PLANTAŽE | Crnogorska Malvazija | 2021
malvasia

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Today we are going to review a single-varietal malvasia wine from Montenegro – Crnogorska Malvazija 2021 by 13.jul-Plantaže. Malvasia name is derived from the greek port Monemvasia, through which so many rich dessert wines passed en route to western and northern Europe in the Middle Ages. Malvasia is a name that is widely and sometimes loosely used throughout Mediterranean Europe for a range of ancient grape varieties, the most famous of which inspires the richest styles of Madeira wines. For example Malvasia di Candia (of Crete) is one common sub-variety, while in Italy there are at least 10 distinctive forms of Malvasia planted all over the country. Malvasia as a wine tends to be deep in color, quite high in alcohol, can oxidise easily, with an intensely nutty character and notes of orange peel and dried fruits. Today malvasia can be found in Spain and Portugal, it can be an interesting diversion from the ubiquitous chardonnay in California, and is the most important white grape variety in Croatia and Montenegro, where it produces mainly varietal wines, often with a slightly green hue and an appealing honeyed tang. This particular wine comes from the Podgorica Area (the Ćemovsko Polje vineyard), which is moderated by the Adriatic Sea and Lake Skadar, and has been aged for 8 to 10 months on fine lees in stainless steel tanks in order to preserve the varietal aromatics of the malvasia grapes as much as possible. That said and without further ado, let’s move on straight to our tasting results.
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Take a look at the tasting notes below and our detailed assessment of the wine:

//Visual
color: medium yellow color
clarity: bright yellow hues

//Olfactory
intensity: rich & floral
fruit profile: sweet fruits | citrus fruits
__sweet fruits: white pear | white apple | asian pear
__citrus fruits: pomelo | lemon | white grapefruit
fruit character: ripe & overripe

//Flavor
non fruit: floral & herbal
__floral: roses | iris | peonies | acacia | lindenflower
__herbal: meadow | marguerite daisy | lemongrass
primary layer: floral

//Palate
sweetness: dry
acidity: high
alcohol: high
tannin: low
__grip: green
balance: fair
__dominant: acidity
body: supple | medium

//Taste
fruit profile: green fruits & citrus
fruit character: underripe & ripe
non fruit: floral & herbal
finish: medium
aftertaste: bitter-crisp

//Scoring
PLANTAŽE | Crnogorska Malvazija | 2021
variety: malvasia
country: Montenegro
region: Podgorica Area
rating: 91.3

//Conclusion
maturity: in its prime | drink now or within one year
verdict: fine | highly recommended
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This is definitely a fine wine of Montenegro and with a total of 91.3 points scored, this wine is right there, among the best wines we’ve rated so far. Check our complete database on the wine rating page, where you can find all the wines that we have tasted and reviewed or go to the about us page and find out more about our exquisite rating system.

Verdict: this is a fine malvasia wine: refreshingly crisp, slightly bitter and supple, with a nuanced floral-herbal nose and a lush palate. The wine is right there, at the peak of its form, therefore we would recommend to drink it today or within the next 12 months, as we firmly believe that it is always better to drink a wine a year too soon than a day too late. On the nose the wine brings expressive floral notes to the foreground, followed by ripe and overripe sweet fruits and citrus in the background and rounded up by those refreshing citrusy notes in between the two. On the palate the wine delivers overwhelming acidity and quite a touch of alcoholic warmth that is showing through on the mouthfeel, which evolves into bitter-crisp aftertaste. All in all, this is a fresh, light and slightly angular malvasia wine, that in its current state feels a bit off-balanced and unpolished. We believe that this wine will pair lovely with mahi mahi fish fillets or a pear and lemon summer salad. Enjoy!

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