CUVEE BENKOVAC 2020

Cuvee Benkovac has a character of elegant wine with a smooth and fresh nature, nicely followed with notes of berry aromas as well as light spicy notes making this wine warm and well-balanced. The presence of tannin structure and contributes to the mildly pronounced freshness and will safeguard the further wine quality and development in the bottle.

“…Showed a pretty ruby red in my glass. A bouquet of fresh cherries, subtle spiciness and hints of white pepper introduced an elegant medium bodied palate featuring sweet red fruit flavours framed by silky tannins…”

Score – 89p on 2018 vintage (Natalie MacLean.com, 2020)

Winery: Badel 1862 is the one of the largest and oldest wine and spirits producers in Croatia, continuing and cultivating the rich tradition inherited from the renowned companies Pokorny, Patria, Arko and Badel Vinoprodukt. Throughout its history Badel 1862 won numerous awards. The first one was obtained for Gorki Pelinkovac liqueur from Pokorny, the Silver Medal at the World's Fair, Paris, in 1867. At the crossroads of epochs, near Zadar, the famous Benkovac winery was founded in 1950s and continuously modernised since then

Vinification: Handcrafted from the grapes grown in small vineyards in north Dalmatia mountains. The grapes are handpicked and delicately processed as quickly as possible in nearby winery at controlled temperature. Separate vinification of each variety followed by blending. Aging in stainless steel tanks and then in the bottles at 14°C.

Variety: Grenache black 45%, Mourverde 20%, Cabernet franc 15%, Syrah 10%, Cabernet Sauvignon 10%

Residual sugar: 2.4 g/L

Serving suggestion and food pairing: Serve at 17°C. Perfect match with grilled game meats and mature cheeses. Goes well with Mediterranean dishes.

Craig Haynes, Natalie MacLean.com (18vntg) 89p