300,000 snails and a cellar modelled on antiquity – nothing is ordinary at Domaine des Orchis in the Haute-Savoie. Philippe Héritier was a bank manager before he gave it all up in 2006. Today he farms five hectares on steep slopes near Frangy, where Altesse and Mondeuse grow on glacial moraine. The wines mature for 18 months in a hexagonal cellar he had built according to the golden ratio – inspired by the Theatre of Epidaurus. Michelin-starred chefs such as Marc Veyrat and Jean Sulpice are among his clients.
From banker to farmer: a radical new start
A quotation from Ridley Scott's "1492: Conquest of Paradise" hangs in the tasting room: "Life has more imagination than we carry in our dreams." Philippe Héritier lived it. The trained agricultural engineer had a career at Crédit Agricole until a management seminar got him thinking. He no longer wanted that life. His grandfather had been a winegrower in Frangy, his father a snail farmer, and Philippe combined the two. In 2006 he cleared
abandoned steep slopes and planted the indigenous varieties
Altesse and Mondeuse. The
Quintessence d'Altesse shows what these forgotten terroirs hold: acacia blossom, jasmine and an electrifying minerality.
The cellar as a total work of art
Anyone entering the cellar senses immediately that something here is right. Philippe worked with an architect and a geobiologist to create a
hexagonal space based on the golden ratio. The inspiration came from Greece: the ancient theatre of Epidaurus with its perfect acoustics. Philippe believes that these proportions also influence the wine. The casks, originally also built according to the golden ratio, rest here for 18 months. No haste, no compromise. Only
wild yeasts, minimal sulphur and herbal teas for the vines.
Mondeuse: the underrated Alpine variety
While the whole world has its eye on Pinot Noir and Syrah, Philippe cultivates a grape that has been at home in the Alps for centuries. His
Quintessence de Mondeuse disproves the prejudice that Savoie reds are thin and rustic.
Six months of skin contact give it depth and structure without smothering its Alpine freshness. Those looking for similarly distinctive wines from mountain regions will find them at
Domaine Grand in the neighbouring Jura.
Snails, stars and modesty
On the side, Philippe also breeds
300,000 snails a year, Gros-gris fed on clover, flax and mustard. The same meticulousness, the same philosophy: quality over quantity. It is this attitude that has won over Michelin-starred chefs such as
Marc Veyrat, Jean Sulpice and Yoann Conte. Philippe prefers to call himself a farmer rather than a winemaker. He dynamises the water for his snails and treats his vines with
biodynamic preparations. A dreamer? Perhaps. But one whose wines are on the lists of the best restaurants in the Alps.
