Croatia

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

My first time trying Posip and I am a believer!  This is an outstanding young white.  It was about $25 but not easy to track down.  13.5% ABV.  Golden in color with copper hues, clear and bright.  The nose is tight at first but opens to show melons with light citrus.  With air a nice minerality emerges.  The texture and structure on this wine is amazing.  Full bodied.  Viscous but dry.  On the palate, there is a nice backbone of acidity especially with tart lemons on the back end and finish.  Some melon with great minerality.  No bite (in a good way) but plenty of cut and energy.  Very nice

My first time trying this grape - Teran.  Teran is the most grown red grape in this part (Istrain peninsula) of Croatia.  Deep ruby in color, mostly opaque and bright.  The nose has cherry and On the palate, this is medium bodied.  Straightforward, but refreshing.  Nice black and red raspberry fruit.  Clean.  Nice finish.  Easy to drink this one on its own, but it will work well with pasta, pizza or most meat or fowl dishes.  It would also work with spicy cuisine.  This is obviously young and already drinking well, so it probably should be consumed in the next three to five years (just a gu

This is made from the Babić grape in Croatia.  At a recent tasting of Croatian wines the rusticity of this wine made it controversial.  I loved it!  purple at its core with a ruby edge, mostly opaque and bright.  The nose has a lot of barnyard going on that will be hard for some people to get by.  The cause is Brettonmyces, which is a spoilage yeast.  Depending on how the yeast has bloomed in a particular bottle, some will show more (or less) signs of it.  There is also some cherry notes along with a crushed rock quality.  On the palate, the barnyard is not as in your face.  It is a delicio

This is made from the Babić (pronounced BOB-itch) in Croatia.  The wine was fermented on its skin for ten days and then aged for six months in a mixture of American and French oak barrique.  Purple in color, opaque and bright.  The nose has boysenberries, black cherries, slight dark chocolate along with a bit of white pepper.  Medium bodied.  On the palate, the boysenberries continue.  There is a nice underlying earthiness.  Clean with good acidity.  Nice finish.  This is drinking well now.  It seems like it should be consumed in the next five to seven years, but that is just a guess.  I ha

This is Malvasia variety that is unique to the Istrian Peninsula from Croatia.  These grapes are grown according to biodynamic principals.  The grapes are then allowed to soak with their skins on for seven to twenty days in large wooden barrels.  Fermentation is done thru indigenous yeasts.  The wines are then aged  in large oak barrels before being released.  A very interesting wine (and good, too!).  Deep golden in color, clear and bright.  And, yes, this is an orange or macerated wine although it doesn't appear that it is taken to the extremes of some.  Very clean.  The nose is nice with