The concept of Le Clarence is to bring a little piece of Bordeaux to Paris and, walking through the heavy carved wooden doors with La Cave du Château wine boutique on the right, and the sweeping elegant staircase to the left, this is indeed the impression.
The Hôtel Dillon, an elegant 19th century mansion at 31 Avenue Franklin D. Roosevelt, has been entirely restored and decorated by the finest craftsmen, and is now the Paris home of Domaine Clarence Dillon, a family company that owns three of Bordeaux’s finest vineyards, Haut-Brion, La Mission Haut-Brion and Quintus as well as Bordeaux Fine Wine Merchant, Clarence Dillon Wines and its super premium brand, Clarendelle. To celebrate its 80th anniversary, the family company, whose history has always been intimately bound up with fine wine and dining, set out to capture the philosophy, worldview and unique blend of tradition and innovation, exemplified by Domaine Clarence Dillon, with the creation of an exceptional restaurant, ‘Le Clarence’.
Set over the three floors and a basement, is a collection of beautifully finished and eclectically decorated rooms. On the first floor is the restaurant which is divided into three traditional but very differently decorated rooms, and named in homage to Lestonnac, Pontac and Talleyrand, all former owners of the Château Haut-Brion. Outside the dining room and the private salon, are two elegant handcrafted wooden consoles, containing eight bottles of Haut-Brion’s best red and white vintages. Designed using rare woods by Prince Robert and London-based furniture maker David Linley to commemorate the 75th anniversary of Clarence Dillon’s purchase of the winery, secret drawers contain silverware by Buccellati, the Italian jeweller.
The restaurant is friendly and refined, reflecting the very best French produce, led with panache and passion by a young and talented team. In the kitchen, Michelin starred Chef Christophe Pelé will make it his mission to revisit the great classics of French fine dining. Meanwhile in the restaurant, Antoine Pétrus, a winner of the prestigious ‘Meilleur Ouvrier de France’ award, will oversee proceedings in his capacity as restaurant director and Chef Sommelier.
At the top of the grand staircase on the second floor is a private lounge, a grand salon with magnificent French windows overlooking the Grand Palais. Here there’s a beautiful fireplace, an antique backgammon table, striking artwork and a wonderful mix of furniture. Located up on the third floor are three private rooms and below the stairs in the basement is an atmospheric stone wine cellar, where Damien de Gironde, director of La Cave du Château, will give wine tastings and advise on buying.
