Château Gloria: Henri Martin
In 1942 Jean-Charles Cazes of Château Lynch-Bages gave Henri Martin the opportunity to purchase 0.6 hectares of vines in St Julien; this was the beginning of Château Gloria, the name coming from the name of the lieu-dit on which the Martin family home was built. All he had to do once he had closed the deal was tell his father what he had done. Once again, Bernard Ginestet opens a door onto life chez Martin:
“Alfred was busy playing cards with his friends in a secret retreat which he had set up above the old cask factory. The manager of Ducru-Beaucaillou, the last boatman from Beychevelle, and a visitor from Pagnol were present. Just as Martin was at a critical stage in the game, his son appeared at the top of the ladder to discuss the proposal. His father told him to clear out and the son sheepishly returned to the financier.”
When Alfred heard of at Henri’s decision, he was furious. Within a day, however, his opinion had softened, and he subsequently joined Henri in this new venture. They went on to purchase more land, starting with 2 hectares of vines acquired from Gaston Marie Achille Armand Achille-Fould (1890 – 1969), the proprietor of Château Beychevelle. The two struck a deal en route to Arcachon, after Armand had accepted the offer of a lift in Henri’s grocer’s truck.
