SWZ / Swiss wine magazine

Delicate, fresh, delicately fruity bouquet, raspberries, raspberry seeds, fine herbs, mint. Densely interwoven, fine palate, delicate, dense structure, diverse, fresh aromas, delicately creamy fruit, long, fine finish.

| 2026 to 2045

Wein-Plus

Slightly nutty, herbal and a hint of tobacco aroma of red and some black berries with floral and fine vegetal as well as tobacco notes. Quite tightly knit, tart fruit with smoky and nutty wood spice, again fine herbal notes in the background, clearly pepper, persistent on the palate, somewhat dried-herbal, lots of chalk and salt, certain depth, still a little unapproachable, very good, taut, tart, again smoky finish with lots of salt.

| 2023 until 2027+ 

Wine Advocat - Robert Parker

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Tasted from the vat before and after the filtration, Martin Donatsch's unfiltered 2018 Pinot Noir "Passion" offers a beautifully clear, fresh and aromatic bouquet of dark and red berries, cherries, crushed stones and peppers intertwined with a noble toast aroma, very pure and coolish and fascinatingly precise. The palate was lush, fresh and fleshy, very intense yet highly elegant, seamless, pure and vital, with remarkable acidity and ripe, perfectly extracted, silky tannins. There was no hint of charming sweetness or chocolate here, just a beautifully refreshing and pleasant Pinot Noir from what Donatsch father and son considered as the greatest vintage since 1947. (In the meantime, they have had first sips from the 2019 barrels, but I will quote them next time on their findings.) The filtered sample from the to-be-bottled tank that I tasted at the end of January was more reduced, clear and fine on the nose but showed the same purity and dark berry bouquet, just with less flesh. However, on the palate, the wine revealed great finesse and elegance, with a silky-finessed texture, refreshing acidity and very fine tannins. The finish was more tart and reminiscent of sour cherries and underlined the remarkably purity and finesse of this serious beauty. Consumers don't have to wait that long to appreciate the 2018, but they should buy enough cases, because the wine will still be great in 20 or even 30 years, as the 1990 forerunner demonstrated last year.

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SWZ / Swiss wine magazine

Finely concentrated, complex, fresh, mineral bouquet, cherries, various berries, nougat, slate, violets. Tightly interwoven, multi-layered, elegant, fresh palate with dense, fine fruit, lots of good tannin, elegant structure, dense, varied aroma, very long, fresh, delicately tart finish with many back flavors.

| 2023 until 2045

Wein-Plus

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Firm, a touch smoky and slightly dried-vegetable aroma of red and also a little dark berries with slightly earthy-mineral, malty, some ethereal and floral tones. Taut, tart fruit with some acid bite and present tannins, dried-vegetable to herbal and distinctly salty-mineral notes, persistent, has power, warm and cool elements, moderate wood tones, a hint of malt, also hints of tobacco, smoke and pepper, very good, firm, tart finish, again with lots of acid bite. Must still mature a little

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| 2021 until 2027+ 

Wine Advocat - Robert Parker

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The 2017 Pinot Noir "Passion" is sweet and concentrated yet delicate on the perfectly ripe (and slightly reductive) nose that is full of red berries and cherries as well as floral aromas. Smooth, very elegant and fine on the palate, this is a well-balanced Pinot with firm tannins and a long and tensioned terroir-driven finish. This is an impressive, very elegant and fine Pinot Noir. 13.5% alcohol. Tasted in Zurich in December 2019.

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| 2022 until 2040

SWZ / Swiss wine magazine

Floral, silky, delicate bouquet, raspberries, red cherries, fine nougat, fine pepper, smoke. Fine, fragrant palate with sweet fruit, delicate structure, fragrant, sweet aroma, delicately tart finish.

| 2022 until 2042

Wein-Plus

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Clear nose, predominantly red berries, hint of pulses, floral and nutty notes, spicy traces, very moderate oak, earthy and mineral notes in the background. Firm, cool, polished, juicy fruit on the palate, fairly prominent ripe, integrated tannins, touch of spicy oak, hint of tobacco, peppery traces, persistent, good depth, hint of bacon, mushrooms and pulses, earthy and salty mineral notes, still young, elegant style, some grip and bite on a very good, fairly diem, tart, juicy, spicy finish.

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| 2020 until 2028+ 

Wine Advocat - Robert Parker

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The 2016 Pinot Noir Passion is beautifully clear, fresh and fruity on the nose, where coolish dark berry and cherry aromas are displayed and interwoven with pure and peppery terroir expressions. On the palate, this is a very delicate, elegant and charming Pinot with floral aromas, stimulating freshness and mineral grip. This is pure but fruity and very stimulating. Bottled in September 2018. Tasted at the domaine in Malans in November 2018.

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| 2020 until 2033

SWZ / Swiss wine magazine

Fresh, mineral, fragrant, elegant bouquet, raspberries, slate, fine flint, cherries. Elegant, dense, slender palate with dense, fine fruit, strong, fresh aromas, fine tannins, delicate creamy structure, long, fine finish.

| 2022 until 2040

Wein-Plus

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Clear, polished nose, light nutty notes, ripe red berries, dried floral traces, hint of bacon and a touch of undergrowth. Clear, ripe, tart, juicy fruit on the palate, integrated tannins, very elegant acidity, light peppery spice, touch of smoked bacon, herbaceous traces, mineral notes in the background, hint of tobacco and coffee, persistent, some depth, meaty traces, fairly firm structure, very good, polished, tart, juicy finish.

