Pinot Noir, Gantenbein 2012

The Pinot Noir from Martha and Daniel Gantenbein is one of the iconic Pinot Noirs from Switzerland but often shows its true class only after a couple of years of bottle age. The 2012 displays the typical fresh, leafy and smoky/oaky notes on the nose when this wine is young. The red and dark berry and cherry aromas are always fresh, more 'hinted than printed' and intermixed with herbal aromas. The palate of this full-bodied and well-concentrated wine is quite round and sweet but the finish is piquant, grippy and slightly crisp as always. Though the finish of the 2012 is a little bit stringent at the moment the juicy fruit and intensity gives it an excellent aging potential. I would not touch the 2012 in between the next 4 years.