4/5/2024 - Kronos(er) Likes this wine:

Beautiful mature Pomerol from outstanding vintage. Nose offers leather, mature plum aromas, herbs and some earthy notes. Densely structured palate reveals again mature plum, clove, cigar box and some earthy notes set against nice freshness and soft and silky tannins that leave long, smooth and seducible finish. At its peak.

1/25/2024 - Kronos(er) wrote:

Flawed

3/24/2024 - Kronos(er) wrote:

Cross in-between Riesling and Pinot Bianco (although I would have guessed it’s a Pinot Grigio instead)
Combines quite happily Riesling freshness and Pinot structure of a slight nuttiness and aromas of white flowers.
Clean nose showing a bright primary character of yellow pears and white flowers. Overall medium intensity. Refreshing and an easy-drinking wine with a very good balance of minerality, freshness and fruitiness. You must be careful not to get it overcooled as all this will disappear below 8 deg. C. Should be very good paired with spaghetti fruity di mare or even scampi or similar sea food.

3/22/2024 - Kronos(er) Likes this wine:

Ivan Pavlecic, young garagiste from Plesivica, set on a journey with a great dedication and a clear intention to produce one of the best (if not the best) aged Chardonnays in Croatia.
And if it’s true that, “a good beginning makes a good end” there will be a lot of exiting Chards coming out of his “garage” in coming years.
Grapes for the Ivan’s Sur Lie Chard 2019 come from a very small vineyard (0.3 hectares) where around 2000-2500 kg is harvested on average annually. Grapes are, handpicked and subjected to rigorous selection and only the best berries are allowed to be turned into this nectar.
Juicy is extracted and then it goes in 300 lit, 2-3 years used (Slavonian oak) wooden barrels, where it starts alcoholic fermentation goes though the malolactic fermentation and remains ageing together with the lees for a year.
Wine:
Nose. Complex, multilayered with dominant tropical fruits. Pineapple, passion fruit with its characteristic sweet & tangy scent adding a tart intrigue, banana, honeysuckle, yellow stone fruits and a mint.
Palate. Deep, clean, balanced and focused. Again, with dominant tropical fruits but wrapped and intertwined, in the same time, with nice and seductive freshness that leans more towards the candied orange zest and yellow fruit rather than to the lemony side, all this is backed up with light honey sweetness. Long and persistent, buttery and creamy finish, with Burgundian like precision, makes this wine a real pleasure to drink and a serious treat. Ready to drink, but definitely has structure and body to improve over the next 3-4 years and maybe even longer. On a par with much more expensive Château de Chamirey Mercurey 1er Cru La Mission
This wine is a clear proof that secret of such complex but balanced aged Chards (where wood is never overpowering or dominant but only adds complexity) lays in fermentation in used wooden barrels as opposed to ageing of wines in barrels that have previously fermented in stainless steel vats. Of course, barrel fermentation and ageing on lees carries additional risks and imposes different challenges when compared with SS vat fermentation, however, resulting wines from barrel fermentation are so superior in all fields, hence it’s definitely worth pursuing that path. Ivan’s Sur Lie from 2019 is a very clear and undoubtedly right example of that philosophy.

In 2019, only 2000 bottles are produced and I am afraid a very few cases are left in stock. If you are late (I’m not as I’ve secured my 4 cases already) than just wait for 2021 (2020 was not produced as Ivan was not 100% satisfied with the quality of the crop). 2021 is now called Chardonnay Barrel Fermented&Aged and is now available on the market. If you plan to visit Croatia and Plesivica, don’t miss that young man’s “garage”. If you really appreciate and have a true passion and love for aged chardonnays, you will for sure find 2019 being interesting and complex wine.

2/5/2024 - Kronos(er) wrote:

Started to show after one hour in decanter. Graphite, earthy forest floor notes and some dark fruits, predominantly blackcurrant. In the mouth, good amount of ripe dusty tannins, elevated freshness. Got better after 3 hours. Nice, classic left bank from exceptional vintage. Ready to drink but can wait another 10 years without any problem. 91-92 pts.

