Biologique and Demeter

Alsace Grand Cru Praelatenberg (8ha) (full gneiss)

Alsace Lieu-Dit Schlossreben (granit), Bocksberg (gneiss), Moenchborn (gneiss), Hahnenberg (calcairo-gréseux)

Situated at the foot of the Château du Haut-Kœnigsbourg Alphonse Engel arrived in the village in 1900 and founded the family estate with his wife Joséphine Ruhlmann. Joseph Engel and then our grandfather, Raymond Engel, took over. As with all farming families at the time, vines were an integral part of their lives, along with livestock, maize, wheat and fruit growing. From the 1960s onwards, the vine became our grandparents' main activity.  Jacqueline, Raymond's wife, inherited a parcel of land in the Lieu-Dit Schlossreben (Château vineyards) on the heights of Saint-Hippolyte, which we still farm today. Raymond also set up vineyards in Kintzheim and Orschwiller. 

In the 1960s, Raymond wanted to expand and went in search of vineyard plots. Plots of land on the plains were very expensive, so he opted for plots of land, orchards and fallow land on the Praelatenberg hill, which were complicated to work. Pruning, earthworks, restoration and planting were the main tasks throughout his life. Who would have thought it? In 1992, the plan to structure Alsatian wine appellations classified Praelatenberg as a Grand Cru. 

The gamble paid off, as Raymond made his own way up the hill with the help of his sons Christian and Hubert. They ended up farming almost 12 hectares on this hillside, 7.92 of which are classified as Grand Cru.  The vines are still there, but it's the new generations who will benefit from this configuration, which is rare in Alsace. Today, the work of the younger generation consists of studying and understanding this geological heritage.