When one comes to the terrace of the Jagunić home, one only stands still and looks over the rolling hills of Plešivica, the town of Jastrebarsko in the distance, and rows of neatly built vineyards beneath. Zen! The tranquillity is sometimes broken with the sound of bird scarer cannon, ensuring the grape is left intact. Mr Dominik Jagunić smiles. He knows it is not rare for his guests to act as same as we did.
We came at Jagunić's just a few days before the grape harvest began. The family is one of the typical wine making families of Plešivica, with a generational history. Father Velimir and sons Dominik, Martin and Zvonimir are proud experts in the local viticulture, although not all of them work in this noble but hard business. First, they cared for the old domicile sorts, but with the new technologies, they have changed the old vineyards with the new grape. Jagunić is one of the first wine families of Plešivica to make their own brand.
The result is visible in the wine cellar's wall and all around the household – numerous awards from regional, national and international competitions. This rich experience, clear nature, local foods and top wine make an excellent framework for food&wine tourism here and Jagunić didn't miss it. They prepare various meetings, feasts, degustations, and tours. Luckily, we came when no tour was present, and thus enjoyed the company of Mr Dominik alone. Jagunić wines seem simple by the sorts, but the family developed the taste and quality of wine to the top levels. They care for six wine sorts on eight locations, all in the vicinity of the cellar, which preserves the quality of grapes. Some wine ripes in the half-a-century old wooden barrels, a fact that by itself shows how much experience the family must have.
To start with, we tried the Rhine Riesling 2015, a full flavoured and hard wine, macerated very shortly. At first, it has a typically fresh and acid Riesling flavour, but also aromatic background and great support for barbecue, dried meat, mild cheese. It also has a nice straw colour and is possibly the best Riesling we have tried on Plešivica wine road. And when we talk about the grill, we should note all food served at Jagunić's come from the local farms and homesteads and consists of very typical local dishes such as the duck with mlinci, roast or cooked pork knuckle (buncek), grilled blood sausage, etc.
Another splendid wine is Pinot Grigio 2016, soft and balanced wine with sweet aromas and scents stemming from the old barrels. This wine can blend perfectly with freshwater fish. Our favourite wine from the selection we tried is Traminer The Black Cat 2013. This is visually possibly the most joyful Jagunić wine as it shows Tim Burton-style black cat. Dominik tells us there was a black cat sleeping in the basement. He was without tale and had very short legs. The cat found an excellent spot where is warm, but someone took him and his trace is forever lost. Thus, the family made a wine dedicated to him.
Another yellow cat is watching us closely while we savour this intensively floral but mild aroma of Traminer. We notice honey and rose in the flavour, but without much sweetness, and that is lovely characteristic of this wine that goes well with noble fish, various sweet and salty desserts.
In the wine cellar, we encounter the Three Stars Brut sparkling wine, named so because it blends three best sorts of the Jagunić vineyard. It is made using the traditional method with longer ageing on the yeast. The final product is a serious wine which has acidity, alcohol and sweetness, indeed a premium sparkling wine!
If you want to seek the Black Cat, just follow the signs on Plešivica Wine Road: Jagunić Wine Plešivica 25, 10450, Plešivica email: velimir_jagunic@yahoo.com Dominik Jagunić mobile: +385 98 1856 132 http://www.vinarija-jagunic.com
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