3/6/2018 - Kronos(er) Does not like this wine:

After having 2 bottles I can say that La Volte 2015 is definitely not worth 14 euros. There are much better wines for that money all over the world. Reading others TN, and looking at the average 88 points, I think it might be that only these two bottles were so flat and dull…but they both were, no doubts!

2/18/2018 - Kronos(er) wrote:

If paired with proper food (Ossobuco alla milanese con risotto giallo) this 2010 is an absolute smasher. Dark and dense red. Even after 2 hours in decanter nose is somewhat closed and definitely not expressed. But in the mouth this is sturdy, solid and tight red with dominant dark berry, walnut, spicy and earthy tastes. A bit of extra acidity would make it 93 points wine. Closure is long with menthol , savory and a touch of raisins taste. Well-made red capable for another 5-6 years in the cellar. On a par with 2.5 times more expensive Tignanello 2009. Drink or hold for another few years .

1/19/2018 - Kronos(er) wrote:

3 years ago, Forceberry described this wine in a really perfect way. I would be stupid trying to be more helpful than him.
2009 needs good food as companion. Very low acidity, side by side with creaminess of the tannins, cries for something dark, heavy and slightly acidic. In that case it would be a long lasting memorable experience. If you have few 2009 in your cellar, no rush, it still has a long life ahead.

11/2/2017 - Kronos(er) wrote:

If enjoyed alone, wine may turn to be slightly unbalanced and somehow boring. However, with Camembert, it turns to be pleasant and palatable white, with just enough structure to make you think how wine is actually and predominantly a food companion.

10/26/2017 - Kronos(er) wrote:

Very modern style. More aromas from the selected yeast than from the grapes. A bit too acidic for my taste. Goes better with food. In general not really my type, but people who like this style may appreciate it more than me.

10/25/2017 - Kronos(er) Likes this wine:

Enjoyed at the “J-I-S-T” restaurant (Viskovo) close to Rijeka. I prefer it over the 2011. Body and structure is quite similar to 2011 but 2013 has all that seductive jammy fruits in particularly prunes, plums, blueberries and hint of peach. Nice, nice… nice! Big and bold in the mouth. Long and silky, (almost sweet) fruity aftertaste with this characteristic Plavac Mali almond bitterness and touch of mint freshness at the end. This bottle drinks like 35 euros Amarone. Drink now no need to wait, you don’t want to lose all that thick and sweet fruit. Definitely winery to keep eye on…simply to see how they will develop further.

10/21/2017 - Kronos(er) wrote:

2015 at this point lacks harmony. Oak is disjointed from the rest of the body and is overpowering. Wine is much more enjoyable with food. Let’s wait for 1-2 years to see how it will develop. For now, 87 points only.

Just few notes to add. It seems that grape growing conditions in Slavonia, where Rosenberg comes from, pretty much mirror conditions in Istria (at least when Chardonnay is in question). 2013 was very good and grapes were perfect for those who knew exactly when to harvest. I know that by closely following (and drinking) Domaine Koquelicot in Istria where Frenchman Olivier Ertzbischoff makes outstanding full bodied Chardonnays following rather Burgundy style. 2014 was disaster, 2015 much lighter so careful use of oak had to be exercised and where, I believe, Rosenberg has obviously failed. 2016 seems to be almost perfect year in Istria for Chardonnays, and I can only hope this will apply to Slavonia and Krauthaker’s Rosenberg as well.

10/7/2017 - Kronos(er) wrote:

Decanted for 3 hours. Tasted side by side with Tignanello 2009 and Cepparello 1999. Oh boy, an absolute winner that night. Deep aromatics of stewed black and blue fruit, black currant and blueberry in particular. Followed by liquorice, creme de cassis, vanilla and spices. Thick smooth tannins (surprisingly smooth for hot 2003). Long, persistent and silky finish coupled with perfect acidity. Very memorable wine. Drink now, but no need to rush as it has a structure to safely age for another 3-4 years . Highly recommended!

10/7/2017 - Kronos(er) wrote:

Decanted for 2 hours. Pleasant Tignanello but not exactly what I was expecting, given the 2009 vintage which was proclaimed outstanding. Deep ruby color. Black currant, dried cherries, Mediterranean herbs and a touch of tobacco. Lighter body, nice acidity, wine is much more enjoyable with food. I can’t say from this point whether this will significantly improve. Maybe, but I will not buy (55 euros) 2009 again.

