raffaele Mastrovincenzo

Il Pettirosso Nebbiolo ARPEPE 1999. Since the Roman times the Valtellina has been the land of very important wine. The wine is obtained by hand selecting the best bunches of grapes and then leaving them to dry on wooden lattices placed inside a dry and well-aired room, the “Fruttaio”, for at least 110 days until the end of January.  During this winter period the climate of the Valtellina does the rest of the work and thus favours the drying and shrinking of the bunches of grapes. At the end of January the grape has lost about 40% of its weight, the fruit has dried and the concentrated juice has developed unusual and very dense aromatic properties. After pressing, a slow fermentation period  follows and at least 24 months ageing and refining, first in wood and then in bottles. Valtellina Sforzato is thus a unique expression of a vine, the Nebbiolo and the area of this fascinating Alpine valley. Valtellina Superiore is always made using Nebbiolo grapes and is divided into five sub-

Domaine Roulot Mersault 2008, a very close wine trough the nose with lots of oak but the acidity is high and  supports a terrific minerality... i wish to open it in 10 years nose is full of honey and apple with some cardamom and mango, vannilla come along with spiciness. mouthful and complex,,,, elegant with rustic notes gives and hint of the Mersault soil and terroir. Roulot is very an outstanding producers and he married the daughter of De Montille what a joke in Burgundy.... love it... thanks chardonnay

Domaine Leon Barral After founding the domaine in 1993, which he named after his grandfather, Didier Barral decided fairly quickly that biodynamic practices were the best choice for farming his vineyards.    Deep in the heart of the Languedoc, in the Faugères appellation just outside the hamlet of Lenthéric, Domaine Léon Barral is a revolutionary winegrowing. In this Mediterranean climate in the Languedoc where the sun burn the vines this oustanding producer make one of the most exciting wine i had in the last years, his red are completely outstanding recently i had the 2007 Valiniere which is one of his premium wine, 50% whole bunch, wild yeast in contact for 30 days in concrete tanks malolactic fermentation on lees in barriques for 2 years, old oak of-course; 80% Mouvedre and 20% Shiraz. Was really austere and blow me away thanks god to give me the chance to try it. Recently i had is simple Faugeres 2009 Beautifully balanced with ripe berries, along with an intense alcohol in the

South Rhone Valley 2011 AOC Cotes du Rhone villages Cairanne Blanc - Domaine Richaud: 29% Clairette, 26% Bourboulenc, 18% Roussanne, 12% Marsanne, 7% Viogner, 8% Grenache Blanc Marcel Richaud has been a pioneer in terms of using a natural way of winemaking in the Cairanne terroir. Member of the "Vins Naturel" in france a terrific association focus in sustainable artisan winemakers: http://www.vinsnaturels.fr This 2011 blanc is a blend of most of the native white grapes varieties in all rhone valley, mostly the time they are the blend of a Chateauneuf du Pape blanc. Cairanne is in the hearth of south Rhone valley between Rasteau and Gigondas just north of Avignone: we had  this wine   a week ago, we decanted it to get all the expression of the blend, the fruit come as early we open, grapefruit, pears aromas. The  beginning  was a bit reductive but slowly open up with a touch of anise,  pepper-berry  and some sandal. deeply length through my palate with a touch of sof