Domaine Valentin Zusslin Red Pinot Noir Bollenberg Luft 2016
Red
2016
Alsace
Alsace Bollenberg
Pinot Noir
Organic
Tasting Notes & Ratings
Grape
Pinot Noir (100%)
Tasting notes
"The 2016 Pinot Noir Bollenberg Luft comes from the upper part of the west-facing "cru," which has its the roots in Jurassic limestone and is covered by a layer of silt less than one meter thick. The first vintage, 2016, gave pure, fine and fresh Pinot Noirs in Alsace and is among my favorite vintages for red wines in this beautiful and still underrated region west of the Rhine River. Zusslin's Luft premiere shows a ruby-garnet color and opens with a deep, pure and aromatic, fleshy and slightly toasty bouquet of perfectly ripe and concentrated cherries as well as red and dark berries (red currant, raspberries, wild strawberries, black berries) that come to the nose with enormous finesse and floral notes. Utterly silky and balanced on the palate, this is a full-bodied, very intense and dense yet vibrantly fresh, if not dramatic, and highly elegant Pinot Noir whose tannins are silky and completely interwoven with the fine and silky texture and the delicate and, in fact, salty-mineral, vibrantly fresh acidity that gives so much energy and is so stimulating. This is a spectacular, refined, finessed and firmly structured, sustainable and even saline/iodine Pinot Noir whose oak management is nothing less than perfect. The finish is tart yet fine and highly stimulating. This is definitely a wine to try, even for Burgundy fetishists! However, it's very rare: Less than 1,000 bottles have been produced." Stephan Reinhardt, The Wine advocate
Expert Rating
Robert Parker's Wine Advocate 96/100
About the winery
Marie Zusslin and her brother, Jean-Paul, began working alongside their father, Jean-Marie, and grandfather, Valentin, in 2000. For ten years the three generations worked together in the same house/winery established by their ancestors in 1671.
Today, Marie and Jean-Paul share the lead responsibilities in the cellar and the vineyard following the holistic approach established by their father, whom began practicing biodynamic farming in 1997.
The Zusslins farm a number of terroirs close to their home village of Orschwihr: Clos Liebenberg, Bollenberg, and Pfingstberg. Their concern for nature creates beautiful wines full of vitality.