In lieu of having much of anything interesting to say about this wine, I'll posit that this wine is good for the following things:
- Advancing the typographically correct argument that 'Former Yugoslav Republic of Montenegro' would put the producer at an unfair competitive disadvantage, what with having to spend even more money on a longer label, potentially advancing a similar argument for Macedonia
- Assuming that there is in fact an ex-pat Montenegrin community somewhere in the world, this would be the perfect thing to sell at a reasonable markup to make the joint feel classier than it is
- Helping wine geeks advance their quest to join the Wine Century Club
- Should the negotiations to join the EU stall, sending a few cases of this to highly placed Party members in Brussels probably couldn't hurt
- Drinking
Exactly, nothing exceptional here. While Vranac is a variety that made Plantaze famous, Pro Corde is not their flagship wine. If you get a chance try Plantaze Vranac Reserva. That wine is a whole different story.
I can't help but notice the price on this wine in US. 17$ is way to much, considering that it costs about 6$ here in Balkans. I imagine that Reserva would cost around 45$ which would make it overpriced too.
Thank you for your review, maybe you can concentrate more on wines from Former Yugoslavia - Serbia, Croatia, Montenegro, Slovenia, Macedonia and Bosnia. There are some new wineries with exceptional wines!
This wine got an 87 in Wine Spectator.
It had a very good write up.
A ripe, dark red, with kirsch and dark plum flavors that are backed up by firm acidity. Finishes with mocha and licorice. Drink now through 2011. Tasted twice, with consistent notes. 342,000 cases made. –KM
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This wine scored a good 87 points in Wine Spectator. Maybe you should try again with a clean palate. Below is the write up.
A ripe, dark red, with kirsch and dark plum flavors that are backed up by firm acidity. Finishes with mocha and licorice. Drink now through 2011. Tasted twice, with consistent notes. 342,000 cases made. –KM
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Congratulations on your 87 in the Wine Spectator - that's a decent score and roughly corresponds with my review here.
As for my palate: trust me, it was perfectly clean; it's just that the wine could have been better. With a case production of 342,000, you're doing just fine - with that many bottles produced and an 87 score in the Spectator, you're already doing much, much better than many of your competitors!
Marko - believe me, I would be delighted to concentrate on wines from the former country of Yugoslavia. I have fond memories of a week-long wine tour of Slovenia way back when, and as a Californian I of course have Croatia to (indirectly) thank for our national grape of Zinfandel. Sadly, though, these are very difficult wines to come by in these parts, which means I have very little to contribute to the discussion! All I can do is save my money and hope to visit the region again soon. :)