2009 Matuško Plavac Mali Reserva Barrique Dingač

Community Tasting Notes (3) Avg Score: 91 points

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  1/9/2023 - sfwinelover1 Likes this wine: 94 Points

  One off ($40) bought on our last night in Croatia in June 2017 before a fantastic dinner at Nautika. On the nose and palate, vibrant notes of black cherries, cassis, mixed dark berries, plums, raisins and prunes, milk chocolate, dark roast coffee, perfume, forest floor, camphor, incense, anise and a bit of dark florals. Dark magenta, full bodied, thick legs. Medium-tannins, which are silky and well-integrated, almost imperceptible acidity, no heat despite the 15.2% abv. Tremendously complex, VG+ intensity, good+ persistence. I always like bringing back a bottle or bottles from our travels, but nothing we had in the Czech Republic or Hungary merited that, and even in Croatia, the weather was steamy and we ate seafood, and while the Malvasia Blancs were outstanding that we paired with it, they weren’t necessarily worth checking bags to bring home. But on our last night, wandering the streets of the Old City of Dubrovnik awaiting our dinner, I asked for the best wine shop, and asked for a bottle the owner would particularly recommend (which could have been fraught without using CT and knowing next to nothing about Croatian wines) (I wouldn’t have gotten off the hook this cheaply in the land of Haut Brions and Cheval Blancs last Spring!). Having bought this wine, I found some TNs from semi-familiar, semi-reliable names on CT, which accurately gave me the sense that this wine, made from a special subset of Plavic grapes, was kind of an Amarone doppelgänger (it also bears some resemblance to other Old World New World Rhône varietals like CdPs and Priorats), so I had to consider pairing carefully. With our cold, rainy weather, this was a perfect choice with lamb vindaloo, warming from the inside out without being boozy. I can’t speak to this bottling or even this varietal so I don’t know what it was like in its youth or where it goes from here, but it was singing out of the bottle and has held generally well over 3 nights. By turns sweet, spicy and savory, this profile keeps the wine interesting and avoids cult Napa, Zinfandel and Central Coast fruit bombiness, although a bit more structure (which perhaps was there earlier in its life?) and length would have elevated it closer to the realm of greatness. Along those lines, this tastes to me like it’s absolutely in its drinking window, if I was betting, more likely later than earlier, but I’ve been wrong on numerous big, high quality but slightly sweet wines like the ‘05 V29 Aida, the ‘09 Outpost True and the ‘12 Altesino Montosoli, all lasting longer and better than I’d have prophesied. And while this is similar to an Amarone in traits, I’d put it above 90% of the AdVs at this price point. All in all, a wonderful quaffing experience, bringing back great memories. Would certainly buy again, but this doesn’t seem to be generally available Stateside, so I may just have to make another late Spring visit to the shores of the Adriatic. 93-94+

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  1/8/2022 - Rrhodez Likes this wine: 90 Points

  Good. Needed some time to open up so maybe another year before you could open it. Had it the next morning and It was excellent. Heavy dark fruits, tannins you could chew at first. Maybe some chocolate. Finish was long but not exciting.

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  5/15/2018 - jan erik wrote: 91 Points

  - Ruby color - Raisons and chokolade. Dry

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