The Muscat San Salvatore, packed in a small, thin bottle of 375 millilitres is a great wine. Literally, physically, great wine. San Salvatore is made in the sauternes style, has over 200 grams of sugar per liter, and has spent 24 months in wood, as stated on the official webpages of the Benvenuti winery. San Salvatore from 2013 is the winner in its category at this year’s Vinistra, a dense and mighty wine, almost overly saturated with aromas and tastes, which is in this case a compliment. It is interesting that not only its structure, but also its aroma profile reminds of sauternes. The attention of your nose is commanded by sweetened orange peel, dried apricot and a very ripe mango, all typical descriptors for sauternes, while the taste is full of fruit, turning into walnuts and honey, lingering in the mouth for at least a minute.
Of course, sauternes is always full of botrytis, and Benvenuti’s San Salvatore should not have anything to do with botrytis, so maybe this is a clear boundary. But, for a long time in Croatia we haven’t tasted a wine which, in a positive and not copycat style, so greatly associated of great Bordeaux dessert wines. Muscat San Salvatore 2013 comes from the same name position at 400 meters above sea level near Kaldir and is probably the most imposing sweet Istrian wine and certainly one of the best Croatian wines. Unfortunately, regardless of the density, high concentration and sugars, it goes down too easily and too quickly.
Besides duck liver, Roquefort Listilton, this wine is ideal for serious fruit cakes such as Schwarzwald, where the biscuit and crème secure a firmness worthy of San Salvatore body, and the fruit the freshness. Considering the season, a chocolate cake with strawberry and whipped cream seems like an optimal solution. Or, simply, any good dark chocolate.
Translated from Plava Kamenica, for the original click here.
