DOPFF & IRION
RIQUEWIHR, ALSACE
The tale of a Pioneer:
René Dopff took over Dopff & Irion in 1945.
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..
Dopff & Irion Crémants
Dopff & Irion Cremant d’Alsace
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.
- All of our Crémants are Brut.
- We obtain this result when we disgorge the sweet liqueur, by adding less than 15g/l of concentrated sugar (legal limit in the production of Crémant) to conserve the dry and elegant style of our Crémants.
- Our wines, like Champagne, are not vintage offerings, in order for us to blend different years, thereby ensuring excellent consistent quality.
Cuvée René Dopff
The Cuvée René Dopff line line is produced with the grapes from 200 selected vine-growers.
Dopff & Irion Tradition Wines
Dopff & Irion Grand Cru Wines
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.
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 their inheritance and feel it is their duty to ensure that it continues to thrive and prosper. The love of wine, of their vines, and of the region is an invitation to a voyage through history to be shared and savoured.
An exceptional estate transmitted from generation to generation.
Riquewihr, the birthplace of our establishment, was a particularly active and flourishing city in the Middle Ages thanks to the renown of its wines that it exported across the whole of northern Europe. At that time, the principal transport route was the nearby river Rhine.
Over the generations, the Dopff and Irion families, whose interest in the vineyards can be traced back to the 16th century, developed and nurtured their precious heritage – the vines and the Chateau of Riquewihr.
The original Chateau, constructed in 1549, was owned by the Princes of Wurtemberg who ruled over the city and its region for five centuries.
Today, Riquewihr is known as the “pearl of Alsace”, and its sumptuous architecture and exceptional treasures testify to the splendour of its historic past.
The Château de Riquewihr and the Domaines Dopff & Irion propose all the diversity of the appellations, grape varieties, grands crus, parcel selections and specialities that the vineyards of Alsace have to offer. Discover great gastronomic wines which express all the exceptional natural characteristics of their terroirs of origin.