Idlewild Sunday School: An Introduction to Croatia. Aug 4, 2019

Idlewild Sunday School veered slightly to the East this month to the wines of Croatia and like several other Sunday School tastings this one opened my eyes to what Croatia is producing. Have occasionally had Croatian wines before but not in this depth and breadth of wines. It was a packed house with dual bottles of all the wines being poured. Total of 12 wines, it certainly was a nice range of wines. Some industry people were in attendance, Scott Barber Master Sommelier and Wine Educator and his girlfriend Marija who has extensive experience evaluating the wines of Croatia and also visiting the various wine regions of Croatia.
Her commentary on many of the wines poured was a refreshing take from a experienced consumer of these wines. Also present were Mike Lucia of Rootdown Cellars and Evan Lewandowski of Ruth Lewandowski Wines. I really did not need another Wine Region to explore but this tasting changed that feeling Throughout the tasting we had Pag Croatian Cheese to pair with the wines. Onto the wines:

2017 Coronica Malvasia Istriana: Intense salty - sea spray aroma and also of tangerine, orange peel. Flavors of tangerine, mandarin, green apple, chamomile. Mouthwatering acidity and minerality the wine is completely aged in concrete. This wine was a hell of a good start and drew praise from virtually everyone present. The next time a winery cuts off your allocation or your importer or favorite wine shop can’t get you that wine you want, don’t worry there are wines like this that are awesome and retail for less than $20.00!

2017 Kozlovic Malvasia: So very different than the first wine, this wine was more apple pear, herbaceous with a hint of honey note. The wine had that salty mineral note along with good acidity. This wine is made in all stainless steel. My preference was for the Coronica but both wines were excellent and both under $20.00 retail.

2015 Ivan Enjingi Grasevina - Kutjevo Slavonija: One of the big hits of the tasting, this wine was most unusual but delicious. The wine variety Grasevina has a flavor heritage (not viniculture) of a theoretical combination of Chenin Blanc and Riesling. So often wines like this disappoint… this did not. Strong aroma of lychee, rose, tropical. The flavors continue with the tropical rosy, herbal, peach pit, mineral slate notes. Also had an oily texture and mouthfeel but plenty of acid to back it up. Totally unique. Aged in used and new Slavonian (not slovenian) oak for 10-12 months. I just checked, retail price is $16.00, a silly silly price!

2015 BIBICh R5 Reserva Skradin Dalmatia: Speaking of different wines, here is one. Had aroma and flavors of sherried fruit, nutty, cider, some oxidation, very aldehydic. Also notes of rye and peanut skin. Good acidity, the flavor profile was unusual the say the least. If you knew what was in the bottle and treated it as an aperitif, fine but if you brought a bottle to dinner expecting a crisp white you would be disappointed.

2015 BIBICh Lucica (Debit) Skradin Dalmatia: I believe this wine had some skin contact. Very fragrant, tropical, honey, orange oil flavors, moderate acidity, savory and mouthwatering, it had some tannins and a touch of astringency that helped tie the package together. I thoroughly enjoyed this wine. Fermented and aged in 100% new French oak. No doubt there was oak influence but I did not taste any.

2016 Frano Milos Stagnum Rosé (Plavac Mali) Peljesac Peninsula South Central Dalmatia: Done with whites, now a Rosé and it was a nice one. Plum, cherry, herbal, medicinal, minty and resinous. Good acidity and even a bit of tannin. This was quite a mouthful. What make this wine unique is the grape used, Plavic Mali has some similarities to Zinfandel in that it ripens very unevenly. The winemaker purposely picks it at this uneven stage to ensure the unique range of flavor, structure and texture. It somehow all works, this was quite good.

2015 Sipun Sansigot Island Of Krk Kvarner: Our first red of the tasting. Cherry, blackberry very lifted floral aroma. Partially carbonic, 80% is in stainless and 20% a combination of chestnut, acacia, oak and mulberry all coopered in house. That is taking a big chance with your barrel program The wine is fruit forward and made in a easy to drink style making it versatile with food.

2003 Frano Milos Stagnum (Plavic Mali) Peljesac Peninsula South Central Dalmatia: Had the Rosé a couple wines back here is the same producer with an aged sample of the same grape when allowed to “fully ripen” to make a red wine. Similar to aroma and flavors of aged Zin this had classic ripe blackberry, black cherry, sage clove and mint. Very good acidity and some chalky tannins it was a bit volatile. Still drinking well but would consume these over the next few years.