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| 2020 until 2027+

Wine Advocat - Robert Parker

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The 2015 Pinot Noir Passion is beautifully Burgundian on the beautifully aromatic, fruity-elegant and floral nose. On the palate, it is lean but intense and linear, with good grip and tension. This is a digestible and gastronomic wine that is a great pleasure to drink. Tasted at the domaine in Malans in November 2018.   92/100 points

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| 2020 until 2032

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The 2015 Pinot Noir Passion has a dark ruby-garnet color and opens with an intense, fresh and spicy-flavored bouquet of super ripe red fruits intermixed with oaky and orange zest notes. Full-bodied, lush and juicy on the palate, this is a round and charming Pinot Noir with fine tannins, good concentration and vital acidity. Still young, a bit astringent and more ripe and smooth than Fromm's Pinots, this is a tight and structured Pinot Noir that needs some years to show all its class. The grapes are sourced from a single plot planted with Swiss and Burgundian clones and mass selections. The price of 36 CHF is irrelevant since this wine is permanently sold out. Tasted in Zurich, August 2017.   92/100 points

SWZ / Swiss wine magazine

Spicy, fresh, elegant bouquet, raspberry stones, slate, fine smoke, cherries, fine herbs. Elegant, silky, fragrant palate, good fruit, fine tannins, strong aromas, long, fine finish.

| 2020 until 2034

Wine Advocat - Robert Parker

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Donatsch's 2014 Pinot Noir Passion comes from the old Spiger lieu-dit in Malans, and from Swiss and Burgundian clones and mass selections. It opens with a very clear, pure and fresh, pretty Burgundian bouquet of crushed stones (slate and chalk), red berries and plums. Full-bodied, pure and round on the palate, this is a refreshing and silky textured, very persistent Pinot. It has a firm structure and still somewhat dry tannins in the finish. It is full of tension and character. Drink it now and over the next six or even ten years.

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| 2017 until 2034

SWZ / Swiss wine magazine

Mineral, spicy, strong, fresh bouquet, various red berries, candied fruits, slate, carrot peels, mint, fine sulfur. Balanced, dense, complex, fruity palate, lots of fine tannins, strong, varied aromas, dense, elegant, finely muscular structure, very long, fresh finish with many back flavors.

| 2019 until 2035

Wine Advocat - Robert Parker

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The ruby colored 2013 Pinot Noir Passion is very concentrated on the nose that is highly elegant and spicy but fresh and deep, with notes of black berries. On the palate, this is a pure, fresh, dense and concentrated Pinot with a perfectly ripe and tensioned palate that reveals stunning freshness, grip and tension. This is a great Passion and the very best Pinot you could have bought at this price (CHF 36). It is very long, fresh and tensioned and highly stimulating—a great wine indeed.

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| 2019 until 2035

SWZ / Swiss wine magazine

Silk, fresh, closed, diverse bouquet, currants, strawberries, raspberry bushes, herbs. Balanced, finely concentrated, tightly interwoven, elegant palate, dense, silky structure, very good, ripe fruit, fresh acidity, diverse, full aromas, long, full, fresh finish with many back flavors.

| 2018 until 2038

René Gabriel

was a shade darker in color. At the moment it seemed restrained and to fathom it you had to walk a little towards it, the nose shows a fine shimmer of grenadine to document the ripeness of the fruit. Concentrated on the palate, still strict and discreetly robust. It will need to be bottle-aged, or patience, and then perhaps go down in history as the longest lasting passion.

Weinwisser

Finely chiselled nose, subtle, elegant, spicy aromas, slightly knotty and spicy wood, harmonious, behind ripe blackberry and cherry. Full, powerful but balanced style, with juicy and very racy acidity, straightforward, earthy spice and red very clear cherry, powerful but complex style, red and black berries in the background, at the same time earthy and mineral style, showing the best potential, has increased massively on day 2 , at eye level with the Unique - who knows if it won't overtake it yet, very long, powerful and close-knit finish.

| 2018 until 2034

Vinum

Still closed, but reveals noble aromas of forest berries and fresh, floral notes. Perfectly proportioned on the palate with a present, robust tannin and a wonderfully juicy acidity. The 2013 Passion has quite the level of some previous Unique vintages!

| 2015 until 2025

SWZ / Swiss wine magazine

Floral, silky, fresh bouquet, raspberries, cherries, delicate roasted aromas. Slender, elegant palate, fine fruit, silky structure, good aromas, long, fine finish

| drink until 2025

Weinwisser

Discreet, delicate nose, somewhat spicy and nutty, still restrained, therefore a carafe. Powerful, but very, very well balanced, ripe, crumbly tannins, round acidity, slightly red-black, sweetish fruit, but not fat, ripe wild strawberry, hint of vanilla spice there, some juniper berries, with structure, classic design, polished style, appealing to a large audience , will increase with further years, very long, deep finish.

| 2015 until 2024

Wine Advocat - Robert Parker

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The 2011 Pinot Noir Passion offers an amazingly intense but fine and floral bouquet with great finesse, subtle spiciness and fascinating precision. On the palate, the wine is juicy-elegant, fresh and even piquant, with great finesse and transparency. Highly elegant and refined, it's a great Pinot with stimulatingly spicy tannins and grip on the finish.

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| 2020 until 2032

SWZ / Swiss wine magazine

Floral, sweet, silk bouquet, raspberries, fine geraniums, vanilla powder, raw meat, nutmeg. Balanced, delicate palate, varied, sweet aromas, elegant structure, fresh fruit, long, fine finish with fine back aromas.

| drink until 2025

René Gabriel

in full swing. Very profound, as indicated by its finely smoky nose contours, direct, clearly vinified. Long on the palate with a nonchalant finale. This fantastic passion has completely convinced me.

Falstaff

Initially restrained, after aeration clear cherry fruit, morello cherries, biscuit, vanilla cream, citrus, then leather and tobacco. Hearty structure and yet juicy and elegant. The drinking pleasure increases with every sip!