Pinot Noir Passion 2018

Parker über: Pinot Noir Passion

-- Parker: Tasted from the vat before and after the filtration, Martin Donatsch's unfiltered 2018 Pinot Noir 'Passion' offers a beautifully clear, fresh and aromatic bouquet of dark and red berries, cherries, crushed stones and peppers intertwined with a noble toast aroma, very pure and coolish and fascinatingly precise. The palate was lush, fresh and fleshy, very intense yet highly elegant, seamless, pure and vital, with remarkable acidity and ripe, perfectly extracted, silky tannins. There was no hint of charming sweetness or chocolate here, just a beautifully refreshing and pleasant Pinot Noir from what Donatsch father and son considered as the greatest vintage since 1947. (In the meantime, they have had first sips from the 2019 barrels, but I will quote them next time on their findings.) The filtered sample from the to-be-bottled tank that I tasted at the end of January was more reduced, clear and fine on the nose but showed the same purity and dark berry bouquet, just with less flesh. However, on the palate, the wine revealed great finesse and elegance, with a silky-finessed texture, refreshing acidity and very fine tannins. The finish was more tart and reminiscent of sour cherries and underlined the remarkably purity and finesse of this serious beauty. Consumers don't have to wait that long to appreciate the 2018, but they should buy enough cases, because the wine will still be great in 20 or even 30 years, as the 1990 forerunner demonstrated last year. 92-94/100