About the Producer
He broke away from the old winemaking techniques and looked to the terroir rather than to the grape variety. He decided to divide the vineyard at Château de Riquewihr into four estates, which he re-christened with typically French names: Les Murailles, Les Sorcières, Les Maquisards and Les Amandiers. He opted for clearer labeling, abandoning gothic lettering in favour of a more sober script. These wines, made solely from the four noble grape varieties, expressed the very soul of the terroir. From that day on, each estate was dedicated to a particular variety. René Dopff then proceeded to ensure that his wines graced the best tables in France and the world over. He supplied wines to the Palais de l’Elysée, the French President’s residence, and for the launch of the luxury liner, “France”. Dopff & Irion is proud of its inheritance and feels it is its duty to ensure that it continues to thrive and prosper. The love of wine, of the vines and of the region is an invitation to a voyage through history to be shared and savored.. The history of sparkling wine production in Alsace is said to go back to around the year 1900, when Julien Dopff is said to have applied the “champagne method” to his own Alsatian wines with satisfactory results. Crémant Blanc de Blanc Read more Crémant Elegance Prestige Read more Crémant Rosé Read more Cuvée René Dopff The Cuvée René Dopff line line is produced with the grapes from 200 selected vine-growers. Crustaces Read more Gewurztraminer Read more Pinot Blanc Read more Riesling Read more Dopff & Irion Grand Cru Wines Grand Cru Schoenenbourg Read more Grand Cru Vorbourg Read more Dopff & Irion – Riquewihr – “The Pearl of Alsace” From Yesterday to the Present… The name Dopff has long been associated with the town of Riquewihr, which is classed one of the most beautiful villages of France. During the Second World War, René Dopff decided to leave home to join the Alsace-Lorraine brigade of the Free French Forces, where he became friends with André Malraux, who was later to become France’s Minister of Culture under President Charles de Gaulle. At the end of the war, two of the biggest names in viticulture in Riquewihr, René Dopff and the widow Irion, joined forces to found Dopff & Irion. One of their first decisions was to acquire Riquewihr’s historic chateau. René Dopff was an emblematic and prestigious wine producer who, for several decades, had a huge influence on the vineyards of Alsace by putting the emphasis on quality (by reducing yields, for example) and modernising the labels. He was, above all, the first to associate a particular grape variety with a terroir and with specific soils.
