2018 Bura Plavac ‘Fresh’

NEW VINTAGE ALERT! The Bura family has been growing grapes making wine on the Pelješac peninsula, parallel to Croatia’s Dalmatian Coast, for hundreds of years, but only since the fall of the Communist era have they been able to focus on quality, as before 60% of their harvest had to be turned over to the government co-ops. Now young Mare Bura is making the wine, having taken over from her uncle Niko. Literally artisan garagistes, with the winemaking setup on the ground floor of the house, the Bura’s are one of Dalmatia’s leaders in quality – because they focus on vineyard health, not “making” the wine. Plavac Mali is the main grape of the region, and is loosely related to Zinfandel. These are cooler climate, hillside vines, with a distinct coastal influence, so rather than jammy, you get fruit that is at once both deep and dark, and bright and lifted. An intriguing combo of vibrant, tart boysenberry, pomegranate, slate and yogurt, with some sweet tannins on the finish. Another one best with a slight chill (30 min).