Saints Hills St. Roko 2016

Cellar for up to 7 years. No need to decant before serving.

Saints Hills winery was only founded in 2014, but already has vines planted on Croatia’s Peljesac peninsula, on the Dalmatian mainland, and in Istria to the north. The estate is headquartered in a historic white stone house that used to be a working winery before its owners emigrated in search of a better life some 80 years ago.

Today this family-run winery specialises in crafting limited quantities of artisanal wines made from classic local grape varieties like Istrian Malvasia and Plavac Mali. This bottling is crafted from Plavac Mali grapes grown in Komarna in South Dalmatia around 70km northwest of Dubrovnik. The stony soils, Mediterranean climate and cooling sea breezes present ideal growing conditions for the grape, producing perfectly ripe fruit with well-rounded tannins and plenty of luscious fruit flavours.

The grapes are vinified in a combination of traditional-style large wooden vats and more modern concrete tanks to allow the character of the variety to take centre stage. The young wine is then aged in French oak barrels for 12-14 months before bottling. Intense and concentrated on the nose, this robust red is bursting with ripe black cherries, plums and cassis along with hints of toasted oak, spice and baked earth. Cellar for a few more years or enjoy now paired with hearty red meat dishes.