Valentin Zusslin Pinot Noir Bollenberg Harmonie 2015 (RP95)

Country:               France
Region:                 Alsace Rating:                   RP95
Grape Variety:   100% Pinot Noir
Type of Wine:     Red Wine
Bottle Size:          750ml

By Robert Parker's Wine Advocate 95
The 2015 Pinot Noir Bollenberg Harmonie is intense and ripe on the very deep and generous yet also fine and mineral nose that exhibits plum, cinnamon, mocha and even red berry (strawberry) aromas, which are intertwined with the purity, finesse and freshness of the iron-loaded limestone soils of the Bollenberg. Silky textured and remarkably fresh on the palate, this is a full-bodied and dense yet fresh and finessed Pinot with great tension and surprising purity and elegance for 2015. In fact, the Harmonie unites the purity and freshness of the Luft parcel with the power and warmth of the Neuberg plot, which have been separated for the 2016 and for all of the following vintages. This is a gorgeous, intense and textured Pinot Noir with a fresh and sustainable finish that again refers to wild strawberry notes in the aftertaste. The 2015 is a vibrant and energetic highlight in the glorious Harmonie history, and I wonder, just theoretically, if the harmonious blend isn't the greater wine compared to the single-plot selections, even though I find the 2016 Luft to be Zusslin's greatest red wine so far. Only the future will tell us the truth, even though, according to the philosophy of the domain, there is no turning back from the future. Tasted in May 2020.