Legacy
A FAMILY HISTORY
The winemakers and winegrowers of the family cultivated their plots on the hillsides of the Rimbach valley and produced their wine confidentially. This winemaking was then one of the components of a very varied and unspecialised agricultural activity.
It was in the aftermath of World War II, in an Alsace which was once again French and in full renaissance, that Victor Roth and his wife Amélie (née Burner, another family of winegrowers) devoted themselves more particularly to the cultivation of the vine, the vinification and the sale of their wines in bottles. They unite the vineyards of their two families, acquire new plots to reach a surface of 3 to 4 hectares and grow the walls of the small historical cellar in the city centre of Soultz.
A Family, a Terroir, a History
Browse the frieze to discover our heritage
It was in the aftermath of World War II, in an Alsace which was once again French and in full renaissance, that Victor Roth and his wife Amélie (née Burner, another family of winegrowers) devoted themselves more particularly to the cultivation of the vine, the vinification and the sale of their wines in bottles. They unite the vineyards of their two families, acquire new plots to reach a surface of 3 to 4 hectares and grow the walls of the small historical cellar in the city centre of Soultz.
In the late 1950s, their son Robert Roth invested with his parents. They all develop their production and with it the quality of their wines. They retain their clientele and acquire an emerging reputation in the Guebwiller region, then over time, outside of Alsace. They also acquired the Obermühle mill at the end of 1960, a former property of the Waldner family in Freundstein and which soon became the new seat of the estate.
At the death of Victor in the early 1970s, Robert and his wife Geneviève decided to devote themselves exclusively to viticulture and the vinification of the harvest and abandoned any other agricultural activity. Robert also moved his cellar to the new buildings built at the Obermühle site. It was also during this period that his sons Patrick and Christophe Roth supported their father in his work. They follow their respective trainings at the wine school of Rouffach while actively participating in the life of the estate.
After Robert's brutal disappearance in 1986, the two brothers were forced to take over the family estate despite their young age. It is with determination and a lot of work that they meet this challenge and continue to develop family exploitation. Christophe strives to drive the vineyard which then exceeds 12 hectares, while Patrick takes care of the vinification and marketing of the cuvées of the estate. His wife Estelle soon joined them to take over administrative and commercial management.
The early 1990s saw the arrival of wines from the terroirs
Mittelburg
and
Orschwillerbourg.
Then begins a new philosophy of working by integrating this concept of place and terroir in the production of wines. At the same time, there came a reflection on improving the quality of the soil, and the brothers decided to set up grassing of the rows of vines to limit chemical weeding and erosion. During these years, they decided to build new storage facilities to store the production of bottles that had become more extensive over the years.
Mittelburg
and
Orschwillerbourg.
Then begins a new philosophy of working by integrating this concept of place and terroir in the production of wines. At the same time, there came a reflection on improving the quality of the soil, and the brothers decided to set up grassing of the rows of vines to limit chemical weeding and erosion. During these years, they decided to build new storage facilities to store the production of bottles that had become more extensive over the years.
In the mid-2000s, Christophe and Patrick Roth envisaged the evolution of the field towards organic farming. They want to re-examine their farming practices to adopt a viticulture that places the plant at the heart of the process, aiming to produce wines more representative of their terroir in a healthy vineyard. This cultural choice results in the complete abandonment of plant protection products and fertilizers from synthetic chemistry and herbicides.
After a decade of testing and a period of transition and observation on the ground and on the wines, the decision to certify the entire vineyard to organic viticulture comes. Three years of conversion are required to certify the totality of the parcels exploited. The whole vineyard has been certified by ECOCERT since 2019.
In 2017 Victor Roth, son of Patrick and Estelle and 4th generation winemakers, joined his parents and uncle on the farm. OEnologist of formation and after various experiences in Champagne, Italy, Switzerland or Alsace, he took charge of vinifications, precisely 40 years after the 1977 vintage, the first vintage vinified by his father Patrick. Each generation bringing its stone to the building, Victor places the cursor even further by deciding to vinify all the wines without inputs and opts for a less interventionist method and decides to accompany as closely as possible the natural cycle of the wines and their terroir thus raising the wines of the Domaine to a higher rank.
The team expanded with the arrival of Charlotte, Victor's sister, who completed the fourth generation installation.
After studying wine trade at the Lycée Agricole de Rouffach and then at a Bordeaux business school (INSEEC), Charlotte built an experience of more than 6 years with prestigious Bordeaux farms before returning to Alsace. Today, she is in charge of the business strategy, and of the image of the estate, she puts these years of learning to the benefit of the family domain.
"After having had the opportunity to visit large castles of the Bordeaux vineyards, I am all the more convinced that our Alsatian vineyard has all the necessary assets to seduce and offers definitely good prospects for the future!"
After studying wine trade at the Lycée Agricole de Rouffach and then at a Bordeaux business school (INSEEC), Charlotte built an experience of more than 6 years with prestigious Bordeaux farms before returning to Alsace. Today, she is in charge of the business strategy, and of the image of the estate, she puts these years of learning to the benefit of the family domain.
"After having had the opportunity to visit large castles of the Bordeaux vineyards, I am all the more convinced that our Alsatian vineyard has all the necessary assets to seduce and offers definitely good prospects for the future!"
