Received as a gift from a friend. Unknown price.

Croatian wine from the Dingac appellation.

I've cut and pasted some info on this wine since I simply didn't understand what it was or where it came from (besides the fact that it's Croatian).

Plavac Mali is one of Croatia's premium grape varieties and has recently been proven to be in the same family as Zinfandel. While it definitely bears a family resemblance to its California cousin, it has unique characteristics all its own. Produced from low yielding vineyards on the country's mainland in a grape growing region known as Dingac (Ding-gatch), the aroma speaks first of the warm Mediterranean sun. Then, beneath the deep, dark, ruby red color you will discover a very full bodied and full flavored wine with excellent structure offering a wealth of mouthfilling flavors. Ripe berries, black fruit and plums along with an exotic spiciness will likely come to mind. The French oak barrels used for aging this wine have also added a sophisticated note to the aroma and finish. If your curiosity gets the better of you, try this wine tonight with a savory lamb or pork dish, but if you can manage to wait awhile and place this wine in your cellar instead, it will continue improve with additional bottle age.

I found this wine very similar to zinfandel (as expected) - jammy fruits (almost raisiny in its concentration), sweet tannin, and spicy/pepper finish. A touch hot, the wine does not hide its acidity. A medium-long sweet finish peeks out after the bottle has been opened a good 2+ hours.

This was an interesting experiment - and one I would definitely try again. A tasty wine, I would buy this again at $20 or less. Unfortunately, I think the wine may be closer to $25.

I'd rate this wine somewhere in the 86-88 range.