In 1695, a piece of land in the Franschhoek Valley was granted to German immigrant, Hans Hendrik Hattingh. In 1709 the land was purchased by La Motte’s first French Huguenot owner Pierre Joubert. The name La Motte has its origin from a little village in Provence – La Motte d’Aigues. Viticulture on La Motte was established in 1752 with the planting of 4,000 vines by Huguenot descendant Gabriël du Toit.