10/7/2017 - Kronos(er) Likes this wine:

Decanted for 2 hours. Beautiful matured Sangiovese. Ruby color surprisingly dark for the age. On the nose, deep aromatic scents of red fruits, sour cherries, prunes and herbs. All this is nicely accompanied with fine grainy tannins and pleasant acidity, all together excellently balanced. At the peak. Perfect with slowly braised beef stew. 92++.

10/8/2017 - Kronos(er) Likes this wine:

Well, I think Crowino has pretty much written correct tasting note. Maybe my bottle did not have 1 minute long aftertaste. But all in all, very decent and solid Plavac Mali rather on the mineral side with emphasized herbs, carob, mint and wet stones. But definitely worth 20 euros retail price. There are better bottles of Plavac Mali, but not many of them have such a QPR. Fantastically paired with beef shank stew (Boskarin https://hr.wikipedia.org/wiki/Istarsko_govedo). Drink now but can wait 2 years. Recommended.

9/4/2017 - Kronos(er) Likes this wine:

I know some people will find this a bit annoying and well overloaded with sweet American oak but if you give it proper attention and leave it in the glass for 10 – 20 minutes you may find it as an overall excellent traditional Rioja. Well worth 17 euros in the winery. Aromatic wine packed with vanilla, red currant, dark sour cherry, mulberry, blue damson plum, oak, touch of white pepper and cedar. This bottle was a full and savory wine with exact acidity, fantastically paired with beef stew. I find 2004 overall better wine but 2007 does not lag much behind.

5/5/2017 - Kronos(er) Likes this wine:

Like first bottle from November last year. Pleasant experience and excellent wine by all standards.

5/8/2017 - Kronos(er) Does not like this wine:

Empty, unpleasant and highly acidic wine. Total mistake! 30 pounds sterling in Mattarello restaurant in London, not worth 3 euros. Avoid!

5/12/2017 - Kronos(er) Likes this wine:

Enjoyed from 5 liters bottle at Giorgio’s birthday party. Wine has developed significantly and is better now than 3 years back. Maybe also size of the bottle may have contributed to such development. A lot of dark fruits, dark sour cherry, and fantastic candied orange peel aromas. Some earthiness and a lot of spices. Medium to full bodied. Now I can see potential for further cellaring. Will be very interesting to taste it in next 3-4 years. Will wait with my four 0.75 lit bottles.

4/19/2017 - Kronos(er) wrote:

As JulianSkeels says… typical Chianti flavors - nice and pleasant, but this bottle lacks complexity, depth and a persistent aftertaste to be in the same league as Badia a Passignano 2012.

4/18/2017 - Kronos(er) Likes this wine:

Very powerful and terroir driven Sangiovese. Definitely different, unique and above all complex. Dark and blue fruits, liquorice, cloves, cinnamon and black tea intensive aromas. Not full ready yet, needs minimum 3-4 more years to become round and smooth, but for sure it will be worth waiting. Great potential. Enjoyed in restaurant Bel Soggiorno in San Gimignano with pappardelle al cinghiale.

4/17/2017 - Kronos(er) Likes this wine:

Very modern in style. Juicy, fleshy yet elegant red with lot of red berries, leather and coffee aromas. Smooth silky tannins, perfect acidity and relatively long aftertaste. Enjoyed with bistecca alla fiorentina in restaurant Buca Lapi in Firenze. Definitely recommended.

3/25/2017 - Kronos(er) Likes this wine:

Very good, typical Malbec. At the peak. 18 euros. But it’s worth knowing that in some years, Kaiken Malbec Reserve offers very similar pleasure for little bit more than one third of the price.

12/9/2016 - Kronos(er) Likes this wine:

Not at the 2013 level, but fantastic red wine for 6.5 euros. Come on people (Croatians), let’s admit, 90% of red wines you can find for that money in Croatian supermarkets are hardly drinkable,…well…at least to me. This is very pleasant, fleshy, soft, dark fruit driven wine with elevated aromatics and so many other qualities that is hard to deny. All what makes this bottle not qualifying for higher league (90 points and higher) is length of the aftertaste and amount of tannins. However, smartly paired with the correct food (spaghetti con pomodorini Ciliegini freschi) this is a very smart buy and beautiful wine for reasonable enjoyment! If properly cellared, can be enjoyed within 2 years.

