Plantaže Archive Wines & Lesendro

Category: Education / Wine

When we think about wine, we always ask ourselves: what is its secret? What does it take for a wine to be truly special — an archive wine? And one thing is certain: wine needs time.

Time during which generations discover the secrets of their grapevine and their terroir. Their piece of land, beneath their piece of sky. Their vine. And their wine from that land. Time during which generations pass on, from hand to hand, all their dedication and all their knowledge — knowledge of the sky and the sun, of grapes, soil and stone, of dreams and sleepless nights, when wine is born, preserved and enjoyed.

Alongside wines of different colours, different styles, different characters and different levels of quality, archive wine is a special wine — a wine of mysterious and magical philosophy.

According to legal regulations, an archive wine must be at least five years old from the moment of harvest and must have spent at least three years ageing in the bottle. Archive wines include those wines that are kept beyond their optimal ageing potential and continue to gain quality over time.

There are not many wines that possess the magic of this special character. Archive wines are produced only in ideal vintages. Nature must give the grapes everything they need in order to express their richness and their finest qualities. In addition to a precise and professional technological process in the production of these wines, they also require a special method of ageing and preservation, allowing the wine’s potential to develop so that, in the future, it may bear the label of Archive Wine.

Before consumption, archive wines must be decanted, as long bottle ageing leads to the formation of sediment. The wine is separated from the sediment and comes into contact with oxygen, which awakens its aromas in the best possible way.

Plantaže has an archive wine of which it is especially proud, and we are pleased to present it to you. It is Vranac Lesendro, a Plantaže archive wine from the 1979 vintage. This wine was produced from Vranac grapes grown at the Lješkopolje micro-location, once the oldest vineyard of Plantaže.

LESENDRO 79, Vranac Plantaže

The colour of an old wine, a red patina. Reductive, of low intensity. The rim is immersed in reduction, thick and transparent. The wine moves quickly, with fast and sparse tears along the edges of the glass. The conclusion is that the wine spent a long time in wood and has a medium level of alcohol — for Ćemovsko Polje, I can freely say low for red wines — even before smelling the wine and determining its correctness and distinctive character.

On the nose, the wine is clean, alluring and seductive for a wine that is 40 years old. The first time I smelled this wine, my entire experience entered that glass. I had never smelled a wine older than four decades that was more correct, more dynamic or more substantial.

The aromatic attack is medium. Gentle secondary aromas of dried grass, dried plum, raisins, dried rosehip and dried cranberry appear, along with undisguised tertiary aromas of dry caramel, dried fig and intense cedarwood, with a note of noble oxidative ageing. In the background, primary aromas of ripe sour cherry, ripe pomegranate and black pepper gradually merge into the composition.

Each new impression on the nose reveals something new, beautiful and discreet. Quite simply, the wine lives in the glass for several hours after decanting, and I will freely write a subjective observation: the wine grows with oxygen; it does not sink, as might be expected from a wine in its fifth decade.

The balance of sugar, alcohol and acidity in a wine of this age is very difficult to assess, because a wine such as Lesendro 79 is not really judged in the usual way. For such wines, it is difficult to create a scale without a subjective understanding of their characteristics, varietal expression and method of serving. The aroma lasted for a long time, with the objective certainty that this is one of its benefits and that it would not be lost.

On the bouquet, it offers a special experience — a passion, a moment to remember. Dry, with the silky discretion of sweet tannins, filled with intertwined fresh, sweet and dried aromas of fruit, herbs and spices. Harmony and perfection dominate, wrapped in a “dress code” of mature age without an expiry date.

If I were to mention its 12% alcohol, its acidity and sugar in the context of such a potent wine, I would create a vinification paradox. The wine is simply lively, elegant and eloquent. For its age, it is both harmonious and enigmatic. How has it lasted? How has it been preserved?

That is the strength, power and splendour of Vranac from Ćemovsko Polje — a gentle Vranac in the glass.

It is not available for sale. It can be tasted at Jezero Restaurant on Lake Skadar and 13. Jul Restaurant in Podgorica, as well as at Šipčanik Wine Cellar. In accordance with the selected menu, we have the right recommendation of various specialities to accompany Lesendro 79.

A gift like this does not hurry. It waits patiently.