Located in what must surely be one of the most picturesque villages in the whole of France, Riquewihr, is Domaine Dopff au Moulin.
Established in 1574, Dopff au Moulin were the pioneers of Crémant in Alsace.
It was in 1913 that Julien Dopff introduced the idea of the stemmed bottle. In order to prove that the bottles could survive a long perilous journey, he exported the wine to Australia and back to Alsace which proved successful and encouraged other winegrowers to do the same.
The domaine has been passed down over the centuries from father to son. Today the estate is run by 3 generations of the family, Pierre Dopff the Managing Director his son Pierre-Etienne, General Manager and Etienne-Arnaud, Logistics and Development Manager.
(Marker stone at the Schonenbourg Grand Cru vineyard)
For their Crémants they use combinations of Pinot Blanc, Auxerrois, Chardonnay and for the Rosé and Blanc de Noir, Pinot Noir.
(Picture shows sediment in the bottles of Cremant Cuvee Bundestag Brut)
However it is not just the Crémant d’Alsace that Dopff au Moulin is famous for. The estate is also renowned for producing some of Alsace’s most wonderful still wines.
The highly acclaimed Schonenbourg Grand Cru single vineyard Riesling is considered to be one of the stars from not only Riquewihr but Alsace. The purity and depth of fruit that the winemaker has managed to extract from the grapes has rightly awarded this wine many accolades and journalistic praise from around the globe.
