Make sure to try this wine

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Vinogradi Nuić, Trnjak, 2021

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5,0 NJP of 5,0 NJP

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Vinogradi Nuić, Trnjak, 2021 (approx. 21 EUR/25 USD; selling price on the internet excluding delivery costs) red dry wine, Mostar, Bosnia and Herzegovina, 5,0 of 5,0 NJP (100 points of 100 points) (14-12-2025 by Nenad Jelisic)

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Vinogradi Nuić Trnjak 2021 is a big, complex, powerful, spicy and tannin rich wine. In the aroma one can feel dried black cherries, dried prunes, milk chocolate, bay leaves, sweet tobacco, white pepper and crème de cassis. In the flavour one can feel black cherries, red oranges, cocoa-rich dark chocolate, coffee and black pepper. The wine has a noticeable tannin structure and noticeable tartaric acidity. There is also a good fruitiness that "hides" behind the noticeable tannin structure and noticeable tartaric acidity. These three together, despite the fact that there is not a good balance between them, make the wine very suitable for aging, at least 10 years, i.e. until at least 2035. The wine has a very long dry and fresh, filled with cocoa-rich dark chocolate, aftertaste. The vintage before (2020) was more balanced and more ready to drink than this vintage. If you like tannin rich and tartaric acidity rich wines, Vinogradi Nuić Trnjak 2021 will suit you really well. The rest of you should age the wine for three years before opening it.

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A wine like this requires calorie rich and flavourful food such as creamy pasta (fresh) with bacon, basil, sun-dried tomatoes and small pieces of chicken thigh fillets, Pizza á la Jelisic (Pizza Vesuvio with thin slices of beef tenderloin, black olives, red onion and Parmesan cheese), lamb patties with potato gratin and red wine sauce, Beef Wellington with Hasselback potatoes and funnel chanterelle sauce, Boeuf Bourguignon with buttery mashed potatoes, really good and flavourful burger with two slices of cheese and bacon, elk patties with roasted root vegetables and red wine sauce, and aged cheeses such as Cheddar, Gouda, Grana Padano, Parmigiano Reggiano and Västerbotten. The wine benefits from being decanted for two hours. Vinogradi Nuić Trnjak 2021 should be drunk at 16 to 18°C from real Bordeaux glasses, if possible, from Kosta Boda, Orrefors, Riedel or Spiegelau. Another option is to serve it, without decanting, at 16°C (when room temperature is above 22°C or outside temperature is above 24°C) and then enjoy it when it starts to open/grow in the glass.

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Vinogradi Nuić Trnjak consists of 100% Trnjak. Trnjak is considered an autochthonous variety in Herzegovina in Bosnia and Herzegovina, although it is also widespread in neighbouring Croatia in Dalmatia. Around Mostar, where the grapes for the wine come from, it is very hot, during some periods during the summer it is over 40°C. The Trnjak grape can withstand such temperatures without major problems because they are naturally genetically implemented in the grape's genes. The grapes for this wine come from vines that are between 15 and 21 years old. The soil on which the grapes grow consists of smaller and larger limestones, and reddish clayey and silty soil rich in iron oxides - hematite (terra rossa). In order to avoid the above described extremely high temperatures during harvest, the harvest takes place early in the morning. The grapes are harvested by machine. After very careful selection in the winery, the grapes are destemmed. Then the grapes are gently crushed and their grape mass, which consists of crushed grapes and grape juice, is macerated and fermented in stainless steel tanks under a controlled temperature. The whole process takes between 5 and 30 days. After which the grape mass is gently pressed and the wine is transferred back to the stainless steel tanks where it undergoes malolactic fermentation for 1 month to 3 months. Then the wine is transferred to 225 litres new Croatian oak barrels (barrique) where it is aged for a period of 13 months. After aging, the wine is minimally filtered and bottled. After which it is aged for at least 3 more months before being released on the market.

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Vinogradi Nuic's wines can be ordered on the Croatian website Vinoljubac.