thomasvino
The Salgesch native had already won two titles (2007 and 2011) as “Best Winemaker in Switzerland” and the title “Best of the Decade” (2007-2016). He swept the Grand Prix du Vin Suisse 2018 with a third title as “best wine cellar of the year”, in addition to three titles per category and the title for best white wine, for the Heida Les Pyramides 2016. But behind the solid tree, there is still a forest…
Ten years ago it was written that the GPVS was going round in circles… What can we say today? The selection of the six nominees in the 13 categories seemed to be of very high quality when these wines were tasted again by an ad hoc jury (of which the author of these lines was also a member) in Sierre at the beginning of August. The list signed by this international jury of a dozen experts, including representatives of the organizers Vinea and the magazine Vinum, confirms some of the established values of Swiss wine.
If you had to choose the canton of Chasselas, it would be Vaud, which cultivates the largest area of Switzerland’s first white grape variety. Bingo: two Vaudois Chasselas are at the top ex-aequo, a La Côte, the Château d’Etoy 2017, vinified by Thierry Ciampi for the Cave Jolimont (Schenk Group), and a Lavaux, the Riex 2017 from the new cellar of the Bourgeoisie of the City of Fribourg. Third place went to the Bérolon Le Consul 2017 from the brothers Laurent and Nicolas Martin in Perroy. The favorite on paper, the Dézaley-Marsens Vase No 4 from the Dubois brothers in Cully (VD), finished in a tie for fourth place, as did the only Fendant, Dame de Sion, from Fils Charles Favre.
In the Chasselas category, the title of “best organic wine in Switzerland” should be mentioned, which Bertrand Favre from the Domaine de Miolan in Choulex (GE) won with an unconventional, unfiltered 2017…
Confirmed showcase regions
The same applies to Pinot Noir, the most widely planted grape variety in Switzerland. What are the best-known regions of origin? Graubünden, Neuchâtel and Aargau. Who has been on the rise in recent years? Three in that order! The Maienfeld Levanti 2016 from Andrea Davaz, owner of Von Salis in Landquart (GR), outperforms the Cortaillod 2016 from the Porret family, Domaine des Cèdres, in Cortaillod (NE), and in third place is the Alter Berg winery in Tegerfelden (AG) with a barrique wine from 2015.
And when it came to choosing an outstanding Gamay, La Côte vaudoise or Genève? Match bien vu, with the 2017 from Domaine de Chantemerle, from Tartegnin (VD),winner ex æquo with the 2017 from Sarah Meylan, from La Vigne Blanche in Cologny (GE) and, surprise, in third place, a 2016 Dézaley Grand Cru, from Frères Dubois, from Cully.
And what about Merlot? A Ticino wine, of course, three times over! The highest title for Daniele Mafei, Vice President of Vinea and head of the Mezzana cantonal winery, and his young oenologist Nicola Calmi with the Ronco 2016, ahead of the Pergole 2015 from the Meroni brothers in Biasca and the Lamone 2015 from Sacha Pelossi (who has just signed the last vintage of the Magnificients concept).
A Gamaret from the Vaud region, the best red wine
A new category for red wines, reserved for the triplets Gamaret, Garanoir and Mara, which are vinified purely. Rodrigo Banto from the Cave de La Côte in Tolochenaz came out on top with his Gamaret Inspiration 2015, which was rightly named the best red wine in Switzerland. His runners-up are a Gamaret de Sierre 2016 from Colline de Daval and a Garanoir 2017 from Domaine de Miolan in Choulex (GE).
The final was 100% Valaisan in the “other single varietals”, and it is two top-end Cornalins, the 2014 Champmarais from Jean-René Germanier in Vétroz and the 2015 Grande Réserve from Joël Briguet, Cave La Romaine, in Flanthey, that take first and third place, with a red Humagne Réserve from the Administrateurs of Cave St-Pierre, in Chamoson (Schenk Group), acting as referee in second place.
The red assemblages are doubly successful for the “Cellar of the Year”: the Cuvée Rosmarie Mathier 2015 comes out on top ahead of the Folissimo 2015, and the consolation prize goes to the Métissage 2016 from the Cave de Chambleau in Colombier (NE). Diego Mathier goes one better in the white assemblages with the L’Ambassadeur de Domain Diego Mathier, winner with the 2016 vintage and third with the 2015: the former best winemaker of the year 2009, Stefan Gysel from Schaffhausen, manages to squeeze in between with his Pinot Blanc – Chardonnay 2016. The Salgesch winery came out on top in the “other pure white grape varieties” category with the “best white wine in Switzerland”, the 2016 Heida Les Pyramides, and two Petite Arvines, the 2017 from Defayes-Crettenand in Leytron and the 2017 Maître de Chais from the Provins cooperative, made it onto the podium.
Six Valais champions in 13 categories
In Müller-Thurgau, a German-speaking domain, an Aargau cru prevailed, the 2017 Riesling X Sylvaner from Tegerfelden from DiVino (new brand of the Garnier-Volg Group), ahead of the 2017 Siebe Dupf from the Basel region, from the winery of the same name in Liestal, and the Nobler Weisser from Zurich’s Nadine Saxer in Neftenbach.
In the other categories, La Côte vaudoise came out on top with the best rosé, a 2017, again from Tartegnin, decidedly “land of good wine”, from the Cave de la Brazière, ahead of the newcomer to the Les Murailles collection, the 2017 rosé from Badoux in Aigle (Schenk Group), and in third place an outsider from Ticino, Confessore 2017, from Chiericati in Bellinzona.
There was another Valais podium in the liqueur wine category, with the Gilliard house in Sion scoring a major coup with its Soleil de Minuit 2016. He won the trophy ahead of two specialists, Robert Taramarcaz from the Domaine des Muses in Sierre with a Petite Arvine flétrie Classique 2014 and Yvon Cheseaux from the Cave des Remparts in Saillon, who produces the best Malvoisie flétrie (his 2016 is 3rd).
Another Valais wine won (seven out of thirteen categories) in the sparkling wine category, where the competition from Neuchâtel was fearsome. The only wine that had the complexity of a champagne came out on top: the Eboé 2013, a Chardonnay from Flaction Vins in Saint-Pierre-de-Clages. It tied with the Châtenay-Bouvier wineries in Boudry, which took 2nd place with its Bouvier Brut 2014, and Mauler & Cie in Môtiers, which took 3rd place with its Bel Héritage 2012, a Swiss country wine, while its Neuchâtel cuvée Louis Edouard Mauler 2011 took a shared 4th place, as did the other Neuchâtel nominee and only rosé, the Brut Signature from Bouvet-Jabloir in Auvernier.
With a broad dominance of Valais, Vaud and Neuchâtel wines, which fared better than those from Geneva and Ticino, which stuck to their Merlot, this Grand Prix du Vin Suisse 2018 paints a classic Swiss wine landscape with no real surprises.
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