Who makes it
Christian and Francisca Obrecht took over Weingut zur Sonne from Christian IV and Elsbeth Obrecht in 2006. Christian trained as a winegrower and studied oenology in Wädenswil, while Francisca trained in agriculture and biotechnology. Their roles meet in the finished wine: Francisca’s work begins in the estate parcels, and Christian carries the grapes through fermentation and élevage in the Jenins cellar.
The 2006 handover put Christian and Francisca Obrecht in charge of a family estate with five generations behind it. They kept the Jenins base while dividing the work clearly between vines and cellar, then added Demeter certification in 2017; the result is a Pinot Noir such as Trocla Nera whose vineyard origin and cellar handling are both named parts of its story.
Where it grows
Jenins is the home address, but the estate’s vineyards also extend to Malans within Graubünden. Trocla Nera is Pinot Noir from the region, so the place named on the bottle is not decoration: it gathers fruit from the estate’s local vineyards into a wine shaped in Jenins rather than a generic Swiss red.
The estate owns approximately seven hectares and, by 2023, vinified fruit from almost 15 hectares including organically grown purchased grapes. That wider cellar intake enlarges the working range, while the owned Jenins and Malans parcels remain the ground under Francisca Obrecht’s direct vineyard care.
How it is made
The cellar
Francisca Obrecht leads the vineyard work across the estate’s sandy Jenins and schist Malans parcels, farmed biodynamically under Demeter standards. The consequence begins with the fruit: vineyard decisions are made before harvest, then the grapes reach Christian Obrecht for fermentation and ageing rather than being treated as anonymous bulk wine.
The newer cellar was designed for work on one level with gravity in mind. Christian uses a forklift and crane to move wine and avoid pumps, a practical choice that reduces mechanical transfers during cellar work. Trocla Nera is spontaneously fermented and aged, joining that low-intervention handling sequence to a Pinot Noir with acidity, tannin and oak in its profile.
What they make
Trocla Nera Pinot Noir is the wine in focus. Its Romansh name means “black grape,” while the bottle itself is a Graubünden Pinot Noir: red and dark fruit meet fresh acidity, integrated tannin, oak and a savoury register as the wine develops.
This is not a lightweight fruit-only red. Trocla Nera is a shaped Pinot Noir with fruit at the front and structure underneath, where tannin provides grip and oak adds another layer rather than covering the grape. The estate also vinifies a larger volume of regional fruit, while Trocla Nera gives the clearest view of the house’s red-wine work.
Wines to try
First bottle
Start with Trocla Nera Pinot Noir, in the most recent vintage available. It is the clearest meeting point of Graubünden Pinot Noir, the Obrechts’ vineyard work and Christian Obrecht’s cellar practice: red and dark fruit, fresh acidity, firm tannin, oak and a savoury finish. Drink it with food that can meet its grip—roast duck, mushrooms or a browned veal dish—and it will show why the estate’s sandy and schist parcels are kept distinct before their fruit reaches the cellar.