WTN: Swiss Dôle

Jean-René Germanier Dôle Balavaud Vétroz Grand Cru 2016 - 13% abv; c.20€; 60% Pinot Noir & 40% Gamay

I haven't tried many Swiss wines that were to my taste (at least the ones imported here have mostly been ones lacking in structure and acidity - almost as if the producers there or importers here have a great love for flabbiness) so I was going to skip this one too. A friendly face at Alko told me that I would like this one. Ok. I trust him.

Very pretty aromas: a bit of earth, some root vegetable aromas, bright fruit. Crunchy acidity on the palate, juicy and pure fruit. It's just the perfect mix of savoury sensations, pure fruit and juicy acidity. It's like a good Beaujolais with some added root vegetable aromas (presumably from the pinot). So I guess all Swiss wines aren't outrageously overpriced, flabby boredom in a bottle. Buy again? Yes.

[David M. Bueker]

Howdy Otto!

I’ve only had a few Swiss wines, but more recent tastes (within the last 5 years) have been more appealing than what I tried on my visit to Switzerland in 2003.

A little bit of a tangent sorry, but I always wondered why the Pinot-Gamay blend isn't more popular. For me they make the perfect bedfellows with Gamay tempering Pinot's youthful difficulty and Pinot tempering Gamay's fruity opulence. I've simply loved every Passetoutgrains I've had and they have the added benefit of being much more affordable than Burgundy or indeed Swiss wine, or even Beaujolais these days!

Otto, it does sound as if the Finnish importers are not doing a good job with Swiss wines. During my visits a few years ago to the Valais canton I found no shortage of wines with lively acidity and good structure. I particularly appreciated the efforts of Valaisan producers with indigenous grapes like Amigne and Petite Arvine (white) and Cornalin and Humagne (red) but very good Syrah and Pinot Noir are also produced there as well as the Dôle blend, which like yours can be highly enjoyable from a good estate. I twice visited, brought home wines from Denis Mercier, an excellent grower at Sierre, and enjoyed them for many years (all gone alas!).

Maybe price is a factor deterring Finnish importers from going for the best. Most of the wines I bought were in the CHF25-30+ range and that was >10 years ago.

Howdy Otto!

I’ve only had a few Swiss wines, but more recent tastes (within the last 5 years) have been more appealing than what I tried on my visit to Switzerland in 2003.

David,
I recently discovered SwissCllrs (www.SwissCellars.com) that imports a bunch of Swiss wines into the USofA.
Even better, they do DTC sales. I'll be putting together several cases to try in a few weeks when Laurent (Crolla)
gets back from Suisse.
Tom