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DONATSCH UNIQUE-2021 (7).png
CHARDONNAY

«UNIQUE»

 

 

2004  DJ Antoine
2005  Kurt Aeschbacher
2006  Christina Surer
2007  Bertrand Piccard
2008  Rolf Knie
2009  Noëmi Nadelmann
2010  Arthur Cohn
2011  Edith Hunkeler
2012  Christa Rigozzi
2013  Patrik J. Martin
2014  Bruno Ganz
2015  Dani Felber
2016  Reto Caviezel
2017  Jonny Fischer
2018  Valerio Olgiati
2019  Marc Sway
2020  Marco Lehmann
2021 
in Erinnerung an Heidi
2022
  Albert Kriemler
2023 
...

2024  ...
2025  ...
2026  ...
2027 
...

Grape variety

Chardonnay

 

Classification

Malans, AOC Graubünden

 

 

Vinification

rare, selected top quality Chardonnay

Fermentation and aging in exclusively new Burgundy barrels, a typical Grand Vin.

 

Wine description

bright golden yellow, large, intense Chardonnay pressed using the Burgundian method. Complex bouquet of peach and almonds, full, dense palate with great minerality.

 

Food pairing

Good accompaniment to meals, goes well with fish, seafood, white meat, and light main courses.

 

Allocations/waiting lists, no sale

Vintage 2021
20/20 points

SWZ / Swiss wine magazine

Mineral, dense, elegant, complex bouquet, fine citrus, mint, slate, chalk, white flowers. Concentrated, complex, elegant palate, powerful, fresh aromas, very well integrated, great acidity, dense structure, very long. fresh finish - density and elegance of a Chevalier-Montrachet.
 
|2028 to 2055

Vintage 2020
19/20 points

SWZ / Swiss wine magazine

Dense, complex, mineral, fresh bouquet, Williams pears, candied yellow fruit, chalk, linden blossom. Complex, elegant, fresh, finely concentrated palate, finely creamy, dense structure, diverse, powerful, fresh aromas, super integrated acidity, fine fruit, very long, concentrated, powerful finish. Can still improve.
 
|2026 to 2055

Vintage 2020
93/100 points
Favorite wine of the jury

Wein-Plus

Firm and deep, still undeveloped, a little smoky, nutty and herbaceous-vegetable scent with rather restrained yellow-fruity aromas and mineral hints. Tight, still undeveloped, tart, densely knitted fruit, nutty, light wood spice, smoky hints, a little herbaceous-vegetable and hints of floral on the palate, ethereal traces, lively, fine acidity and plenty of grip of ripe tannin and yeast, good depth, chalky-salty minerality, very good, tight, tangy, nutty and again mineral finish. First class, but still needs a little time.

| 2023 until 2028+ 

Jahrgang 2019

93/100 Punkte

hervorragend

Wein-Plus

Noch ein wenig verschlossen wirkender, fester und tiefer, beinahe kühler Duft mit hellen gelbfruchtigen und zart pflanzlichen Noten, nussig-holzigen Spuren, angedeutet Hefe und mineralischen Nuancen. Sehr fest im Mund, herb-saftig und leicht nussig-holzig, feine pflanzliche bis kräuterige Aromen, geschliffene, reife, recht lebendige Säure, dicht und nachhaltig am Gaumen, hat Schmelz und gewisse Wärme, helle Mineralik, ausgezeichnete Tiefe, vielschichtig, noch unentwickelt, beinahe Kompakt, sehr feiner Griff, sehr guter bis langer, konzentrierter Nachhall mit reifem, hellem Saft und feinem Holz. Braucht Zeit.

| 2022 until 2030+ 

Vintage 2019

19/20 points

SWZ / Swiss wine magazine
 
Concentrated, complex, fresh, fine mineral, creamy bouquet, yellow grapes, various flowers, candied honey, chamomile, lemon cream, mint. Tightly interwoven, multi-layered, elegant, fresh palate with dense, fine fruit, elegant, finely creamy structure, dense, powerful, varied aroma, super acidity, very long, dense, fresh finish with many back flavors. Can still improve.
 
|2025 until 2050

Vintage 2018

95/100 points

Wine Advocat - Robert Parker
​
The 2018 Chardonnay Malans "Unique" is Martin Donatsch's Grand Cru, and its character is that of a great Burgundy. This is super clear, deep, fresh and complex on the bright and stony-chalky but also fruit-intense nose, which is only initially reductive but gets finer and fresher with aeration. This is a full-bodied, lush, ripe and elegant wine with remarkable finesse, fine tannins and mineral freshness that lifts the finish into stimulating heights. Very salty, and all the power is carried away by a highway built on salt. The finish is tight, intense and very complex. The "Unique" remains one of the finest Chardonnay from Switzerland. The 2018 is already accessible but shows a tight tannic and mineral grip that gives great hope for the future. A pity I couldn't directly compare it side by side with the 2017, which I had several weeks before and published that review earlier this month, but it seemed to have even more freshness and tension. Tasted in January 2020.
​
| 2023 until 2035

