Inspired by a recent trip to France and Germany, I couldn’t resist reaching for the Dopff Au Moulin Pinot Blanc 2013 when I recently spotted it on the shelf at a major retailer. The Alsace region from where the wine hails is near the French/German border and is responsible for producing some of Europe’s best white wines. And they’re not always as expensive as you might expect. The Dopff Pinot Blanc retails in Australia at only about $13 a bottle, so it certainly won’t break the bank.
Like a lot of the very popular Sauvignon Blanc styles, this Pinot Blanc’s youthful fruit characters are sweet and lively and make for a vivacious style of apéritif. It’s certainly not like many of the typical French styles which are far more subdued and could be described as elegant, rather than opulent. When the Dopff Pinot Blanc is only lightly chilled, the rose petal nose is an attractive invitation to rapidly imbibe the contents of the glass, while the nashi pears present themselves across the palate and meet some Granny Smith apple skins at the back end.
There’s just enough acidity to constrain the fruit on the finish and give it a touch of respectability as a recognisable Alsatian white. There may be better French whites available in Australia, but at its sub $15 price point, the Dopff offers excellent value.
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