Domaine des Hattes

History of the Estate

How was your Estate founded? Who founded it? What motivated you?

André L’Huillier – Everything started 12 years ago in 2009, thanks to a passion I have always had for wine. I initially planted 200 vine stocks in Hestroff, then, one day I saw in the paper that there were some vineyard plots for sale in Marange-Silvange, a well-known winegrower’s village. So, I bought 6 of them. These old vines had been abandoned, so it took two years from the moment the land was bought until I could plant vines on it. Then, I used to go back and forth from Hestroff to Marange, until I discovered that a wine producer’s house was up for sale. I decided to buy it and moved away from Hestroff once the house had done up to only focus on where I lived. I gradually went on to plant more vines there every year.
My son Vincent was very interested in viticulture, so he went on to take over the vineyard. Nowadays he takes care of everything, as I have since retired from printing and wine production. But I always go around to do a bit of pruning and have a look at everything.

What training do you have?

AL - I am a printer by trade, wine was my second profession and passion. I went on several training courses at the Laquenexy Fruit Gardens (Jardins Fruitiers d’Ars-Laquenexy), where I was given advice on pruning and bought my first vine stocks (planted in Hestroff). I also managed to get some training about the PDO when it was created.

Wine tourism services

What wine tourism services do you provide on the Estate?

AL - Yes, we do wine tastings and guided tours of the cellars and vineyards. Mr. Weiten (President of the County Council) also came around one day to try our wines! We open our winery and sell wine in the street during the Marange Wine festival too.

Projects

What future plans do you have for your Estate? 

AL - I would personally like to plant more gewurztraminer vines, as it is a wine, I am particularly fond of. We would also like to develop tourism and maybe work with restauranteurs.

Current situation

What is your Estate’s surface area and geographic situation?
AL - We have vines on the way to Pierrevillers and others near to the village of Marange above the vineyard chapel. They are exposed south-east.

Could you tell us about your production? What sort of products do you sell on the Estate? How much do you produce, how many bottles?

AL - We produce from 3,000 to 4,000 bottles a year.
We have several different vintages, auxerrois and pinot gris for the PDO and 4 “vins de France,” such as our rosé, Blanc des Hattes, Rubis and Blanc de la Croix de fer.
In terms of varieties, we have auxerrois, pinot gris and pinot noir, gamay and gewurztraminer.

How would you describe the three wines you have selected? 

AL - The first one is a PDO wine, a dry auxerrois from 2014. You can drink it with a starter, fish, or seafood dishes. It has a pleasant floral scent.

The second is our “Rubis des Hattes” a “Vin de France,” which is a blend of 50% pinot noir and 50% gamay. It has notes of red berries, a hint of spice and is easy to drink with meats and cheese alike.

The third is our “Rosé des Hattes,” also a “Vin de France,” which has a beautiful colour and is well-suited to starters and pre-dinner drinks.