Vintage 2018

19/20 points

SWZ / Swiss wine magazine
 
Complex, fresh, elegant, fragrant, fine bouquet, fine citrus, various flowers, fine chamomile, slate, candied pineapple, vanilla powder, lemon balm. Dense, complex, delicately fruity, fresh palate with very good mineral notes, very good, ripe acidity, dense, varied aromas, very long, fresh, strong finish with many back flavors. Can still improve.
 
| 2024 until 2048

Vintage 2017

94/100 points

Wine Advocat - Robert Parker
​
Vinified in 100% new oak, the intensely yellow colored 2017 Chardonnay Unique is very intense and rich on the nose, deep but very fine, with crystalline notes in the background. The palate is tight, fresh and highly finessed, with a long, crystalline finish and lovely salinity. This is a great Chardonnay from Grison— compact, tensioned and salty on the finish. Stimulating!
​
| 2020 until 2033

Vintage 2017

19/20 points

SWZ / Swiss wine magazine
 
Dense, velvety, fresh, complex, mineral bouquet, mango, fine bananas, margarine, slate, lime blossom. Balanced, dense, strong, fruity palate with fine, creamy, sweet fruit, ripe, very well integrated acidity, dense, varied aromas, dense structure, very long, fresh finish with many back flavors.
 
| 2022 until 2040

Vintage 2016

96/100 points

Wine Advocat - Robert Parker
​
The 2016 Chardonnay Unique is deep and noble on the Burgundian (Meursault) nose: perfectly ripe and very intense, with a deep mineral expression that gives a coolish and crystalline character. On the palate, this is a tight, fresh and compact Chardonnay with a firm structure and very long, crystalline and stimulating salty finish. A highly promising wine, it is compact, tight, salty and so long and stimulating. Great! 
​
| 2024 until 2038

Vintage 2016

19/20 points

SWZ / Swiss wine magazine
best white wine of the year
 
Dense, complex, fresh, elegant bouquet, hazelnuts, lilac, almonds, tea leaves. Tightly interwoven, elegant, complex palate, fine, creamy structure, diverse, dense aromas, very well integrated acidity, very long, fresh finish. Can still improve.
 
| 2021 until 2038

Vintage 2015

96/100 points

Wine Advocat - Robert Parker
​
The 2015 Chardonnay Unique has a shining white-golden color and opens with a highly refined, crunchy slate and perfectly ripe but also refreshing (lemony) fruit aroma. On the palate, this is a deep, rich and juicy, beautifully balanced but tensioned Chardonnay with very fine tannins and serious grip. This wine has great transparency and freshness, and its full body is almost weightless. This is a unique wine from Grison—along with the 2011 and perhaps also the 2016, it is the finest I have tasted from this domaine.  
​
| 2019 until 2038

Vintage 2015

19/20 points

SWZ / Swiss wine magazine
 
Dense, closed, complex bouquet, fine citrus, dried pears, fine nougat, mint leaves. Complex, strong, aromatic palate with a creamy structure, varied aromas, fine, ripe acidity, long, fragrant finish.
 
| 2020 until 2036

Vintage 2014

19/20 points

SWZ / Swiss wine magazine
 
Closed, dense, complex, mineral bouquet, Williams pears, fine mirabelle plums, mint, candied lemons, fine vanilla. Dense, elegant, balanced, fresh palate, strong, fine fruit, good extract, strong, varied aromas, long, fresh finish with many back flavors.
 
| 2020 until 2036

Vintage 2013

20/20 points

René Gabriel        "The Donatsch Chardonnay sensation!"
 
Bright yellow with a subtle greenish shimmer. Crazy bouquet, the general minerality seems to be many times stronger than the fruit components that were retained at first. In the second approach, it is the turn of the ever stronger fruit notes; Caramboll, mirabelle plum, golden delicious, light apricots and gooseberries. Behind it, an intense, peppery agrumentouch proves its documentary freshness. Usually very large Chardonnays start on the outside on the palate. Will be called; first comes the volume - then only the extract. Here it is exactly the opposite! The extract shows a dramatic concentration of fruit and almost has an effort to dissolve because the aromas are still held firmly in the core. If you sip this over-Chardonnay, the aromas literally explode on the palate. There are thousands upon thousands of multiple molecules involved. That was a moving sip of the tasting of the very best Swiss white wine that ever hit my palate. This Helvetien Chardonnay, which is legendary in its beginnings, can easily compete with Montrâchet, Meursault, Corton-Charlemagne & Co.

