March 17, 2024 - Runner-up in the 2016 Swiss pinot noir battle of the bottles March 2024 at Alpenclub in Engelberg.
95 for Studach‘s 2016 Pinot noir (WOTN) - open for business, gorgeous nose, multiple layers of fruit on the palate and a mid-length finish. A really great wine getting into prime drinking window.
Donatsch‘s Unique 2016 a close second at 94. Great fruit as well, notably in the mouth. Just is still a bit more closed on the nose. Takes time to open up and show its sophistication. Possibly the three hours given were not enough.
Gantenbein 2016 somewhat disappointing in the flight, as still quite closed and one-dimensional in the nose and on the palate. 92 ? 93 ? This wine still needs much time.
Two runners up with Maison Carree’s Hauterive 2016 (93) and Bachtobel’s nr 4 (92-93). Both great to drink, Carree with a bit better structure and length.
Overall all great wines of a good vintage that are coming into life now and will be a pleasure to drink well into the next decade.
August 19, 2023 - Weekend challenge: Thomas Studach vs Unique 2016. One clear winner: Studach! Donatsch is good: nice perfume (a bit modest), still a lot of acidity and on the red side of flavours. Studach in contrary was a true gem. Super burgundy (Gevrey-Chambertin, Cazetiers - similar); very open and - after 2hrs decant (both bottles) just outstanding. So Studach is way more in another league. Go and drink!
April 9, 2022 - served blind, pnp
informal dinner, only short notes
almost no tannins, red to dark berries which were a little cooked, which is not my taste.
good acidity and length, but not super complex
drinks well now, but can keep for at least another 5y.
would not suggest to decant prior
April 3, 2022 - Donatsch Unique Pinot Noir Complete Vertical (Dolder Grand, Zurich): Tasted at the Matter of Taste Zurich Complete Donatsch Unique Pinot Noir Vertical (2000-2019, all from Magnum) Masterclass. Martin Donatsch pointed out that in 2016 they witnessed unusually high levels of pest pressure which resulted in a harvest that took 3 weeks longer and required careful selection of the grapes.
Tasting note
Ripe and expressive with a concentrated fruit and a more herbaceous angel to it than other vintages. There’s also a laid-back coolness to it. Palate is juicy and powerful with plenty of structure.
April 3, 2022 - All 20 Vintages of Donatsch Pinot Noir Unique: Once-in-a-lifetime opportunity to taste all vintages ever produced of this top Swiss Pinot Noir. All from magnum. A few obeservations: A) The structural frames are exceptional. Superb tannin quality, high, and perfectly-integrated acidity, lots of finesse and a weightless feel in all vintages. B) These wines are made to age. Only the 2002 was over-the-hill, most other showed young(-ish) from magnum and will have a long life ahead. Only the first vintage (2000) showed tertiary/peakish. C) The wines start drinking quite well from the age of 12-15 years. The younger ones from the 2010 vintage onwards were more about the potential with many even a bit closed. D) There's a jump in complexity with the 2004 vintage. Most (open) wines show beautifully complex, very well delinated, pure and Burgundian in style with a well-measured touch of sexiness.
TN: Fresh, dark and dusty on the nose, lots of minerality, ash, rahter dark fruit. On the palate this shows brighter, with quite ripe red fruit, herbs, stems. This is an infant with lots of tension, power and verve. This could become great. Today, this misses a bit of charm, creaminess and tannins have to melt further, The substance is very promising, though. 93
February 26, 2021 - Texture noble, c’est très soyeux, fruits rouges, croquant, magnifique à boire mais je préfère encore attendre
October 4, 2020 - Needs air and lots of it. Expressed in points it developed from 89 right after opening the bottle to 92 after 3 hrs in the glass.
The bouquet is wonderful, the impression in the mouth cannot hold that level. Still too young.
This Pinot is a solid one, but imho for that price you'll get better ones out there.
September 22, 2020 - Small Swiss Pinot Noir tasting with three reds side by side. Winner, by far, was the Donatsch Unique 2016 (94+ pts). This is in a good first drinking window and shines with its Burgundian stature and the high purity. It has more upside with more age and complexity. Number 2 was the Hörler Maienfelder Pinot Noir 2015 (90 pts). My first encounter with this micro cuvee (700 bottles). While I’ll like the freshness and noble restraint, this is a bit too close to the natural wine movement and had some volatile acidity. Surprisingly the weakest wine was Grünenfelder’s Eichholz 2018 (88 pts). This young and from such a bold, hot vintage it is hard to like it with so much unintegrated oak and a lot of quite ripe dark fruit. I’ve had a similar experience with the Gantenbein 2018 recently. Time should help here but I’m not sure if this 2018 will not always be a bit too much and overdone.
TN: This is a wonderful Burgundian expression of Pinot Noir with a medium expressive nose with fine dark red fruits and some darker berries, wet forest floor, stems and smoke. Same aromas with a broader array of red berries and a beautiful minerality on the palate. Very clean, super precise and with good intensity. Complexity is medium only but will only increase going forward. This wine has a superb balance. A good, aristocratic structure with lots of fine tannins and a high but round acidity. Medium+ length.
Decanting: No extensive decant needed. Good from the go.
May 1, 2020 - Covid19 - Zoom virtual tasting Swiss Wines (Singapore/Virtual): Very closed still, brooding. There is a lot of depth visible with dark fruit and earthy scents. Also has the fruit to carry the tannins. Like a young Morey. Better forget this in your cellar till 2025.
March 7, 2020 - very early - still tannins. but already shows well, expressive for a coldish climate Pinot. lovely nose and length. Good.