The birth of Terres de Saint Hilaire as an independent estate dates back to the mid-19th century, when the son and daughter of Baron Félix du Muy, owner of Château d’Ollières and the surrounding lands, shared their father’s inheritance. To the son the castle, to the daughter the domain of Saint Hilaire …

But the latter is not a creation from scratch: the human presence in fact dates back to distant antiquity! A Roman villa, a temple dedicated to Hercules and an oppidum, excavated in the 1950s, attest to at least 2000 years of civilization in these places. And a constant religious activity, since the Roman temple will be succeeded by a chapel, then in the 17th century the abbey still visible today. Religiosity, working the land – especially the vines – from the Middle Ages, crafts with the Grande Verrerie – which would become the Mas de la Marotte… life on the estate has always been punctuated by the activities of men.

The changes of the 20th century will not change anything: the domain will always remain in activity, mainly around the vines. And if new buildings appear – in particular the Manor, a sumptuous holiday resort of the descendants of the Félix du Muy family – they extend the vocation of the domain. The vines also took on importance when the Salins du Midi, once owners of the estate, planted cabernet-sauvignon on a massive scale to supply Listel’s productions …

By buying the estate at Les Salins in 2004, we wanted to extend this rich and varied agricultural life. We wanted to restore this magnificent estate to its ancient vocation, combining several forms of activity, giving life back to stone by restoring buildings … And because history is a foundation for building today’s society, we we wanted to make these places an exceptional source of biodiversity and a laboratory for the viticulture of tomorrow.

For all those who would like to dive into the fascinating history of the Terres de Saint Hilaire, the notebook of the Association d’Histoire Populaire Tourvaine dedicated to the heritage of Ollières: BUILDINGS OF WORSHIP AND RURAL BUILDINGS in OLLIERES is on sale at the cellar of the estate. .