Climate: This region has a Mediterranean climate with hot summers and moderate winters.

 

About the winery: Grgić Vina was founded in 1996 by legendary Napa Valley winemaker, Croatian-born Miljenko "Mike" Grgich, his daughter Violet Grgić, and his cousin Ivo Jeramaz. Dedicated to the art of winemaking, Mike started the winery to produce the best wines from native Dalmatian grapes, and he focuses on making Croatia's very best varieties: Plavac Mali (red wine) and Pošip (white wine).

 

While Miljenko has received numerous gold medals and the highest possible awards for his California-made wines, the dearest and most meaningful to him are the ones he received for his Pošip and Plavac Mali in Croatia. All wines made in Grgić Vina in Trstenik have been rated as Vrhunska Vina (top premium wines), and its 1996 Plavac Mali has been recognized twice as the best red Croatian wine on the market

 

Location: The winery is located in Trstenik on the Pelješac peninsula, with a beautiful view over the Mediterranean Sea, north of the historic walls of the port of Dubrovnik, in the southern wine region of Croatia.

 

Vinification: The grapes for this wine are selected from the best vineyards of the 2 Korat appellations Dingač and Postup on the Pelješac peninsula. The wine is produced according to Miljenko Grgić's methods and under his supervision. He is known in California and in the world as one of the best producers of Chardonnay and Zinfandel. The grapes are fermented with natural yeast, but at a controlled temperature, preserving much of the wine's variety, character and fruitiness. After fermentation, the wine matures for 15 months in special oak barrels imported from France. The wine has a pleasant oak aroma from the barrels. The wine is then bottled and aged for 2 years, where the aromas harmonize and the taste is softened.

 

Flavor Profile: Deep ruby red color tinged with garnet. The wine has soft tannins and pleasant aromas of ripe black fruits, blackberries, dried figs and cranberries, stewed plums, cherries, hints of sea salt, Mediterranean spices and infused with sweet oaky notes of chocolate. On the palate, the wine is a contrast of rusticity and elegance: present slightly coarse tannins give a rough frame to a mouthfeel that feels soft, rich and opulent at the same time. Super ripe black fruits, dried figs, spices, aniseed and mocha notes envelop the palate and linger in the aftertaste. Bright acidity provides the vibrancy to give a lift of freshness, and the warm alcohol glow gives way to the sun-baked flavours. This is a large wine that needs to be decanted or aerated (1-2 hours).