Expect dark cherry, blackberry, dried herb, leather, and a touch of black pepper with full body, structured tannins, and bright acidity. Plavac Mali typically shows more structure and savor than its Zinfandel cousin. The 2018 Croatian vintage was good.
- Varietal
- Plavac Mali (100%, Croatia's signature indigenous red variety, genetically related to Zinfandel and Primitivo)
- Region
- Croatia / Pelješac peninsula
- Body
- Full
- Style
- dry red, structured, oak-aged, distinctive
The producer
Mike Grgich, the legendary Croatian-American winemaker (founder of Grgich Hills Estate in Napa, maker of the famous Judgment of Paris-winning 1973 Chateau Montelena Chardonnay), founded a winery in his native Croatia in the late 1990s on the Pelješac peninsula. Plavac Mali is Croatia's most important red variety and was DNA-confirmed to be a parent of Zinfandel.
What critics say
Grgić Vina (the Croatian estate) wines receive consistently solid reviews as benchmark Croatian Plavac Mali expressions.
Pairing
Grilled lamb chops, lamb shoulder, hard aged cheeses