12/6/2016 - Kronos(er) Likes this wine:

Wooded Malvazia from (terre bianche) white soil around town of Buje. Single vineyard Castagnari. Wine has dark yellow colour. Nose shows red apple, nuttiness, touch of honey and cloves. On the palate nice balance of mineral tones and acidity with slightly toasted finish. 14% of alcohol and light use of oak makes it nice and harmonious. Drink or hold.

12/8/2016 - Kronos(er) Likes this wine:

I am not really crazy about sparklers in general, but this is a fantastic sparkler (Méthode classique, second fermentation in the bottle). 16 euros in the winery. First I’ve ever tried that is made of Refosk. Very cool stuff. Slides down the throat with absolute minimum aggressiveness most of the sparklers in that price range usually carry with them. Clean yeasty nose. A lot of red fruits here and very long and intensive aftertaste. Micro bubbles, plenty of them. Live and kicking! All you need is truck of oysters and empty stomach. Bon appétit!!

12/5/2016 - Kronos(er) Likes this wine:

Malvazia from (terre bianche) or white soil around town of Buje, or simply saying Bujska Malvazija! My kind of stuff. White soil terroir is recognizable and this is very important to me! Balanced, with correct amount of white and yellow fruit. Some dry flowers. Minerality and acidity in perfect balance. Relatively long aftertaste. 7.5 euros in the winery. Good! Winery to watch! Very good sparkler (Méthode champagne) from Teran! Ooopss...Refosk!

12/8/2016 - Kronos(er) wrote:

Consistent with previous bottle.

12/8/2016 - Kronos(er) Likes this wine:

Consistent with previous bottle. A monster. Black fruit jam married with a lot of expensive wood. Thick and dense. Needs time. No more bottles to buy. :-(

11/24/2016 - Kronos(er) Likes this wine:

This grape is not exactly Muscat but “Muškatni Silvanac” but I did not know how to enter new grape into the database. Sorry! Anyway, label shows correct wine. Very nice and beautiful wooded white! Balanced and creamy! Apart from distinctive Muscat taste there are plenty of other things. Clear and strong pineapple and red apple, followed by candied orange peel, almonds and wax. Very good balance in between minerality and acidity. Creamy texture! Nice surprise. 8 euros! Perfectly paired with “melanzane al forno con pomodoro, pancetta e mozzarella.” Can hold for another few years for sure.

11/23/2016 - Kronos(er) Likes this wine:

Every time I open bottle of this wine I am more and more nicely surprised! Nice Plavac mali and Syrah mix. This time Plavac mali dominates in a nice, elegant, slightly sour but very delicious way. Solid body, smooth tannins. Again, I need to emphasize! 2014 was very challenging year! This is important to keep in mind! I think I will find again telephone number of this winery…

11/21/2016 - Kronos(er) Likes this wine:

A pleasant, easy going and tasty white. With ample aromas of white pears, yellow plums, spring flowers (Camomile), touch of nutty character. Nice balance of acidity and minerality. Perfectly paired with spaghetti con canocchie.

11/21/2016 - Kronos(er) wrote:

Fresh and light white OK as an aperitif. However, definitely not worth 12 euros!

11/18/2016 - Kronos(er) Likes this wine:

Excerpt from the http://www.intravino.com/assaggi/dolomytos-2007-puo-un-vino-biodinamico-avere-250mg-di-solforosa/
..."Look good this wine. It is not only one of the hardest to find bottles of Italian (and not cost the earth) but a monument to an as paradoxical and emblematic idea of wine. Dolomytos is the wine born from the project of Dr. Margret Hubmann and Prof. Rainer Zierock in collaboration with the winemaker Walter Schullian in Ritten, South Tyrol, in a cellar full of esoteric and mythological references that date back to ancient Greece to date, it’s made of larch wood and where technology is almost banished."

