Vinum – Grand Prix du Vin Suisse November 2020
Adrian & Diego Mathier Nouveau Salquenen Salgesch (VS)
“No pause for breath, history is being made, things are moving forward!”, the refrain of this German pop song from the early 80s describes exactly what Nadia and Diego Mathier, together with their cellar master Cédric Leyat, have achieved on the Swiss wine scene in recent years. Their successes at the Grand Prix du Vin Suisse are now so numerous that one runs the risk of losing track of them, and in the fall of 2016 they were able to accept the special prize for “Winery of the Decade” at the Grand Prix; no other winery had won so many trophies and special prizes in the first ten years of the competition’s existence (2006 to 2016). Two years later, in the fall of 2018, the triumvirate from Salgesch delivered the next masterpiece. They won the title of “Winery of the Year” for the third time after 2007 and 2011, but that’s not all: with three category wins and two further podium places, they delivered a performance that some connoisseurs of the scene described as “unbeatable”. But Diego and his team are always a force to be reckoned with. So they “almost” did it again this year. Although they missed out on the special “Winery of the Year” award due to the decisive evaluation criterion, which relates the number of award-winning wines (gold and silver) to the total number of wines submitted, the Salgesch-based company won three categories, just like in 2018. It is also unusual that in all three categories, namely “Single-varietal red wines”, “Red blends” and “Wines with residual sugar”, only Valais winegrowers made it onto the podium (1st to 3rd place).
Single varietal red wines
1st place
Adrian & Diego Mathier Nouveau Salquenen/Salgesch (VS)
Syrah Diego Mathier 2017, AOC Valais
Complex and beautifully mature, with aromas of blackberries and noble roasted notes, also a hint of herbs, undergrowth, leather and pepper. Soft fullness on the palate, complex and densely woven at the same time. 2020 to 2028
Red assemblages
1st place
Adrian & Diego Mathier Nouveau Salquenen/Salgesch (VS)
Cuvée Rouge Mme Rosmarie Mathier 2018, AOC Valais
Complex, very elegant cuvée with seductive aromas of cassis, a hint of chocolate and elegant spicy notes. Multi-layered and very animating on the palate. 2020 to 2028.
Grand Prix du Vin Suisse 2020
The success of the “Nouveau Salquenen” winery over the last 15 years speaks for itself. Anyone who can achieve such an outstanding performance in an absolute blind tasting, where the winemakers’ wines are repeatedly tasted by other tasters, is working continuously at the highest level and knows exactly what they want. The Mathiers’ top wines are in no way tailored to the broad tastes of wine consumers, but are independent crus with character and finesse. This is repeatedly demonstrated by the top rankings at the various VINUM tastings, such as the regular VINUM professional panels. At the age of 50, Diego Mathier and his team are at the zenith of their creativity. What they bring to the bottle is the benchmark in Swiss viticulture!
Enjoying wine – despite the stress
Where do Diego Mathier and his colleagues find the motivation and drive to go one step further with each new vintage? “What drives us most is the fact that, despite the stress that a complex business like ours inevitably entails, we have remained die-hard, even enthusiastic wine freaks. So we always sit together in the evening, forget everything around us and devote ourselves to a selection of wines. At some point, for example, we tasted a series of premier crus from Bordeaux, but only from supposedly weak years. That did more for me than many other things. Since then, I’ve seen the usual vintage ratings from a different perspective.”
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