2016 Androvic Plavic Mali Peljesa Peninsula South Central Dalmatia: from 130 year old vines this wine had Bing cherry, boysenberry, sweet vanilla resinous notes, spicy oak and a bit of brown sugar molasses note. Had good acidity, some tannins and had a nice texture and mouthfeel. Fermented and aged in large used Slovonian oak botti.

2013 Ivica Pilizota Babic Sibenik Dalmatia: This grape yields a wine with a higher than usual PH and it showed. Cherry, resinous, herbs tobacco. Low perceived acidity (not sure if the acidity is actually low), Some sweet tannin in the finish. Best way to describe this wine is “some days you want complexity and some days you want flavor”. This wine delivers flavor in a voluptuous indulgent style. Not my preferred style but will appeal to many.

2015 Dubrovacki Podrumi Crijenak Kastelanski Konavle Valley South Central Dalmatia: Nice when you can end the tasting on a high note and this wine provided the fireworks. We were told this is the zinfandel grape we know and love (unlike Plavic Mali which is similar but not the same as). Cherry, blackberry, cranberry, resinous fig - vanilla, its also spicy and herbal. It has very good acidity, some tannins, lively texture and mouthfeel. Beautiful balance this was excellent. I missed the winemaking process for this wine but did hear that it is held in neutral Sovonian botti.


I had no idea of what wines would be served at this presentation - tasting but looking back at the amount of wines that had some reference to Zinfandel (not exact but similar characteristics) I think Zin winemakers like MTP, Mike O, Fred Scherrer and others would have found this an interesting set of wines.
Next month it’s back to Italy but have no idea where

Here are some photos putting some names with the faces:

Wines of Croatia

Map of Croatia Wine Regions

The Lineup of Wines

Some Fun After The Tasting. From Left to Right Sam Bilbro of Idlewild, Mike Lucia of Rootdown Cellars, Thomas of Idlewild and Evan Lewandowski of Ruth Lewandowski Wines

Scott Barber Master Somm and girlfriend Marija, Thanks For Your insightful Commentary!

And of course I forgot one. I knew there were 12 wines not 11

2016 Sipun Zlahtina Island of Krk Kvarner: A touch reduced at first but dissipated quickly. Citrus fruit, very floral, smoky, minty, moderate acidity, had a slight bitter Campari like note. This was drinking very well and seemed to have aging ability.

Thanks for the notes on this tasting, Tom. I was really tempted to head up to Healdsburg for this but I knew I was going to be a bit too busy that day to make the drive up from Oakland and back. I’ve had a few of these wines before - I’ve enjoyed both the Šipun Žlahtina and the Sansigot, and both (like many Croatian wines) are good values. Several of the other wines sound very intriguing and I’ll have to keep an eye out for them. BTW, the island is spelled Krk - no vowels!

Nice write-up Tom. We just got back from a trip to Croatia where we drank some similar wines. The Kozlovic Malvasia was a go-to wine for several lunches on the beach. I hope to put up some notes on the wines we drank later this week.

Greg

Ken, for sure you would have enjoyed this Sunday School. I chuckled when I saw you comment on “Kirk”. After the presentation I said to my wife “this was the first Sunday School I couldn’t pronounce the wine name or region even after I heard it pronounced”

Tom

Tom, do you know if Evan is now making his wines in Healdsburg? Seems like I heard he was going to move his base of operations from Salt Lake City and might be moving into the spot where Idlewild, Ryme, Leo Steen, and Rootdown make their wines just north of town.

Ken, yes Evan is now making his wine at the same facility in Geyserville where Idlewild, Ryme etc are making their wine. I saw on FB a couple days ago that Evan officially released his wines. I believe there are three wines being released.

Tom

Thanks - that’s good to hear, Tom. Sure makes a lot more sense for him to make his wines closer to his vineyard sources.

Thanks Greg, I can see why that Kozlovic Malvasia was a go to wine. Look forward to your other notes. If I can ask, can you include a few notes about your vacation in general. We have been thinking about a Croatia - Slovenia vacation next year and the Sunday School tasting did nothing to stop our planning Only increased our interest.

