Introductory Remarks
Gantenbein needs no introduction, certainly not in Switzerland, but increasingly not in fine wine circles around the world either. Over more than 40 years, the estate has gained legendary status for its Pinot Noir and Chardonnay. It was therefore a special treat to taste through the past 14 vintages of Gantenbein Chardonnay, particularly given the minuscule production of usually around 5000 bottles per year.
The overall quality was very good. With the exception of the faulty 2016 (bad cork?), there was not a genuinely poor wine in the lineup. More surprising was how dramatically the expression changed from vintage to vintage. Aromatically and structurally, some wines were so different from one another that I am not sure I would have identified them as the same wine if they had been served blind. There was certainly a recognizable Gantenbein signature running through the tasting, but it was expressed more through the substance and concentration present in all but the youngest wines than through any particular aromatic or stylistic trait. There is little doubt that this underlying depth is one of the qualities that makes these wines so revered.
One of the more interesting discussions that night concerned an apparent stylistic change beginning with the 2019 vintage. The younger wines generally seemed more delicate, less extracted and made with a lighter hand than many of the vintages before them. I am not convinced that this necessarily represents a deliberate change in winemaking. My strong impression is that we were primarily seeing the difference between young and mature Gantenbein Chardonnay. The older wines had simply filled out, gained complexity and developed the tertiary dimensions that the younger examples are still missing. That also explains why, with one major exception, I found the wines after 2018 less compelling today. In particular, the youngest three vintages, 2021 to 2023, lacked the complexity and personality of the more mature examples. This is consistent with my experience drinking young Gantenbein Chardonnay over the past decade. They can be technically excellent, but rather uneventful in their youth. The 2020 was the striking exception. It screamed Grand Cru Burgundy from the first sniff and already combined intensity, precision and elegance in a way none of the other young wines managed.
The broader conclusion was therefore quite simple: they all might have great potential, but Gantenbein Chardonnay needs time. The group’s voting supported the same conclusion. The 2014 was the clear winner with 11 votes, followed by the exceptional 2020 with 9. The 2010, 2011 and 2015 shared third place with 8 votes each. Apart from the unusually precocious 2020, maturity clearly mattered.
Group Ranking
Rank / Vintage / Votes*
1 2014 11
2 2020 9
3 2010 8
3 2011 8
3 2015 8
6 2019 7
7 2018 5
8 2013 3
8 2022 3
10 2012 2
10 2017 2
10 2021 2
13 2023 1
14 2016 0
* Each participant voted for his top 5 wines of the night
Tasting Notes
Gantenbein Chardonnay 2010 – 94pts
TN: Medium expressive on the nose, but much more convincing on the palate, with generous honey, white flowers, and a fine mineral core. Round and beautifully textured, with good freshness and an attractive sense of harmony. It lacks just a touch of acidity to fully counter the sweetness and weight, preventing an even higher score. Still, this is a beautiful and balanced Chardonnay that should continue to gain complexity with further age.
Gantenbein Chardonnay 2011 – 96pts
TN: Superb from the outset, with flint and matchstick reduction framing stone fruit, white and yellow flowers, and a subtle touch of honey. The palate is equally complex and deep, with considerable fruit intensity built around a strong mineral core. Superb acidity provides the necessary tension and keeps everything fresh and precise. A grand Chardonnay with impressive depth, precision, and balance.
Gantenbein Chardonnay 2012 – 95pts
TN: A nose to die for, packed with flowers, yeast, toffee, and beautiful tertiary complexity. The palate follows in the same direction and is fascinating in its maturity, but underneath those developed aromas there is somewhat less depth and substance than in the best wines of the tasting. This was clearly the most mature wine in the lineup. The nose is easily worth 97pts, while the palate is closer to 93pts. If this is where Gantenbein Chardonnay is heading with age, good things clearly come to those who wait.
Gantenbein Chardonnay 2013 – 93+pts
TN: A special vintage after severe late frost dramatically reduced the crop. That “natural green harvest” is clearly reflected in the wine, which was the most intense and concentrated of the tasting. Packed with layers of flowers, stone fruit, honey, herbs and minerality, there is considerable depth and substance here. Today, however, the sheer density remains somewhat overwhelming and prevents the wine from feeling fully harmonious. Fascinating rather than truly pleasurable at this stage, but there is enormous material underneath. This could be one of the superstars of the lineup in another ten to fifteen years. We had this alongside the Donatsch Unique 2013 (rated 93pts) which showed quite similar, still far too young to fully show everything and be enjoyed today.
As always Mère Cathérine prepared a fitting menue for us
Gantenbein Chardonnay 2014 – 96pts
TN: Probably the most complete wine of the tasting and the group favorite, although my personal number two. Beautifully balanced from start to finish, with a superb acidity backbone and considerable complexity on both the nose and palate. Flinty notes reminiscent of PYCM combine with fruit, flowers, and herbs around a pronounced mineral core, while the first tertiary nuances are beginning to emerge. Precise, harmonious, and complete, with everything in the right place.
Gantenbein Chardonnay 2015 – 94pts
TN: A somewhat muted bouquet, but the palate is considerably more expressive, with white and yellow fruit, flowers, herbs and minerality complemented by a subtle nutty complexity. Very fine, round, and harmonious, with beautiful freshness and one of the most elegant structural profiles in the lineup. Already quite complete and balanced, but there should be more complexity to come. I would expect this to be even better in another five years.
