a toehold with his communal bottlings and a few cases of Vosne-Romanée premier cru Les Beaumonts. The wines’ immediate popularity paved the way to importing the whole range. The 1978 vintage, a year that


Jayer considered something of a breakthrough in his career, was a particular turning point, with Henri visiting the East and West Coasts to present the wines. Martine was wont to recount a memorable encounter at Greenblatt’s Deli on Sunset Boulevard in Los Angeles, featuring a bottle of 1978 Richebourg so aromatic that it overpowered the ambient aromas of pastrami to seduce the ownership into a substantial purchase (much of which ended up in the cellar of Joe Smith of Capital Records). Henri and Martine maintained an affectionate correspondence over the years, with one missive, a dedication in a book, reminding her that “the wines of Burgundy will always be the best in the world—on condition that they are made by a great winemaker.” Martine’s connection with Lalou Bize-Leroy began later, in 1986, initially a relationship of convenience. Bize-Leroy—whom she remembered as deeply impressive, but also mercurial and imperious—was dissatisfied with the warehousing offered by her then-importer. Martine was able to arrange a more satisfactory solution, and promptly became Leroy’s new importer. When Bize-Leroy founded her own Domaine Leroy in 1988 and Domaine d’Auvenay a year later, Martine took those on, too, importing some of the Burgundy’s most epoch- making wines to the United States. Of course, an exhaustive list of all


Martine’s notable producers would be impossible. The underlying theme to her selections, however, was always authenticity. Digging out small, artisanal growers crafting deeply characterful, singular wines was her hallmark as an importer. In the process, Martine reshaped how Americans understood French wine, turning obscure growers into household names. In 2012, at the age of 73 and after a


foray into film with A Year in Burgundy (followed by sequels in Champagne and Porto), Martine sold her business to Gregory Castells, a French-born former head sommelier of Pétrus and


Digging out small, artisanal growers crafting deeply characterful, singular wines was her hallmark as an importer. In the process, Martine reshaped how Americans understood French wine


The French Laundry who had become a good client. “I told her that I wanted to start an online wine business,” he recalls, “and she replied, ‘Why don’t you buy my business instead,’” another example of that trademark candor. Today, as her eponymous company continues to thrive, Martine’s legacy endures not just in the bottles she championed but in the countless palates she educated and the growers she immortalized. 


THE WORLD OF FINE WINE | ISSUE 87 | 2025 | 35


Photography courtesy of Martine's Wines


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