Tom

Thought I’d share a photo from during crush last fall - people on our crush crew typically bring in a bagged “mystery wine” or two for after we’re done cleaning up from the day’s work. On this occasion, two of us happened to bring a Refošk - both from Istria, with one from Croatia and one from Slovenia. Both were quite good though very distinct from one another, with the Piquentum from Croatia being my favorite of the two. I’ve had one or two other Piquentum wines (they also make a Malvazija and a red from Teran) and recommend them. A little hard to tell from the photo, but the Santomas Ludvik Nazarij Glavina (LNG) Refošk from Slovenia is a 1-liter bottle.

Happy to do so (it may take a few days) - I heartily recommend it. We had a an incredible time, although we did not travel much in Croatia having spent the prior week in Italy doing so. Rather, we had the good fortune to spend a week at the beach in Omis (just south of Split) with great friends who own a house there. We are already planning to go back in the next few years to take in what we missed in Croatia as well as Slovenia and Mostar in Bosnia.

Greg

I had a great trip to Slovenia, Croatia, Bosnia and Herzegovina, and Serbia over the Christmas holidays of 2017-18. I have wine notes which I will summarize and share when I uncover them. For those who celebrate Christmas, we caught both the western and eastern celebrations including the Xmas markets plus two New Years! The wines that stand out in my mind are the Slovenian whites. We plan to return.

Thanks Greg, sounds like a great time, especially being with friends in their home.

Carlton, we are heading to Europe next month (Copenhagen, Vienna, Budapest) but are already starting to plan a trip to at least Croatia and Slovenia if not more in 2020. Christmas time there must be incredible!

Would very much like to hear your impressions of the wines you had.

Tom

Great notes, Tom. Wish I could have been there. Great lineup of wines that Thomas put together.
I love Malvasia d’Istriana. Distinctly Muscat, but less candied/tutti-fruity/obnoxious than the usual Muscat.
Obviously a grape they should be planting all up&down the Coast of Calif. Do you know if anyone in Calif
has it planted??
I like very much the wines of Bibich. I usually buy them from Blue Danube.
Does Kevin of Bergamot ever come to these SundaySchools?

See you in the Sudtirol in a month!!
Tom

Thanks Tom. I checked with some industry (wine) folk and was told there are a few wineries in California making a Malvasia. Probably the best of those would be the Malvasia from Arbe Garbe.

Now here is the kicker, the Vineyard that Arbe Garbe pulls the Malvasia from is a 15 minute walk (not drive) from our place. who knew So not sure about “up and down the coast” but it certainly is in the Russian River Valley AVA.

Have seen Kevin occasionally around Healdsburg but not at Sunday School.

Look forward to seeing you next month!

Tom

Birichino also has Malvasia, actually two of them. 2018 Malvasia Bianca and a 2018 Pétulant Naturel Malvasia Bianca.

Have not had them but both are very well priced.

Tom

Tom, you and Tom Hill are talking about two different (though related) grape varieties. The Malvasia in most if not all California Malvasia bottlings is Malvasia Bianca di Piemonte, while Tom is talking about Malvasia Istriana (as it is called in Italy) or Malvazija Istarska (as that same variety is called in Croatia).

Ken, thanks for the clarification. Not having sampled the California Bianca I wonder how it compares to Istriana.

Seems to me it might make for another tasting theme

Tom

What Ken said. My understanding that Malvasia Istriana is a member of the Malavasia family. Malvisia Bianca, which is the dominant
member of the Malvasia family. Like Muscat a Petits Grains (Muscat d’Alexandria) is the dominant member of the Muscat family.

To my understanding, Malvasia Bianca is the primary/only Malvasia planted in Calif. I know of no Malvasia Istriana planted in Calif.
We need to get Brian Harrington on the stick!!

I find that Malvasia Istriana (at least as grown in Friuli/Slovenia/Croatia) is a more nuanced/complex/interesting/subtle
expression of Malvasia. Malvasia Bianca is the slutty older sister of the Malvasia family. Sometimes its fun to hang with
the older slutty sister, but not the one you want to discuss the Impact of the Higg’s Bosun on Western Civilization with!!

Tom

Thanks for posting your notes Tom. In my limited experience, it seems to be a region with good promise in tank fermented whites. I want to explore Istrian Malvazija in particular. I will seek some of these out.

Much appreciated

Todd