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Bordeaux’s Ulysse Cazabonne acquires European wine merchant Lavinia

13 February 2024 By Arabella Mileham

One of Bordeaux best known wine merchants, Ulysse Cazabonne has acquired European fine wine merchant Lavinia to strengthen its position as a major player in the distribution of the great wines of Bordeaux.

Lavinia was founded in Madrid in 1999 by Thierry Servant, expanding to comprise five shops across Europe, in Madrid, Barcelona, Paris, Geneva and in Portugal, with around 4,500 wines, champagnes, and liquors sourced from more than 30 countries on its shelves, including some of the world’s most renowned vintages. The business, which also has several ecommerce sites, has been run by Thierry’s daughter, Charlotte Servant and her husband Matthieu Le Priol.

In a statement, Le Priol said they were proud to be heading over the shop to the leading Bordeaux wine merchant after all the work the team had done to evolve the Lavinia model. This included “revolutionizing” the traditional approach of the wine cellar and wine distribution “by highlighting a strong cultural dimension”, the company said.

Ulysse Cazabonne is a major player in the Bordeaux wine trade, based in a historic maison among the vineyards of Margaux. For almost fifty years it has built up a renowned stock of some of the greatest wines, which are stored in an ultra-modern warehouse in the heart of the vineyards.

François Dugoua, general manager Ulysse Cazabonne said the opportunity to integrate Lavinia into the merchant’s activities “seemed obvious”, and in line with the company’s awareness to sup support the evolution of the distribution of the great wines of Bordeaux and of the world.

“Lavinia’s network, the diversity of its offer associated with the in-depth knowledge of its individual customers echo our vision and our desire to promote the culture of great wines around the world,” he said.

Matthieu Le Priol, Lavinia’s general manager added : “We are convinced that their expertise will allow Lavinia to continue to shine in line with the initial Servant family project. Beyond the economic coherence and commercial value of this acquisition it is the common DNA of our maisons that gives strength to the project.”