History
The Martet House
My father's pride
In 1991, Patrick de Coninck and Albert Michiels acquired Château Martet. This estate, ideally located on a hillside along the Dordogne, boasts an exceptional heritage with a connection to the vine and people dating back to the Roman era. Château Martet was built in the 13th century as a hospitable house for the Knights Templar for pilgrims on the road to Santiago de Compostela. Patrick and Albert immediately embarked on the ambitious project of restoring the vineyard and the property to their former glory. From 1993 to 2006, a restructuring of the vineyard was undertaken: uprooting grape varieties unsuited to the soil and removing wide vines to favor tall, low-density vines.
As early as 1998, Patrick de Coninck placed his trust in Louis Mitjavile, advising him on both viticulture and oenology. Beautiful applications emerged. Cordon pruning, spring disbudding, green harvests and measured leaf thinning, and staggered harvests, taking into account the ripeness of each plot, allowed for the arrival at the winery of a flourishing harvest with great potential. These efforts quickly produced a great Bordeaux wine, a true benchmark: the Réserve de Famille.
Sadly, 2016 marked the passing of Patrick de Coninck.
The de Coninck family decided to pay tribute to him and perpetuate his efforts. La Fierté de Mon Père was born: a noble and generous cuvée with a pronounced character, the culmination of what made Château Martet so successful: a love of the terroir and the work of passionate individuals.
2021: the Martet – Mitjavile collaboration takes on a new lease of life with the arrival of Nina Mitjavile. From the age of 15, Nina began working on the family estates (Château Tertre Roteboeuf, Roc de Cambes), before taking root there permanently from 2005 to 2020 where she was in charge of viticulture and the oenological aspect. Her passion for wine combined with her cross-disciplinary mastery of the vine make her a leading Wine Consultant.
Today, Patrick de Coninck's children continue this work and place Château Martet at the rank of an essential vineyard: five great wines, a welcoming property and preserved biodiversity which make this rich and passionate history famous.
