Why it matters
The producer
Dopff au Moulin is a family winery in Riquewihr, Alsace. Its range includes Crémant d'Alsace Cuvée Julien and Riesling wines, including a Schoenenbourg Grand Cru bottling.
The estate's history includes an early move into bottle fermented sparkling wine. Julien Dopff adapted the Champagne method in Alsace after seeing it demonstrated in Paris, then trained in Épernay before returning to produce sparkling wine with a second fermentation in bottles.
Place and vineyards
Where the wines begin
Dopff au Moulin is located at the foot of the Schoenenbourg Grand Cru vineyard in Riquewihr. Grand Cru identifies a named vineyard classification, so Schoenenbourg gives one Riesling wine a specific vineyard name alongside the producer and grape.
The same Riquewihr estate makes Crémant d'Alsace and still Riesling. The two styles place bottle fermented sparkling wine beside white wine from a named Grand Cru vineyard.
In the cellar
Vineyards and cellar
Dopff au Moulin's estate encompasses over 70 hectares of vineyard. The scale places a broad Alsace holding behind a range that includes both still and sparkling wines.
Cuvée Julien ages in bottle on lees for 14 to 24 months before disgorgement, using the traditional méthode champenoise. Lees are spent yeast cells left in the bottle after the second fermentation. Time on lees can soften the texture and add depth before disgorgement removes the sediment.
Wines to know
The range in view
Cuvée Julien is a Crémant d'Alsace made from equal parts Pinot Blanc and Auxerrois. It is the estate's named sparkling cuvée.
Riesling appears in a Schoenenbourg Grand Cru wine and in Cuvée Europe. The range therefore covers a bottle fermented sparkling wine alongside still Riesling wines with both a named vineyard designation and a broader cuvée name.