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How patience has shaped one family’s wines for nearly four centuries
Some wineries speak about innovation.
Others speak about tradition.
The Château Martinet, owned by the Pradel de Lavaux family, speaks about something even more important: time.
Their family motto is Festina lente—Latin for “Make haste slowly.”
At first, it sounds like a contradiction. But in the world of fine wine, it may be the wisest advice of all.
Four centuries of patience
The Pradel de Lavaux family has been making wine since 1642.
Today, they oversee eight estates across Bordeaux’s Right Bank, from Saint-Émilion and Pomerol to Fronsac and Lalande-de-Pomerol. Despite the different appellations, every estate follows the same philosophy: respect each terroir, never rush the process, and allow every vintage to express its own personality.
Great wine, they believe, cannot be hurried.
It must simply be guided.
A château with a remarkable history
Long before it became one of the respected names of Saint-Émilion, Château Martinet was an elegant eighteenth-century hunting lodge surrounded by magnificent gardens and ancient trees.
Today, those gardens still frame the estate, while seventeen hectares of carefully tended vines produce a Saint-Émilion Grand Cru that reflects both its history and its remarkable setting.
The vines grow on sand and gravel soils, terroirs that bring elegance, freshness and finesse to the wine.
Like composing music
The Pradel de Lavaux family often compares winemaking to composing music.
Each grape variety has its own voice.
The art lies in finding the perfect harmony.
Here, 65% Merlot provides generosity, ripe fruit and velvety texture, while 35% Cabernet Franc brings freshness, aromatic complexity and refinement.
Neither dominates.
Together, they create a wine that is balanced, elegant and unmistakably Saint-Émilion.
Every parcel has something to say
The grapes are harvested entirely by hand before being carefully sorted.
Rather than blending everything immediately, each parcel is vinified separately in small temperature-controlled vats.
This plot-by-plot approach allows every section of the vineyard to express its own personality before the final blend is assembled.
The wine then spends 15 to 18 months ageing in French oak barrels, gaining depth and complexity while preserving the purity of the fruit.
It is meticulous work—but patience has always been part of the family’s philosophy.
In the glass
The 2023 vintage reveals aromas of ripe black cherries, plum and blackcurrant, layered with delicate notes of cedar, spice and gentle oak.
On the palate, the wine is generous without excess. Silky tannins carry the fruit beautifully, while the Cabernet Franc brings freshness and elegance to the long, harmonious finish.
It is refined, expressive and built to evolve gracefully over time.
A philosophy in every bottle
The Latin poet Nicolas Boileau once wrote:
“Hasten slowly, and without losing heart, return twenty times to your work.”
Few estates embody that idea more faithfully than Château Martinet.
Every decision, from the vineyard to the cellar, reflects the same belief: excellence is never achieved by rushing.
The Château Martinet 2023 is therefore more than a Saint-Émilion Grand Cru.
It is the expression of nearly four centuries of patience, craftsmanship and family dedication—a wine that reminds us that, sometimes, the finest things in life simply take time.
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