Henri Martin (1903 — 1991) was a French

winemaker A winemaker or vintner is a person engaged in winemaking. They are generally employed by wineries or wine companies, where their work includes: *Cooperating with viticulturists *Monitoring the maturity of grapes to ensure their quality and to det ...

who for forty years served as

mayor In many countries, a mayor is the highest-ranking official in a municipal government such as that of a city or a town. Worldwide, there is a wide variance in local laws and customs regarding the powers and responsibilities of a mayor as well as ...

Saint-Julien-Beychevelle Saint-Julien-Beychevelle (; oc-gsc, Sent Julian Vaisherèla) is a commune on the left bank of the Garonne estuary in the Gironde department in Nouvelle-Aquitaine in southwestern France. Population Wine The village lies northwest of Bordeaux ...

Médoc The Médoc (; oc, label= Gascon, Medòc ) is a region of France, well known as a wine growing region, located in the '' département'' of Gironde, on the left bank of the Gironde estuary, north of Bordeaux. Its name comes from ''( Pagus) Med ...

, became cited as the person responsible for reviving the ancient fame of the village, owned and managed a number of prominent

French wine French wine is produced all throughout France, in quantities between 50 and 60 million hectolitres per year, or 7–8 billion bottles. France is one of the largest wine producers in the world, along with Italian, Spanish, and Ame ...

estates, and became considered a legendary figure in the

Bordeaux wine Bordeaux wine ( oc, vin de Bordèu, french: vin de Bordeaux) is produced in the Bordeaux region of southwest France, around the city of Bordeaux, on the Garonne River. To the north of the city the Dordogne River joins the Garonne forming the b ...

trade. He has been called ''l'Ame du Médoc'' (the soul of Médoc).

Biography

Martin was born in 1903 at

Château Gruaud-Larose Château Gruaud-Larose is a winery in the Saint-Julien appellation of the Bordeaux region of France. It is also the name of the red wine produced by this property. The wine produced here was classified as one of fifteen ''Deuxièmes Crus'' (S ...

where his grandfather then was ''maître de chai'' and his father Alfred Martin a

cooper Cooper, Cooper's, Coopers and similar may refer to: * Cooper (profession), a maker of wooden casks and other staved vessels Arts and entertainment * Cooper (producers), alias of Dutch producers Klubbheads * Cooper (video game character), in ' ...

, the family having lived in the region for more than three centuries. Martin served as president of CIVB from 1956 to the mid 60s, was a co-founder and leader of the ''Commanderie de Bordeaux'', and was a leading figure in ''Le Bontemps du Médoc''. He was also a vocal opponent of the

Bordeaux Wine Official Classification of 1855 The Bordeaux Wine Official Classification of 1855 resulted from the 1855 Exposition Universelle de Paris, when Emperor Napoleon III requested a classification system for France's best Bordeaux wines that were to be on display for visitors from ...

Wine estates

Martin built his own estate

Château Gloria Château Gloria is an unclassed Bordeaux wine from the Saint-Julien Appellation d'origine contrôlée, appellation. The winery is located in the central part of France’s Bordeaux wine region Haut-Médoc, in the commune of Saint-Julien-Beychevel ...

from the ground, with no historical reputation or other advantages such as applying for the ''

Cru bourgeois The Cru Bourgeois classification lists some of the châteaux from the Médoc that were not included in the 1855 Classification of ''Crus Classés'', or Classed Growths. Notionally, ''Cru Bourgeois'' is a level below ''Cru Classé'', but still of ...

'' classification, although by acquiring desirable

vineyard A vineyard (; also ) is a plantation of grape-bearing vines, grown mainly for winemaking, but also raisins, table grapes and non-alcoholic grape juice. The science, practice and study of vineyard production is known as viticulture. Vine ...

s from classed '' crus'', to become one of Saint-Julien's best-known properties, within the space of a generation. The process began in 1942 with the purchase of of vines. With the help of his father who was initially angered by the initiative, the acquisition of land grew to amass . In 1963, Martin was also appointed manager, along with Jean-Paul Gardère, of the ''premier cru''

Château Latour Château Latour is a French wine estate, rated as a First Growth under the 1855 Bordeaux Classification, owned by Groupe Artemis. Latour lies at the very southeastern tip of the commune of Pauillac in the Médoc region to the north-west of Borde ...

when foreign investors gained control of the estate, and Martin became a driving force of innovations in research and investments of restorations and vineyard acquisitions as well as replanting. Martin and Gardère formally resigned from the ''Conseil d'Administration'' in 1987, marking the end of a 24-year era. With the personal ambition to own a classed growth, this was achieved in 1982 at age of 78 when Martin bought

Château Saint-Pierre Château Saint-Pierre is a winery in the Saint-Julien appellation of the Bordeaux region of France. The wine produced here was classified as one of ten ''Quatrièmes Crus Classés'' (Fourth Growths) in the historic Bordeaux Wine Official Classi ...

, a ''quatrième cru'' where his father had once worked, and set out to improve, with noticeable results. The estate is currently home to his daughter Françoise and her husband

Jean-Louis Triaud Jean-Louis Triaud (born 22 November 1949 in Bordeaux, France) is the ex president of FC Girondins de Bordeaux. He was first elected in 1996, and upon completion of the term, reelected in 2002. The son-in-law of the late Henri Martin, winemaker a ...

, current general manager of the estates under Domaines Henri Martin. Martin died in February 1991.

References

External links

Domaines Henri Martin official site
{{DEFAULTSORT:Martin, Henri 1903 births 1991 deaths People from Gironde French politicians French winemakers