These vineyards are located on the southern slopes of the Krndija Mountain at elevations of 200 and 300 meters. The slopes and the Požega Valley were recognized as a winegrowing land by the Illyrians and the ancient Romans called it the "Golden Valley" (Vallis Aurea). This golden valley is known for viticulture not only because of the angle of the sun at 45 degrees longitude; but also because the valley was part of the Pannonian Sea and consists of sandy soils containing fossilized sea creatures. At Krauthaker, they fertilize this nutrient-poor soil with manure and work the vineyards using horse labor as has been the tradition for centuries. Whereas Vlado continues to oversee the vineyards, his daughter Martina is now responsible for the winemaking and together they have accelerated innovations in the cellar. Vlado had introduced the use of amphora in the mid-2000s and now they utilize egg-shaped wooden barrels to allow the lees to circulate in the wine without any dead spots. They also innovate in the vineyard, planting 44 grape varieties with many used solely for experimentation in the cellar. That being said, Graševina has the largest share of total production at 22%.
During our visit, we are initially greeted by Martina and her cousin Ivan - both having been raised in the vineyards and cellars and understanding the complete history and processes of the winery. We first visited the 12-year-old new production area and cellar - housing thousands of liters of wine settling in stainless steel, amphora, and various-sized barrels. Tasting a few Graševinas from the tank allowed us to attest to their freshness, minerality, almonds, and bright fruit profiles.
We then traveled to their tasting room and initial cellar to start the marathon tasting. Ivan had pulled a lineup of wines starting with the refreshing and aromatic charmat-made Julija 2021 - a sparkling wine blend of Muscat Ottonel and Zelenac (Rotgipfler). This last grape (a natural crossing of Traminer and Roter Veltliner) was the basis for a most interesting wine - the 2020 Krauthaker Zelenac Kutjevo (82 HRK). It is green and nutty but the slightly bitter profile is complemented by strong floral notes and significant tannins. Later that evening, Ivan introduced us to the 2016 Krauthaker Kuvlakhe - an amber wine that rested 90 days on its skins in amphora. In 2009, this had been the winery's first amphora wine and the first label on the Croatian market free of sulfur. The 2016 has a great mouthfeel, structured, with a solid tannin backbone As for Graševina, we started with the 2021 Podgorje Graševina (65 HRK), which is bright with almonds and green apples, but was overshadowed by the savory 2020 Graševina Mitrovac (77 HRK). The grapes for this wine were harvested from the estate's oldest vineyards (35-55 years old) about two weeks after the Podgorje. The wine sits 10 months on lees developing complexity, texture, and showing more stone fruits. Over dinner, we sampled two more Graševina wines starting with the 2020 Krauthaker Graševina Kasna Serba (100 HRK) - a late harvest wine with layers of apricots, honey, and candied fruit. This was followed by the 2019 Krauthaker Graševina Izborna Berba Prosušenih Bobica (100 HRK) - another delicious dessert wine made with botrytis grapes. There were plenty of red wines as well -- not surprisingly a few Frankovka and Pinot Noir. More unanticipated was a Nebbiolo, Syrah, Muskat riza (Red Muscat), Mercs (Merlot and Cabernet Sauvignon blend). These were all excellent wines, truly representative of the respective grapes and region.It was not only a pleasure meeting Vlado Krauthaker - but a lifetime of memories of spending so much time with the wine-making legend as well as Martina and Ivan. We will be posting quite often in the future about these wines and any we find through Croatian Premium Wine Imports. They currently have the 2019 Podgorje Graševina in stock.
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Two years later, I still relive the afternoon and evening with the Krauthaker family - including the grandchildren running in and out of dinner and between our legs - a truly magical visit. Now, on 4/11/2024, we just tasted a Krauthaker Kuvlakhe 2017 (Grasevina) that we received this week in our latest arriving container. It lit anew the wonderful memories of that occasion. And the wine is sooooooo delicious! My favorite skin contact "orange" wine.
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