Domaine Donatsch SA

The story

Three La Tâche Barrels

In 1973, André Noblet, the cellar master of Domaine de la Romanée Conti, gave Thomas Donatsch three used La Tâche barrels. Thomas used them to mature the first Herrschäftler by the classical Burgundian method. The barrels brought a Burgundian élevage practice into the Malans estate and became part of its early winegrowing history.

Martin Defends The Title

Martin Donatsch won the Mondial du Pinot Noir producer world champion title in 2010. In 2011, he defended the title and won it again. The two victories came after Martin had trained as a winemaker and worked at estates in Australia, South Africa, Bordeaux and Spain.

From the atlas

Domaine Donatsch SA

Domaine Donatsch in Malans farms Pinot Noir, Pinot Blanc, Chardonnay and Completer across named parcels, with Burgundian oak shaping its red wines.

At A Glance

The Producer

Domaine Donatsch SA is a family winegrowing operation in Malans. Peter Donatsch acquired the Zum Ochsen inn and its associated winegrowing operation in 1897. Martin Donatsch, Thomas Donatsch’s son, is responsible for the estate today.

Martin trained as a winemaker and worked at estates in Australia, South Africa, Bordeaux and Spain. The estate’s current work combines this broad training with a long local history and a cellar built around Burgundian oak.

Place

Malans is the home of Domaine Donatsch in Graubünden, with the estate based at Sternengasse 6. The mild Malanser climate suits Completer, an indigenous variety that is gaining importance in the estate’s vineyards.

Story

Burgundy inspired Thomas Donatsch to plant Chardonnay and Pinot Blanc in 1975, even though planting those varieties was not legally permitted in Switzerland at the time. He also became the first in Switzerland to make a Crémant by the traditional Champagne method. That method uses a second fermentation in the bottle to create sparkling wine.

Thomas Donatsch was also the first in Switzerland to experiment with barriques. These small oak casks bring controlled oxygen exposure and oak seasoning during élevage. The decisions placed Chardonnay, Pinot Blanc, sparkling wine and oak ageing inside the estate’s development.

Vineyards And Cellar

The estate identifies six vineyard parcels: Frassa, Halde, Bovel, Selvenen, Spiger and Michel. The soils have been cover cropped for three generations, fertilized only biologically, and farmed under Switzerland’s ÖLN ecological performance rules for plant protection.

Grapes from different vineyard sites are vinified separately. All white wines are barrel fermented and then matured on their lees. Lees are the spent yeast cells left after fermentation, and ageing on them can add creaminess and breadth to the texture. Every red wine is matured and stored in Burgundian oak casks.

Pinot Noir Tradition uses used barrels. Pinot Noir Passion from Spiger receives one third new oak. Pinot Noir Unique is selected from the best grapes and aged in entirely new oak after classic must fermentation. The producer presents it as the Grand Vin.

The cellar includes a barrique cellar and seven centuries old vaulted cellars. The wines are given time to mature before bottling.

Wines

The Pinot Noir range runs from Tradition through Passion to Unique. Tradition is the classic cuvée. Passion is the middle cuvée and is presented as the estate’s equivalent to Premier Cru quality. Unique is the Grand Vin, made from a top selection of grapes from the best vineyards.

Chardonnay Passion is a single vineyard wine. It is fermented and aged in used Burgundy barrels and in 30% new Burgundy barrels. The range therefore places the estate’s Pinot Noir hierarchy beside a site specific Chardonnay bottling.

In The Glass

Pinot Noir Unique 2018 opens with black cherry and blackberry, followed by a lightly toasted note. The palate is fleshy and concentrated, with tart fruit and a finish marked by mineral grip and lingering salinity.

Pinot Noir Passion 2020 brings red cherry, raspberry and plum over fine, supple tannins and fresh acidity. Peppery, savoury sapidity meets a smooth, weighty and concentrated mouthfeel.

Chardonnay Passion 2020 combines ripe tropical fruit with flinty crushed stone and a reductive, oaky character. It is medium to full bodied, dense, salty and finely tannic, with pronounced minerality. The wine also has a creamy texture, balanced fruit and acidity, and a hint of sweet oak.

A Bottle To Understand It

Put Pinot Noir Passion 2020 first. It comes from Spiger, a Malans site described as over 1000 years old, and occupies the middle cuvée in the estate’s Pinot Noir range, with Premier Cru equivalent quality. Tradition is the classic cuvée, while Unique is the Grand Vin selected from the best vineyards. Passion places one named site inside that hierarchy without moving to the top selection.

Anecdote

In 1973, André Noblet, the cellar master of Domaine de la Romanée Conti, gave his friend Thomas Donatsch three used La Tâche barrels. Thomas used them to mature the first Herrschäftler by the classical Burgundian method. The gift placed used Burgundy oak inside the estate’s early winemaking history and connected a Malans wine to barrels from La Tâche.

Final Word

Domaine Donatsch makes separate parcel wines from Malans, with whites fermented in barrel and matured on lees and reds matured in Burgundian oak.

Sources

• https://www.donatsch.info/weingut
• https://graubuendenwein.ch/winzer/domaine-donatsch-sa
• https://en.donatsch.info/pn-unique
• https://en.donatsch.info/ch-passion
• https://www.frw.co.uk/product/612ec28001000000000575a2/2020-pinot-noir-passion-donatsch
• https://www.frw.co.uk/product/612ec28001000000000538cc/2020-chardonnay-passion-donatsch