Product Description
The Gantenbein Chardonnay 2022 is a masterpiece of precision, elegance, and terroir expression. Sourced from the heart of the Grisons Rhine Valley, this Chardonnay represents the culmination of the Gantenbein family’s commitment to quality and the careful balance between nature and craftsmanship. The wine is crafted with the utmost respect for its raw material, following a gravity-driven process that preserves the purity of the fruit and juice—no pumps or filters are used. Aged for one year on the lees in 50% new oak barrels, this wine showcases remarkable intensity, freshness, and complexity.
The 2022 vintage offers a bouquet of chalk, flint, ripe lemon juice, and a delicate touch of spice—an inviting prelude to the depth and richness of the palate. Full-bodied yet finely finessed, the wine displays a beautiful balance of fresh lemony vibrancy and an underlying minerality, with crushed salts and fine tannins adding structure. On the palate, it’s lush, saline, and crystalline, showcasing a precision that keeps evolving with each sip. The finish is long, fresh, and elegant, with interwoven flavours of chalk and lemon, leaving a subtle yet irresistible charm. This Chardonnay is a reflection of the Gantenbein philosophy, combining the minerality of great Chablis with the richness of Burgundy, while maintaining a purity and energy that is uniquely Swiss.
Maker
Gantenbein Winery, established in 1982 in the village of Fläsch in Switzerland’s Grisons Rhine Valley, is a family-run estate with a reputation for producing wines that speak to precision, elegance, and minimal intervention. Founded by Daniel and Martha Gantenbein, the winery’s philosophy is grounded in the belief that great wines are made in the vineyard, not the cellar. From the outset, they chose to plant Burgundy clones, understanding that the quality of the vine is key to producing wines of exceptional depth and character.
The Gantenbein team has always been committed to creating wines that express the purest form of the land, with yields intentionally kept low to ensure maximum concentration of flavour. Their winemaking is built on the natural flow of gravity, with no pumps or filters used, allowing the wines to retain the purity of the fruit and the character of the terroir. This hands-off approach to winemaking ensures that every bottle of Gantenbein wine is a true expression of the estate’s unique environment.
Philosophy
At Gantenbein, the philosophy is simple yet profound: let the vineyard speak. The estate operates with a minimal-intervention approach, where natural processes take the lead. The focus is on purity, balance, and restraint, ensuring that the wines are true to their terroir and reflective of the region’s unique qualities. By avoiding unnecessary intervention—such as filtration, fining, and over-manipulation in the cellar—Gantenbein crafts wines that allow the raw essence of the grape and the land to shine through.
The wines at Gantenbein are built to last, structured by the integrity of the soil and the climate, not by artifice. Every decision in the winemaking process is guided by a deep respect for the natural world, allowing the wines to express the balance between power and subtlety, richness and finesse. The result is a collection of wines that are distinctively Swiss, refined, and unapologetically authentic.
Tasting Notes
Nose
Complex, Inviting & Refined
Intense aromas of ripe lemon, lemon rind, and chalk, layered with delicate hints of white flowers and a refreshing touch of spice. Subtle notes of flint and mineral nuances from the terroir add depth and intrigue, creating a complex and inviting bouquet.
Palate
Full-Bodied, Fresh & Structured
Full-bodied yet retains a crystalline freshness. Lush, ripe lemon and citrus flavours are balanced by a saline minerality, adding structure and vibrancy to the wine. There is a beautifully fine texture, with layers of complexity unfolding as the wine evolves on the tongue.
Finish
Long, Elegant & Saline
Long and elegant, with chalky and lemony flavours interwoven with a refreshing saline quality. The wine’s fine tannins contribute to its grippy texture, leaving a lingering, captivating finish that invites another sip.
Reviews + Accolades:
The 2022 Chardonnay is very clear, fresh, refined and super intense on the generous and complex nose yet with the uplifting and coolish flint stone nuances delivered from the terroir. Full-bodied but finessed and crystalline on the palate, this is a substantial, highly complex yet very elegant and beautifully saline Chardonnay with fine tannins and a salivating, finely grippy finish. This 2022 is of celestial beauty, and although it is rich in flavors and texture, it never settles in the palate and just tickles it. This is an emotional, unique and so highly finessed Chardonnay that is unrivalled in style and class, at least in Switzerland. It was bottled after a year on the full lees in 50% new barrels just the day before the 2023 harvest kick-off. Tasted at the domaine in March 2024. Tasted again chez Kracher in Illmitz/Austria from Riedel’s Burgundy Grand Cru glass in late May 2024, Gantenbein’s 2022 Chardonnay exhibits a shining lemon color and opens with a clear, deep and intense yet refined and fascinating, inviting bouquet of chalk, flint, ripe lemon juice and rind aromas intermingled with refreshing spicy phenols. Full-bodied, lush and saline on the palate, this is a dense, rich and intense yet elegant, vivacious, lemony fresh and vibrantly calcareous Chardonnay structured by a highly stimulating mix of crushed salts and very fine, refreshing tannins. The finish is intense and elegant, intermingling chalky and lemony flavors with very fine tannins and irresistible charm. The wine is significantly fresher and more vibrant now than when I tasted it in early March in Fläsch. 13.5% stated alcohol. Natural cork. - Stephan Reinhardt, Robert Parker's Wine Advocate - 99 Points
The Finer Details
Style - White Wine
Varietal - Chardonnay
Country - Switzerland
Region - Graubünden
Vintage - 2022
Bottle Size - 750ml
ABV - 13.5%
