Zlatan Otok Plavac 2018

Cellar for up to 9 years. Decant 2 hours before serving.

Winemaker Zlatan Plenkovic’s family have been making wine for generations, so it seems only natural that in 1985 he decided to set up his own winery. Based on the southern coast idyllic island of Hvar, he owns a series of vineyards set on slopes with an incline of up to 60%. The delicate combination of abundant sunshine, steep slopes and cooling sea breezes helps to create warm, intense wines with powerful personalities.

This impressive bottling is a single varietal Plavac Mali, an indigenous grape that is thought to be an ancestor of California’s popular Zinfandel. Zlatan ages this wine in a combination of large oak casks and stainless steel tanks for about a year until he decides it is ready to be bottled. He then ages the wine in the bottles for a further four months before release to the market.

On the nose there’s a seductive core of rich blackberries and plums which is complemented by black pepper and wild herbs. Take a sip and you’ll immediately notice the full body, ripe tannins and warming spices and dark chocolate flavours. The finely-tuned balance between fresh acidity, intense flavours and firm structure mean this wine is a great candidate for extended cellar ageing.