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The Pradel de Lavaux family, with its trading house and wine estates in the Libourne region, knows how to bring out the best in the terroir of each wine estate. The company offers top-quality AOC Bordeaux, Saint-Émilion, Pomerol and Fronsac wines from vintage to vintage.
Horeau-Beylot, a family history since 1740
The Horeau-Beylot trading house is one of the 3 oldest in Bordeaux. Located along the Dordogne River on the Quai du Priourat in Libourne, it played an important role in the economic and political life of the town and the Libourne region. Over the decades, the premises have been modernized and now boast 6,000 m² of storage space, a bottling line and 12,000 hectolitres of vat capacity. The company exports and distributes its proprietary brands worldwide, as well as grands crus classés from partner châteaux and bulk wines from selected “petits châteaux”.
The company was founded in 1720 by the Pradel de Lavaux family, who have been running it for 10 generations. Today, the company is run by Axel Pradel de Lavaux, holder of an MBA in Luxury Product Communication, and Inès Boissarie, both successors and principal shareholders. Since 2007, they have entrusted the position of Managing Director to Stanilas Boissarie, who has breathed new life into the family business. They combine their experience in viticulture, as owners of châteaux and creators of wine brands, and in the wine trade, as historical distributors of partner châteaux’ crus. They have been able to adapt and highlight the terroirs of each estate to conquer foreign markets, and now generate 90% of their sales from exports.
The Pradel de Lavaux family, owners of 9 prestigious châteaux in the Libourne region
One of the family’s properties is Château Martinet in Saint-Émilion. In all, it owns 9 estates around the Horeau-Beylot trading house, all located between the Côtes de Bourg and the Côtes de Castillon on the right bank of the Dordogne:
AOC Saint-Émilion
– Château Bellevue in Saint-Émilion (Grand cru classé): 6.82 hectares in a single block and 6.90 hectares for the 360° de Bellevue wine.
– Château Martinet in Saint-Émilion (Grand cru): 6.90 hectares
– Château la Croix de Saint-Georges in Saint-Georges Saint-Émilion (Saint-Georges Saint-Émilion): 6.5 hectares
Les Bordeaux
– Château Clos du Pradel in Libourne: 1.5 hectares
– Château du Pintet in Libourne (Bordeaux Supérieur): 4.5 hectares
AOC Fronsac
– Château du Fort Pontus in Fronsac: 6 hectares
– Château La fleur Canon in Sain-Michel de Fronsac (Canon-Fronsac): 7 hectares
AOC Pomerol
– Château Saint-Pierre in Pomerol: 1.30 hectares
– Château La Renaissance and Clos des Galevesses in Lalande de Pomerol (AOC Lalande de Pomerol): 4 hectares
Historical merchant and distributor of Grands Crus and partner châteaux
The trading house offers authentic, traditional wines of the highest quality, highlighting the particularities of each plot and terroir. It is renowned for its consistency and seriousness in following the wine brands it distributes in France and around the world, from the grands crus classés of partner châteaux to the small estates of the Bordeaux region.
The Horeau-Beylot family also owns the following brands: Le Petit Beylot (Bergerac), Les Clefs de Saint-Pardon (Bordeaux), Lady Laure (Bordeaux Supérieur), Marquis de Beylot (Saint-Émilion) and La Croix Beylot (Pomerol).
They produce two Saint-Émilion Grands Crus:
– Château Bellevue, a benchmark for the appellation, is produced on one of the finest terroirs in the AOC, alongside some of the most renowned estates. The plot ranges from the plateau (at 75 m altitude) of marine limestone, rich in magnesium, iron and clay, to the sandier, more acidic bottom of the hill. This diversity of soils is what makes the wines produced by Château Bellevue so complex.
Château Bellevue, which dominates the hill and plateau, has been in the Pradel de Lavaux family since 1938. In the 17th century, the “fief de Bellevue” belonged to the Lacaze family, who sold it to the Pradel de Lavaux and Conink families, while Maurice de Boüard de Laforest, the owner of neighboring Château Angélus, wanted to acquire it. In 2007, his descendants the Boüard de Laforest finally became co-owners and managers of Château de Bellevue.
– Château Martinet is a beautiful 18th-century residence surrounded by a vast park. It was used as a hunting lodge before becoming a winery. As with the previous Grand Cru, this is one of the finest Saint-Émilions in the region, thanks to parcel-by-parcel management and traditional, manual methods, whether for table sorting, harvesting or ageing in oak barrels for 16 to 18 months. These two Saint-Émilion grands crus have power and tannic structure with a lovely roundness. Elegant, assertive wines with round, silky tannins.
Photos: Horeau-Beylot
Directeur artistique, Alfred Laurent est l'âme créative de la première place de marché direct producteur en France. Passionné de Beaujolais, de moto et de BD, il est toujours à l'affût de la nouvelle pépite !
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