This is monumental wine! The wine you need to know at least something about, in order to be able to prepare yourself for drinking. Wine definitely needs decanting and if I tell you 4-5 hours, I am not exaggerating at all. But once ready it is very unique and definitely memorable experience. Deep and strong scent and taste of very ripe apricots, peach marmalade, honey, white pear, walnuts, sage flowers and butter cookies. Thick and oily texture with perfect balance in between minerality and acidity and very very long harmonious aftertaste. In our case it took 4 hours to open and develop in decanter. Once opened and decanted, wine can stay another 3-4 days in the decanter at the room temperature without losing a tiny bit of its taste. It looks to me, this wine can be kept in ideal conditions for another 10-15 years without any problem.

11/18/2016 - Kronos(er) wrote:

Wine Canuck notes describe exactly what we all experienced with this bottle. At the end this bottle tasted like 3 years old Cab and Merlot mix. Decanted well in advance and tasted every hour, wine has gone through the different stages, but was always behaving like young. My friend who had tasted this wine (not necessarily 1997) on many occasions before, did not liked it so much, but I must admit I was incredibly surprised to discover 19 years old Italian of such structure. If you have it in your cellar and if it is there properly placed, and for a long time, in that case, there is absolutely no need to rush. It can wait for another 10 years (and I would recommend that) as it may develop in a more elegant and harmonious wine. For now “only” 92 points.

11/21/2016 - Kronos(er) wrote:

Inconsistent with the previous bottle. Wine structure is similar but aromatics are much lower in intensity.

11/19/2016 - Kronos(er) Likes this wine:

Knowing some things it was decided to open and decant 3 hours before lunch (oxtail stew) First nose started with earthy, chalky soya sauce style with touch of nutty aromas of almonds and nougat. After one hour, dark, slightly sour fruit started to emerge, but it was still somehow out of balance. 3 hours later additional aromas emerged; sour cherries, dry roses, tea, balsamic notes and some herbs. On the palate wine shows appearance and texture of thick and oily mature Barolo with correct acidity, medium to full body and an elegant finish making this wine memorable experience. It seems to me wine can hold for another few years, but can be enjoyed right now.

11/18/2016 - Kronos(er) wrote:

Absolutely fantastic wine for 35 euros. Immediately very strong scent of, prunes, blueberries, almonds, cloves, cinnamon and black tea. In the mouth, fantastic texture, dense and thick showing typical Amarone style bitterness heavily packed with loads of again prunes, prunes, prunes, bitter cocoa, almonds, raisins, violets and aceto balsamico tradicionale. Few sips latter, bitter cocoa turns into milk chocolate and tiramisu cake. Fantastic experience. Better than 2011. Really aristocratic. Wine for meditation. Drink or hold.

11/13/2016 - Kronos(er) wrote:

Drinking this bottle is all about how to pay moderate and drink fantastic. Remelluri is one of these wines. 18 euros in ebuywines.com and had a chance to have it delivered directly from Spain so did not pay for shipping. Opened and poured directly in the glass. Immediately nose clearly shows dark and fully ripe sour cherries, redcurrant, liquorice, nougat and touch of moka. Complex and deep aromatics. In the mouth wine has bold structure nice and pleasant acidity with loads of grainy tannins. Relatively long and persistent finish is full of dark fruits, ripe sour cherries, walnuts, some oak and touch of chalk. Absolutely perfectly matched with osso buco and risotto Milanese a combination to die for! Drink now or wait 5 years. Highly recommended!

11/8/2016 - Kronos(er) Likes this wine:

20 euros at the ebuywines.com. Nice, pleasant and tasty. Modern tart fruit style wine. Nose shows red currant, cornel berry, blueberry and yellow mirabelle plums. Very similar tasting sensation on the palate with nicely integrated oak. Medium long aftertaste packed with silky tannins. Lacks some real punch and weight at the end, but excellent wine for the money. On a par with 4 times more expensive Gaja's Ca'Marcanda. Will buy again. Recommended.

