Above Chambéry the Alps climb steeply, and up among the stones grow hyssop, wormwood and juniper, soaking up the summer sun. Those are the plants that end up in the bottle. Dolin has been gathering them in the same place since 1821.
The expert's description
Dolin Vermouth Rouge is a Red Vermouth from Chambéry in Savoie, built on a white wine base of Ugni Blanc, aromatised with 30 to 40 Alpine botanicals and spices and bottled at 16%.
The house of Dolin has been making vermouth in Chambéry since 1821, and in 1932 the town was granted France's only appellation for vermouth. Dolin is today the last independent producer of Vermouth de Chambéry, and the recipe has stayed inside the family for two centuries.
The method sets it apart from the big commercial brands. Where many steep their botanicals in neutral spirit and blend the extract in afterwards, Dolin lays the plants straight into the relatively neutral white wine and leaves them for several weeks. Only then comes the sugar, and finally a grape spirit that locks the aromatics in place. Coriander, hyssop, rhubarb and curaçao are among the botanicals the house will admit to. The rest they keep to themselves.
The colour does not come from red wine, as many assume, but from the plants and from caramelised sugar. That is part of why the Rouge is lighter and drier than the sweet Italian styles. There is sweetness, but it is restrained, and a quiet bitterness from the base wine sits underneath it. When importer Haus Alpenz reintroduced Dolin to the American market in 2009, the bottle quickly became a fixture on the back bar, and it remains the default pour for a Manhattan among a great many bartenders.
Tasting notes
Nose
Coppery in the glass. Stewed fruit, prunes and walnut, with dried grass behind it and a peppery edge leaning towards Szechuan pepper.
Palate
Almond, pear and citrus peel first, then cinnamon and gingerbread. The sweetness is subdued and kept in check throughout by something herbal and bitter, hyssop and oregano.
Finish
Medium and dry. Tobacco, orange peel and a clean bitterness that makes this a bottle for mixing rather than a dessert wine.
Specifications
Name: Dolin Vermouth Rouge
Producer: Dolin
Region/Country: Chambéry, Savoie, France
Type: Red Vermouth
ABV: 16%
Size: 75 CL
Grape: Ugni Blanc
Serving suggestion: Chilled over ice with a slice of orange, or in a Negroni or Manhattan
Flavour profile
Herbal · Fruity · Spiced · Lightly bitter · Floral
Did you know?
Dolin also makes Chambéryzette, a vermouth aromatised with wild strawberries from Savoie, which the house dreamed up in the 1930s. And Génépi, the liqueur built on the Alpine herb of the same name, still the local answer to a cold evening in the mountains.
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