Domaine Lelievre

The wines of Cotes de Toul

The vineyards were first planted along the Moselle River by the Romans, and the vines prospered particularly well in the Côtes de Toul.  Under the influence, successively, of Charlemagne, the Dukes of Lorraine and the Bishops of Toul, the wines were distributed nearly all over Europe. The vineyard reached peak production levels in the mid-19th century with about 11,000 hectares of vines in the Toul region.

The first fifty years of the twentieth century were almost fatal to the region. Phylloxera, two world wars, the loss of the market in the Champagne region, and the exodus from the rural area nearly brought two thousand years of local history to an end.
By 1950, there were only 30 hectares of vineyards left on the hills around Toul. After the Second World War, a dedicated team of wine-lovers brought the vineyard around Toul back to life.

As early as 1951, the wine was entitled to the V.D.Q.S. label and, on the 31^st march 1998, it was rewarded the full A.O.C.

The Lelievre History

Until 1945, mixed farming was common in all the villages in Lorraine and was a source of livelihood for the family. When Jean Lelièvre returned from captivity in Germany, he had to assume the role of an employed worker as well as that of farmer on his own property. The restructuring of the vineyard eventually allowed him to specialize in wine-growing and his sons followed in his footsteps.

After studying viticulture in Burgundy and Champagne, the Lelièvre brothers brought a dynamic new outlook to wine-growing in Lucey.
They bottled their own first harvest in 1968 and received the first gold medal in the Côtes de Toul in 1971. Since then, many other awards have followed.

The Vin Gris “an unique method for an unique wine”

After the harvest, during which the grapes are hand-picked, usually around the beginning of October, the Gamay grapes are rapidly pressed. The red grape skins colour the juice lightly. After fermentation, the young wine will conserve its very particular salmon-orange colour. The use of this method for the Gamay grape is unique in the world.
Fermentation of grapes from each different plot is carried out separately in stainless steel vats that contain a total of 2500 hectolitres. The temperature in the vats is electronically controlled and regulated which enables to obtain a maximum amount of fresh fruit flavour.

Range of wines

Blanc Auxerrois is made from 100% Pinot Blanc Auxerrois. Excellent as an aperitif, with fish, seafood, escargots or fresh goat cheeses.Vin Gris is made from Gamay and Pinot Noir