Gantenbein Chardonnay 2016 – NR
TN: Sadly, compromised by oxidation. This did not resemble premature oxidation and was probably caused by a faulty cork. Not rated.
Gantenbein Chardonnay 2017 – 92pts
TN: A leaner expression of Gantenbein, defined above all by minerality and freshness. Fine and precise but currently lacking the depth and complexity of the stronger vintages in the lineup. Tertiary development should add some substance and interest over the coming decade, although I doubt this will ever become one of the great vintages. A fine wine to drink, but probably not destined for greatness. 92+pts.
Gantenbein Chardonnay 2018 – 94pts
TN: Given the heat of the vintage, I feared this might be broad and lacking freshness, but those concerns were completely unfounded. The wine is denser than most vintages in the lineup, with only the 2013 showing more concentration, yet the balance remains excellent. The fruit is ripe without becoming tropical or excessively sweet, complemented by floral notes and a beautiful mineral core. Most importantly, the freshness keeps everything firmly in check. There is plenty of substance here, and over the next ten to twenty years I would not be surprised to see this develop into one of the stars of the lineup.
Gantenbein Chardonnay 2019 – 94pts
TN: A noticeably more delicate expression than the preceding vintages, with fresh white fruit, flowers and minerality complemented by subtle smoky and flinty nuances. Very fine, gentle, and elegant, never screaming and always whispering. It certainly feels different from the older wines, although I am not yet convinced that this reflects a deliberate stylistic change rather than youth. Charming today, and if it gains more substance and complexity with age, another point or two should be possible.
With cheese whites are king, not reds as commonly believeed
Gantenbein Chardonnay 2020 – 96+pts
TN: This screamed Grand Cru Burgundy from the first sniff. The bouquet is intense yet incredibly elegant, with fine toast, flint, fresh fruit and pronounced minerality. The palate follows seamlessly, offering the same complex aromatic profile within an elegant and beautifully fresh structural frame. Incredibly balanced and already seriously impressive, although it remains youthful and lacks just a little substance and drive from the mid palate onwards for an even higher score. A great Chardonnay with clear upside as it develops. 96/97pts today.
Gantenbein Chardonnay 2021 – 91pts
TN: Fresh and initially very appealing, but the palate quickly turns quite creamy and ripe. The texture is polished and there is clearly good material, yet for my taste it lacks the freshness, delicacy, and tension of the better vintages. Perfectly well made, but not one of my favorites in this lineup.
Gantenbein Chardonnay 2022 – 89pts
TN: From a hot vintage, and stylistically not my cup of tea. The aromatics are very floral and perfumed, almost reminiscent of Viognier, making this the weakest sound bottle of the lineup for me. Structurally, however, the wine is correct, with good freshness and enough finesse to avoid becoming heavy. Perhaps age will bring more savory complexity to balance the currently sweet aromatic profile, but I doubt this will ever rank among the great Gantenbein vintages.
Gantenbein Chardonnay 2023 – 89pts
TN: Very little expression on the nose and similarly limited complexity on the palate. There is some perfume and sweetness, but at this stage there simply is not much going on. Rather boring today and clearly opened far too early. This needs at least another five years before it makes sense to revisit.
Encores – Gantenbein Pinot Noir
Three Gantenbein Pinot Noirs served as an encore. I have a particular history with this wine, as Gantenbein was one of my entries into the world of Pinot Noir and a wine I used to love. There is no question about the quality of the winemaking, as these wines are consistently complex, polished and technically impeccable. Today, however, I increasingly find the style too heavy handed, with too much extraction and oak and not enough of the finesse, delicacy and bright red fruit I am looking for in Pinot Noir. These three vintages, all considered strong years, largely confirmed that impression.
Gantenbein Pinot Noir 2010 – 90pts
TN: Quite complex aromatically, with dense dark fruit accompanied by meaty and herbal notes. The palate is round and creamy, with considerable ripeness and weight, giving it a distinctly New World character. There is certainly quality and complexity here, but the wine feels monolithic and ultimately rather boring. For my taste, it lacks the brightness and delicacy that make great Pinot Noir so compelling.
Gantenbein Pinot Noir 2013 – 91pts
TN: A vintage that was highly praised after late frost dramatically reduced the potential crop before a warm and sunny summer ripened the remaining fruit. The wine is still incredibly youthful, with enormous density, depth and obvious substance. Unfortunately, the oak remains equally prominent and dominates too much of the experience today. There is sufficient complexity to make it interesting, but very little pleasure at this stage. It will be fascinating to see where this goes, and perhaps another twenty years will reveal something special underneath.
Gantenbein Pinot Noir 2018 – 92pts
TN: I did not particularly like this wine shortly after release, when the oak, extraction and density felt overpowering. Time has clearly helped. The wine has settled down and begun to absorb some of its oak, making it considerably more harmonious than those early bottles. It remains dense and still too oaky for my taste, but the underlying substance is impressive and gives reason for further optimism. Another ten years should help, although my guess is that this will always remain a Pinot for Napa lovers rather than Burgundy purists.
Author: Andy Schnyder
May 2026
