Croatia

This is 100% Plavac Mali from the island of Hvar in Croatia.  Zlaton Otok is one of the larger wineries in Croatia.  This is purple in color, ruby at the rim and mostly opaque and bright.  The nose has some barnyard along with ripe cherry fruit.  On the palate, it drinks a bit cleaner with straightforward cherry fruit.  Moderate finish.  This is pleasurable and drinks easy.  It will work better with a burger or some pizza.  It probably should be drunk in the next few years.  

This is 100% Plavac Mali which is a genetic child of Zinfandel.  It clocks in at 15% abv, so perhaps that is not unexpected though it certainly is not a Zin.  In a tasting of five Plavac Mali's, this was middle of the road in style between being a full throttle wine and a more old school style wine.  Purple in color, opaque and bright.  The nose is nice with black cherries, slight black pepper, and a bit of black raspberries.  Also a slight bit of baking spice.  On the palate, this is full bodied.  Black raspberries and black cherry fruit.  Firm tannins.  A bit of pepperiness.  Nice finish.

This is 100% Plavac Mali, a genetic descendant of Zinfandel.  It was fermented with indigenous yeast and saw partial oak ageing for six months.  As with all the Plavac Mali's tasted, there is some resemblance to Zinfandel but a lot that is different too.  Purple in color, ruby at the rim.  The nose shows cherries, slight salinity with a slight spice/pepper note.  Medium bodied.  On the palate, the cherries come thru along with slight cranberries.  There is a bit of pepperiness but less than the nose.  Good acidity.  Shorter finish.  This wine will drink better with food.  There are slight t

This appears to be the base Plavac Mali from this producer (they also make single vineyard wines).  In a tasting group five, this was slightly more popular with many than the more robust single vineyard expressions.  It does bear a slight family resemblance to its parent, Zinfandel.  Deep ruby in color with purple swirls.  The nose has slight black cherries with a slight bitterness that is nice.  There is also a slight herbal streak to it (Chervil?).  Those qualities carry thru to the palate.  Slight tannins.  It seems tight and after a couple of hours of air, this loosened up a bit.  It dr

This is 100% Plavac Mali from the Dalmatian Coast of Croatia.  Palvac Mali is a descendant of Zinfandel (as proven by DNA evidence).  There is some resemblance but not completely.  Among five tasters, this proved to be love it or hate it (well, no one really hated it but average at best for some).  I really liked it.  13.5% abv according to the label.  Purple in color with ruby hues, mostly opaque and bright.  The nose is peppery with black cherries.

From famed winemaker Mike Grgich's winery project in Croatia.  Plavac Mali has been proven, thru DNA, to be a child of Zinfandel and another unknown grape.  The resemblance is noticeable.  This clocked in at 15.5% abv.  It certainly drinks like an American styled Zinfandel.  Purple in color, mostly opaque and bright.  The nose is spicy with cherries, black cherries and an touch of mint.  On the palate, this is sweet/ripe fruit - black cherries and raspberries.  There is a touch of salinity and underlying char.  It doesn't seem to have much acidity but drinks very easily.  It is unclear wher

Crljenak Kaštelanski is the same grape known as Zinfandel, Primitivo, and Tribidrag.  This has been confirmed by DNA testing.  The grape originated in Croatia and spread around the world.  That said, while there are some similarities, there are differences.  And, to be fair, even in California, there are many different styles of Zinfandel.  This is purple in color, mostly opaque and bright.  The nose is nice with a lot of earthiness.  Also cherries, tart blackberries and some black pepper.  Medium bodied.  On the palate, this has some acidity.  It is not robust but there is plenty of cherry

Teran makes fascinating wines that are hard to peg into "traditional" wine slots.  Purple in color, mostly clear and bright.  The nose is nice with black cherries, baking spices, slight black raspberry and black tea.  On the palate, this has a medium body.  Strong acidity.  Firm tannins.  The black cherries carry thru with a bit of earthiness.  Almost like a mythical cross between Zinfandel and Nebbiolo.  Good finish.  It seems like this should drink well for ten years.  This probably will work better with food than on its own.  A hearty pasta bolognaise would work well. 

Teran is an interesting grape known as Terrano in Italy.  From the Istrian peninsula in Croatia.  Purple in color, mostly clear and bright.  On the nose this is more about dark fruits.  Plums and black cherries merge with balsamic vinegar and slight tea notes.  This is medium bodied with a strong backbone of acidity.  Firm tannins.  It eventually opens up more to show concentrated black cherry fruit with underlying tea/forest floor.  Very clean.  Tart cherries on the finish.  13% ABV.  This begs for food.  A hearty pasta dish would be a good match.  No idea on ageing but it would be interes

Another excellent, albeit different take on Posip.  This is a grape I need to explore more.  Golden in color with some copper hues, clear and bright.  The nose has apricots, slight straw, wax and a saline minerality.  It is full bodied and weighty but not cumbersome.  Very rich.  Enough acidity to carry thru but not a driving force on this wine.  The apricots come thru on the palate along with a bit of figs and underlying minerality.  Long finish.  This seems like it should have no problem going ten or more years.  It drinks well on its own but should work better with food.  Pork chops seem