Robert Naprta spent the 1990s in the most competitive segment of journalism. He was an editor and reporter in Globus, a political weekly, at the time when Globus sold 150 thousand copies (today’s circulation is 16 times smaller). In the 2000s Naprta made a name as the author of rough, social crime novels. His character, inspector Marko Prilika Ćens is one of not many authentic characters of Croatian literature from the beginning of the millennium. And then Naprta decided to become a winemaker.
So he bought a small estate in Međimurje, where he grows Chardonnay. The first harvest in 2009 was a virgin sensation, with precisely integrated 15.2% alcohols. “Back then I had no idea of wine. That Chardonnay is a miracle of nature,” recalls Naprta. Later harvests varied in quality and appeal, until 2014, one of the worst climate seasons of the millennium. That heavy and rainy fall Robert Naprta made a brave and serious decision: he skipped the regular harvest, waited for the grapes to dry and harvested in October. The grapes were macerated for six days, and the wine was then aged in a combination of new and old barriques. The result is pretty impressive.
Chardonnay Solum 2014 is an oily wine without any edges, with botrytis, cloves and ginger in the bouquet, joined by dried apricots and ripe peaches. High acidity blends well with honey-fruit aftertaste of this completely dry wine. Naprta’s orange Solum 2014 is one of the most original and precise Chardonnays made in Croatia.
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