Collection: Domaine Schoenheitz

Grapes growing in extreme conditions

Located on the edge of the Alsace Wine Route, the Schoenheitz vineyards are concentrated on the steep slopes of the magnificent Munster Valley, at the start of the Vosges mountain range.

These slopes are the highest in Alsace and are sometimes so steep that even tractors cannot access them.

The vitality of the vines, which grow in extreme conditions on the granite soil, allows them to produce the noble, pure and delicate expression of Alsace.

While the vineyards are carefully managed, the older vines are worked even harder to allow the granite terroir to take hold.The grapes from these lieux-dits at Domaine Shawn Heights produce wines that are delicate, fine, pure and minerally.

Environmental protection activities

The Shornheits Family produces all of their wines in accordance with sustainable viticultural practices and certified agricultural principles as outlined by HVE (High Environmental Value).

This includes minimising water, air and soil pollution; maintaining and supporting long-term soil balance; planting natural grass between the rows; limiting all work to what is absolutely necessary; strict hand-selection of vines; and considering the carbon footprint when choosing materials (bottles, corks, labels etc).

Domaine Facilities

- The grape receiving area and press are located higher than the winery to use gravity. - Whole bunches can be squeezed using an air-operated press. - Temperature-controlled stainless steel tanks with a total capacity of 1,000 hl (average tank capacity is 35 hl). - For the ageing of Pinot Noir, a quarter of the Burgundy French oak barrels (from Allier) are renewed each year. -Air-conditioning equipment capable of storing 200,000 bottles in optimal conditions.

Individual pressing Each plot and variety is pressed separately. After a final selection, the whole bunches are pressed. All the equipment is specially designed to avoid any shocks or stress on the grapes during transport. This respect for the fruit allows the variety and the soil to be faithfully expressed in the wine. Between nuance and delicacy, "controlled" Strict hygiene control, perfect temperature control during fermentation, and constant and precise follow-up allow the wine's natural expression to be accurately expressed. The characteristics of the Schonheits style are "straightforwardness, transparency, and purity." The story is written by nature, and the nuanced and delicate interpretation is brought about by the deep oenological experience of Dominique, Henri, and Adrien Schonheits.

History of Schoenheitz

In the Middle Ages, the Ville-au-Val vineyards belonged to the famous Habsburg and Ribeaupierre families and were already renowned for producing high-quality wines. Located in the heart of the Munster valley, this site on Alsace soil had all the conditions for a bright future.

Unfortunately, the tides of history destroyed that future, and by the end of World War II, only devastation was left behind.

In the 1970s, Henri Schönheits, a man with a deep love for his native land, worked to regenerate this beautiful vineyard, which had almost been completely destroyed.

At the time, the area was heavily farmed, so he slowly began to work on restoring the Ville-au-Val vineyards to their original condition: preparing the soil and replanting the steep slopes was a difficult task that Henri Jr. still undertakes today, assisted by his wife Dominique.

In 1980, Dominique and the young Henri Schonheits had just graduated with a degree in oenology and viticulture and were working on their first harvest. It was a joyous experience for them, like a blank page of a story waiting to be written. As the only independent winemakers in the village, the young winemakers quickly began to define their own style.

The winery won its first "vingt sur vins" in 1995, and the list of awards has continued to grow ever since.

Guide Bettane & Desseauve, Guide Hachette, Le Point, Wine Spectator, Wine Advocate, James Suckling, International Wine Challenge, Decanter Award, etc.

In 2015, it was selected for the first time in La Revue du Vin de France magazine's Guide Vert des meilleurs vins de France.

In 2020, it joined a club that only star-ranked domaines are allowed to join.