2016 Donatsch Pinot Noir Unique

Community Tasting Notes (10) Avg Score: 93.1 points

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  3/17/2024 - Harrie Likes this wine: 94 Points

  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.

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  8/19/2023 - Wespi1 Likes this wine: 91 Points

  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!

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  4/9/2022 - La Sprezzatura wrote: 92 Points

  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

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  4/3/2022 - sirpat00 wrote: 93 Points

  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.

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  4/3/2022 - Cailles wrote: 93 Points

  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

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