11/3/2016 - Kronos(er) wrote:

I think it seems to be some confusion here and it would be of everyone's interest to clear it. We have two labels here and they are labels labeling two different wines. I believe Crestfall below refers to Zlatna Vrbnicka Zlahtina (Grand cru) not the ordinary Zlatna Vrbnicka Zlahtina. In order to be sure, I’ve tried both wines. Crestfall notes are correct but for Grand cru version, which is by the way quite a new wine on the market, or at least to say, I have not seen it before.
Grand cru version 2015 (did not try 2014) is unbelievable rich and oily Zlahtina. Has developed very interesting smell of mature fruits and I even caught scent of raisins at the moment. No Zlahtina I tried before, has ever tasted of anything more than rocky stones in general. But Grand cru 2015 deserves its own label and not to be mixed with ordinary “Zlatna Vrbnicka Zlahtina” made by the very same producer PZ Vrbnik. Ordinary Zlatna Vrbnicka Zlahtina is in general 82-84 points, predominantly mineral, pleasant and easy drinking summer wine, that needs to be consumed as soon as possible.

11/3/2016 - Kronos(er) Does not like this wine:

In my opinion once this was a very good small winery. Now, not anymore! I really need to say this. A week ago I bought 5 liters of bulk wine in Agroturismo Stefanici (close to the place called Kaldir) (2 euros per liter) and that was 5 time better wine than Matosevic's Alba (9 euros per bottle) by all standards. I am generally worried about Istrian wine making pioneers... a lot! What went wrong… I don’t know but… it went wrong for sure!

10/19/2016 - Kronos(er) wrote:

VLZAT tasting note is spot on.

10/19/2016 - Kronos(er) Likes this wine:

Nice and pleasant dried Cab. Sauvignon. More complex than a standard Italian Cab. Sauvignons. First impression is a rustic bitter wine with lot of dark chocolate. Also some elevated minerality is present. Needs minimum 1 hour of air. When it opens up, turns to be a smooth and really pleasant drink. But 30 euros price makes it a bit overpriced.

10/21/2016 - Kronos(er) Likes this wine:

Lufthansa airline red wine on the flight from Berlin to Munich and from Munich to Zagreb. In the beginning didn’t know what I am drinking but was very pleasantly surprised. Next flight from Munich to Zagreb I asked if I can buy a bottle and got one for free. Thanks Lufthansa!! Wine is 34% Sangiovese, 33% Cabernet Sauvignon and 33% Merlot. Wine region is Montecchio & Orvieto, Umbria. Winemaker Riccardo Cotarella. Wine shows dark fruit mixed with smoke, bacon, spice and rustic aromas of old leather and some earthy tones. But all in all, it is a pleasant and well balanced wine. Tried half bottle the same evening and half next day. 6 euros. Good QPR.

10/19/2016 - Kronos(er) Likes this wine:

Beauty and the beast! Oaky wine, but oak is very nicely integrated and it seems to me with 2008 there is no need to rush!! Taste like perfect piece of toasted bread, with butter and peach marmalade and honey on top. Also, backed almonds, pineapple, sage spring flower, citrusy wine. Dense and thick. Harmony rarely achieved in such oaked wines. (I think Giorgio Clai would like to achieve such harmony and elegance). Good acidity too. Tried with Krauthaker Rosenberg 2013 and was absolute winner. Will take few bottles and give them some time. I am very curious to taste them in 3-4 years. Highly recommended.

8/4/2016 - Kronos(er) wrote:

Not that good as 2013 but still very pleasant Chardonnay. Nicely integrated oak. Balanced with good acidity. Pineapple, nutty character. Goes perfectly with grilled scallops and seashells in general.

7/29/2016 - Kronos(er) wrote:

Not really what I was expecting given the pedigree and the price. Excellent, but not outstanding wine. Outclassed by Clarendon hills Grenache. Other tasting notes are more or less correct, only I don’t find it deeply perfumed and with the extremely long finish. Deeply perfumed wines with extremely long finish I usually rate more than 92 points

7/29/2016 - Kronos(er) wrote:

What a pleasure! Brought from Sidney November 2004. Perfectly matured for almost 12 years in my cellar. Fantastic wine. A lot of jam here! Cornel, pomegranate and dry fig jam and crèmes de cassis. Then comes roasted tomatoes, beetroot, anise and grilled beef and just a touch of smoke. Big, bold, fully bodied with a lot of perfectly soft tannins. 45 sec long aftertaste. Drink now or wait two years. 95+