I know I keep saying it, but Alsace is my favourite of all French wine regions. Heck, it might even be my favourite in all the world. It has everything: a remarkable history, glorious scenery, chocolate box-pretty towns and villages, fabulous food, extraordinarily fine eaux-de-vie and stunning, smile-inducing wines.
Oh, my goodness, the wines. Produced largely by family-owned estates, some of which go back as far as the 16th century (rather than insurance companies or banks), they’re famously food-friendly and varied. They’re also absurdly undervalued, and whenever I see an Alsace wine on a restaurant list, I grab it, confident it’ll be far better priced than the equivalent quality from elsewhere and knowing it’ll make me smile. As a winemaker once said to me: ‘We don’t just sell wine in Alsace, we sell pleasure.’
Dopff & Irion is one of the best-known producers, making approachable wines at keen prices in and around Riquewihr since 1549, and whom I’ve visited several times. I’m delighted that, thanks to FromVineyardsDirect, we’re devoting this offer to them.
The 2023 Pinot Blanc ‘Cuvée René Dopff’ (1) is about as spot-on in this price bracket as it’s possible to be. Part of D&I’s entry level range, it’s handpicked, pressed gently and then aged on fine lees for four months. It’s fresh, lightly honeyed, slightly creamy, with hints of almonds and citrus. A great aperitif, it’s astonishing value. £12.75 down from £13.95.
The 2023 Riesling ‘Cuvée René Dopff’ (2) is, again, a brilliant price for a wine so impeccably made. It’s so fresh, crisp and clean, with plenty of apple ’n’ pear notes and zesty, zingy citrus and just a hint of that teasing petrol. £13.25 down from £14.95.
The 2023 Gewurztraminer ‘Cuvée René Dopff’ (3) is pure joy. With spicy lychee, mango, pineapple fruit and a whisper of aromatic rose petals, it’s dry to off-dry and encapsulates all that Alsace is about. Gosh, I love this. £14.50 down from £15.95.
But then I love the 2023 Pinot Gris ‘Cuvée René Dopff’ (4) too. Fickle, me? No just broad-minded and accommodating. It’s delectably creamy, spicy and peachy and so perfectly textured in the mouth. Forget the dross that passes for Pinot Grigio and give this a whirl. £14.50 down from £15.95.
The 2023 Muscat ‘Cuvée René Dopff’ (5) is that rarity: a wine that smells of grapes rather than blackcurrants, morning dew, kerosene or cat’s pee. It’s opulently grapey and fresh as, well, that morning dew, and so moreish. There’s an unexpected touch of pepper and spice on the finish and I defy you not to gulp it down. £13 down from £14.45.
The Pinot Noirs of Alsace are better than ever, and outstanding value compared with the daft prices we’re expected to pay for red burgundy. The 2023 Pinot Noir ‘Cuvée René Dopff’ (6) is a brilliant example. Full of fresh and sour cherries, strawberries and raspberries wrapped in the silkiest of tannins, it’s gorgeous and half what you’d pay further south. £13.25 down from £14.95.
The 2023 Pinot Gris Grand Cru Sporen, Château de Riquewihr (7) is serious stuff from a hand-picked, Grand Cru single vineyard. Imagine what you’d pay elsewhere in France for a wine of such pedigree. With rich, peachy, creamy, herb-dusted fruit, it concludes dry to off-dry and lingers long in the mouth. Yum. £18.75 down from £20.95.
2022 Gewurztraminer Grand Cru Sporen, Château de Riquewihr (8) is my pick of the offer, so showy yet so well-judged a wine is it, with spice, cream, lychee and white stone fruit in the mix. We tasted this on my last visit and all I could hear was folk purring. £23.50 down from £24.95.
Does Alsace edge past Germany when it comes to Riesling? Well, judge for yourself, with the 2023 Riesling Grand Cru Schoenenbourg (9), a fabulous take on this most noble of all grape varieties. Fresh, pure, focused, concentrated, spicy, citrusy and expressive, it’s a great wine. £26 down from £27.95.
The Mixed Case has two bottles each of Wines 1-6 and the Grand Cru Case has two bottles each of Wines 7-9. Delivery, as ever, is free to UK mainland.
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To find out more about our Winemaker Lunches, Masterclasses and Wine Tours, visit spectator.co.uk/tastings.
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