour of the Winery, there are many activities to do at Château Élan to make it a great weekend!
Wine Tasting at the Winery
Considered to be the Napa Valley of the South, Château Élan is known for their extensive wine varieties. Their wine tasting
During the holiday season, the Winery is decorated so beautifully with the wine bottle Christmas tree.🎄🍷✨ The frame was custom welded for Château Élan and they hired a design company who hand-crafted the rest, adding their own wine bottles to it to create the tree. According to their website, 850 bottles were used to create their wine bottle trees!
Our favorite wine is The American Velvet Reserve 2015.🍷
This wine is a Zinfandel blend with 15% alcohol and doesn’t have any of the bitterness or dryness that can be found in some red wines. It’s honestly so smooth and pairs with flavorful foods, like the curry that we cooked in class (we’ll get to this later). We like the fruitiness from the strawberries but it still has some earthiness to it, which helps it from being overpoweringly sweet. And the price is great as it won’t break the bank, so we can enjoy a glass, or two, or three. Lol
To book a wine tasting at Château Élan is easy, reservations aren’t required so you can just show up! There are 4 different tasting options: Southern Fox, The American, Old World, and Old World Red. Each is a pre-selected flight of seven tastings and an optional eighth pour! Or you can do the Château Grandeur Tour which includes a guided tour of the winery production facility and vineyards, which we would love to go back and take!
The newest addition that we were able to try is their Limited Edition Queen Tahiti Brut D’Ananas Pineapple Sparking Wine.🍍 This wine is a super rare and extremely unique bottle of wine that the resort’s executive winemaker personally hand-crafted in Tahiti. It’s vegan and organic and was just released for tastings this past weekend! The bottle costs $65 and Château Élan is the only distributor in the U.S! We were lucky to try it a day before the release, and we love how this sparkling wine is so light and refreshing. It would be the perfect summer cocktail!
Take a Cooking Class
This was our first time taking a professional culinary class, and we were looking forward to cooking a three-course meal from scratch! We were so excited to have a private one-on-one class with Chef Edwin Bodre!
As soon as we walked into the studio we saw our spots setup with our very own aprons and chef hats! 👩🏼🍳👩🏻🍳 All the ingredients that we would be using to cook were all laid out and pre-measured for us. With each course, our food was perfectly paired with a Château Élan wine! And for our first course we prepared a veggie winter roll (basically a winter version of a spring roll, a staple in southeastern Asia). Chef Bodre walked us step by step on food preparation, and he was so patient with us as he answered any cooking questions we had. It was actually super easy and fun to make!
For our main course, we cooked a Thai Shrimp Curry with coconut rice!🍤🥥 We were so impressed by how flavorful the dished turned out. Neither of us had ever taken a cooking class before and the dishes came out amazing!😋 And of course, our wine was paired with a delicious Château Élan Pinot Noir Reserve.👌🏼
Our last course was dessert and we created a white chocolate mousse with berries!😋🍓 We did mention at the beginning of the class that we had some dietary restrictions, and of course, Chef Borde was happy to accommodate us and think of dairy-free dessert last minute! So we ended up making two desserts, the other was berries flambé with a dairy-free whipped cream paired perfectly with their Moscato wine!
At the end of the class, we received recipe cards of what we made to take home with us! We also got to take home our chef hats and aprons, they make cute souvenirs and we may even recreate these dishes on our own at home!
Cooking classes are every Friday and Saturday night and tend to book up very quickly! Whether you’re a professional in the kitchen or a foodie like us, a cooking class is an absolute must! We honestly had the best time! The menu does change every few weeks, with the season, so you can find which classes you want to schedule and book a class through the link here. 👩🏼🍳👩🏻🍳
Château Élan always has something new going on, that’s why we love going back! It’s our favorite escape from city life and a great way to really enjoy what the south has to offer with a French flair! From their European-style Spa experience to anything that has to do with wine, Château Élan is one of our top choices for a Girl’s Getaway!
**Thank you Chateau Elan for
