Dolin Blanc Vermouth

In 1821, less than a decade after dry vermouth was introduced in Marseille (by Noilly Pratt), Dolin was coming up with yet another innovation in vermouth: Dolin Blanc. Dolin is a lighter style vermouth made from fine wines and botanicals found in the Alpine region above ChambEry and this new stylistic innovation, Blanc, is sweetened to the same level as the Rouge, but without caramelizing the sugars first allowing the fresh, crisp features to shine through. This recipe (like all the others...) is a secret, but there are 54 different plants utilized, the standouts being wormwood, hyssop, camomile, genepi, chincona and rose petals. Dolin Blanc is lithe, graceful and tasty. The plants used display a novel, tempered pedigree in the aromas that follow through to the flavors with a subtle, recherche bitterness buffered with the appropriate level of sweetness to maintain implacable balance. It is also worth noting that Dolin de Chambery has France’s only A.O. for Vermouth –which means it can only be made in Chambry, by the maceration of real plants (rather than oils or prepared infusions) and the unique addition of sugar as opposed to other sweetening products. Dolin Blanc is nonpareil as an aperitif, on ice, with a twist of citrus, or in a dizzying array of fantastic cocktails.