Plavac Mali – 2011 – Pelješac

Croatian wine from the Pelješac peninsula (which projects from the mainland out into the Adriatic) in South Dalmatia. It is made from the Plavac Mali grape variety, which is an offshoot of ancestral Italian Primitivo (a.k.a. Zinfandel) and another local Croatian island variety, Dobričić. Plavac Mali is supposed to produce wine that sounds Primitivo/Zinfandel-like: blackberries, dark cherries, pepper, and spices.

Rustic, on the thin side, relatively low alcohol (11.9%) for a southern red. Redcurrant and peach, which is a note I would find more congruous in a white wine; also spiced, and quite oaky. An attractive blend of qualities in a simple sort of way. It rather reminded me of the Torres wine Sangre de Toro. A wine with no future but a pleasant present.

The stupidest thing about this bottle is that it carries no producer name or information, which makes me guess it may be from a co-operative. In any case, it has a mule on the label and we found it in Vinoteca, London.

82/100