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Name: Benmosche Dingač Plavac Mali
Classification: Dry red wine
Varietals: 100% Plavac Mali
Appelation: Dingač, Pelješac Peninsula, Dalmatia, Croatia
Density & Yield: 3,000 vines/ha; 0.5 kg/vine
Annual Production: 2,000 bottles
Alcohol: 14.7%
Climate: Mediterranean, with dry and hot summers, and mild winters.
Terrain: Steep 45° slopes, facing the Adriatic. Southern exposure, windy, 200-400m asl. Poor rocky soils, limestone mostly.
Farming: Benmosche vineyards are fully organic and are the truest expression of the microclimate and land of Croatia’s southern Dalmatian coast. No irrigation, spraying only with sulfur in April.
Vinification: Manual harvest, slightly raisinated grapes, destemmed, naturally fermented in open vats with manual punchdowns, 7 days maceration. 10 months in 225-liter French oak barrels, 15% new oak, coarse filtration, one year in bottles before release.
Tasting Notes: Masculine wine of high extract and intense black fruit on the nose, along with pine and a note of dry hay. Full-bodied with ample acidity and tannin to support the lush, creamy black fruit including figs and blueberry jam and earthy notes of the palate.
This extravagant wine is a natural match for the lamb dishes of its home country, and pairs well, too, with venison, hearty roasts and complex stews.
Winery: Benmosche wines are a joint project of the Benmosche family from the United States and the Bura-Mrgudić family from Dalmatia. The founder, Robert Benmosche, the former chairman of Metlife and AIG, fell in love with Dalmatia in the early 2000s. He built a residence in Dubrovnik and acquired vineyards on Pelješac Peninsula. Robert’s love for this part of the world and passion for wine lives on in every bottle of Benmosche wines. Benmosche vineyards are farmed organically, and all the wines are made naturally under the supervision of the Bura-Mrgudić family.