Vina Matela Crljenak Kastelanski 2014

Introducing the Original Zinfandel Zinfandel was the most planted grape in California back in the nineteenth century, but its origins got lost in time. Mike Grigch, famous Napa winemaker and Croatian native, speculated that it was the same as Plavac Mali, a black Croatian grape. He was nearly right - in the 1990s, DNA testing discovered the two were closely related. The Italians, meanwhile, believed that it was the same as Primitivo - again, the two are very similar to each other. But in the early 2000s, the original Zinfandel was found. It's called Crljenak Kastelanski, and there were just 9 vines growing wild on the Croatian coast. Now, local winemakers have propagated the grape and started making fantastic wine from it. We're really excited to have one in the shop, as an interesting comparison to all our other Zins as well as it being a great wine in its own right. The 2014 Vina Matela Crljenak Kastelanski has all the hallmarks of Zin: ripe red and black fruits including raspberries, cherries, strawberries, and red plums along with spicy pepper aromas, finished off with a more tannic structure than you would expect from the warmer climate of California. History in a bottle, both American and European, for $35!