Jahrgang 2013

95/100 Punkte

Wine Advocat - Robert Parker
​
The 2013 Chardonnay Unique displays a golden-yellow color and offers deep, ripe, rich and concentrated fruit with remarkably refreshing and refined minerality. On the palate, this is a very tight and pretty powerful 2013 that is still young and compact, slowly revealing its fruity character. For the moment, however, this is still discreet and stringent but with very long and impressive minerality. This will age for a long time.  
​
| 2022 bis 2038

Vintage 2013

19/20 points

SWZ / Swiss wine magazine
 
Velvety, dense, fresh, mineral bouquet, fine citrus, hazelnuts, olive oil, mirabelle plums, linden blossoms. Creamy, multi-layered, powerful, elegant palate, dense, fine fruit, nice acidity, very good mineral notes, tightly woven, clear structure, varied, powerful aromas, very long, fresh finish with many back flavors. Not much is missing for the maximum rating.
 
| 2018 until 2035

Vintage 2013

18/20 points

Vinum
 
Intense bright yellow. Already complex in the aroma. Flowery aromas as well as mineral notes reminiscent of chalk. Very fine, only subliminally perceptible spicy notes, from the new oak you can hardly feel anything. Complex, but very straightforward on the palate. The lively acidity ensures a dance-like finesse.
 
| 2015 until 2027

Vintage 2012

93/100 points

Falstaff
 
Medium golden yellow; strong, multi-layered bouquet, subtle wood embossing, hint of hazelnuts, honey, apricots, dried herbs, mint; full, broad attack in the taste, medium weight, juicy acidity, slightly oily, citrus, wood present; long finale. Powerful, powerful, intense Bündner Chardonnay.

Vintage 2012

18/20 points

SWZ / Swiss wine magazine
 
Velvety, closed, complex, fresh bouquet, pears, yellow peach, vanilla, fine caramel, lime blossom, butter. Velvety, full, fruity palate with strong, sweet fruit, fine, ripe acidity, strong aromas, creamy structure, long, finely opulent finish.
 
| 2016 until 2034

Vintage 2012

18/20 points

René Gabriel
 
Medium yellow, lime green nuances in it. Open bouquet in the Puligny Pucelles style, on the one hand delicately fruity, on the other hand also showing flowery contours in the semi-opulent nose. Straightforward on the palate, finely supporting, integrated acidity, great length. This Unique doesn't fill you up at all, not even with the second glass.

Vintage 2011

96/100 points

Wine Advocat - Robert Parker
​
The 2011 Chardonnay Unique displays a radiant white-golden color and opens with a fabulous bouquet: intense, perfectly ripe and fresh, with crystalline, beautifully spicy and precise mineral notes such as crushed and crunchy slate. On the palate, this is a full-bodied, highly elegant, fresh and tensioned Chardonnay with enormous salinity and mineral freshness. Silky, highly refined and fresh, this is a great wine that is perfectly balanced and very long and pure. It's so young and fresh, as if it couldn't age. A great wine indeed.  
​
| 2019 until 2041

Vintage 2011

19/20 points

René Gabriel
 

Medium dark, intense yellow. The bouquet radiates warmth, lots of yellow fruit (nectarines and mirabelle plums). In the second approach, some coconut from oak and a nuance of pineapple, with a tropical shimmer. Full on the palate, velvety with a certain thickness of Chardonnay, nevertheless it retains its elegance, it is flattering up to the finale and ends with very light malt and acacia honey.

Vintage 2011

19/20 points

SWZ / Swiss wine magazine
 
Elegant, fine, complex, fresh bouquet, buttercups, linden blossoms, fine citrus, fine almonds. Well-balanced, elegant, creamy, finely structured palate with strong, sweet aromas, fine, ripe acidity, tightly woven structure, very long, fine finish.
 
| drink until 2032

Vintage 2007

92/100 points

Wine Advocat - Robert Parker
​
The 2007 Chardonnay Unique displays an intense, dark golden-yellow color and a ripe, rich and concentrated bouquet of matured and developed (yellow-fleshed) fruits. On the palate, this is an elegant and generous Chardonnay with more rich fruit aromas than younger vintages. The tannins are fine but massive, and the finish is a bit too rich. This vintage is more reflective of the German wine culture than the French one. Tasted at the domaine in Malans in November 2018.  
​
| 2019 until 2029
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