raffaele Mastrovincenzo

I find the trend of Gamay in Beaujolais has affected my palate; normally if I need a juice wine with great drinkability I'll go for one of my prefered grape varieties from Italy the Barbera. I know they are completely different however I love the similarity through them. Beaujolais is a southern region of Burgundy on granitic and schist soil, Gamay it is the varieties more planted along some rare chardonnay, Pinot noir and Aligotè let's say Gamay is the man in this region. There are ten crus make this region diversified and almost unique and if they are apply to the label are red so Gamay, the crus are: St-Amour Julienas Chenas  Moulin A Vent Fleurie Chiroubles Morgon Broully  Cote de Broully Regniè This area is very skilled for the carbonic maceration an interesting technique of winemaking to ferment the grapes normally stemmed inclusive "whole bunch" in absence of oxygen with carbon dioxide, the bunch are closed in vats and filled with carb

Bendigo wine region in Central Victoria in Australia we are not far from Melbourne a few hours driving  in land. Volcanic plains, alluvial, rolling granite hills, brown loamy soils predominate in structure with a moderate chalk content. The region has a mediterranean climate with warm, dry summer and mild wet winter. Some variation happening due to the elevation of slopes and aspect in regards of the mesoclimate vineyards character. Sutton Grange it is one of the vineyard located in this beautiful part of the world, the man behind this winery is Gillies Lapalus he make a range of different wines and grapes varieties in two different lines Fairbank and Sutton Grange. One of the wine I really love it is his Viogner under the label Sutton Grange; the 2010 has an incredible texture as Rhone valley do, but as the land change from an old world point of view also this wine do. Pale yellow color, translucent and brilliance, good intensity. A bit reductive floral notes, pears and apple, un

I love Chablis and all wine from that region, of course i prefer the grand cru side and the premier cru on the right side of the Seresin river as Fourchame, Monte de Tonnere and Mont de Millieu; however on the other side in the left bank there still some great premier cru to be watched. I certainly like the Cote de Lechet, Valloins and some good side in Montmains as Foret. On the side below the grand cru recently I had a fine chablis from the premier cru Vaillons by Damien & Romain Bouchard 2010 quite a new producer for me. The wine was rounder and fresher with salty nose, quinine, ripe peach and mature apple. Palate great spine acid with lemony character, orange and lemon rind. Nice balance with depth concentration and precise mineral content nose and palate.. crushed rocks, gunpowder and flinty limestone. I don't have much information about them so I find some info on the web; DRB is a new concept created by Romain Bouchard an organic winemaker in Chablis and his brothe

Clement Baraut Vigneron Savennieres 2010 Le Pirouillet Baraut makes this wine from a 32 year old vines purchased in 2009 from Nicholas Joly. Typical Savennieres terroir limestone and sandy with a top slate. Pitrouillet has got vibrant acidity with a rich character, floral and minerally on the nose and palate, green apple, kernel, tangerine and cardamon with an hint of honey and chamomile… Lovely length and great texture. Baraut is a new producer in the Loire valley arrived there in 1989 , he was working in Bordeaux at the Chateau Haut Brion. I found this phrase by him on the web "I was a great believer that wine is made in vineyard not in the cellar; not a very "bordelaise" or oenologist idea". That perhaps the step on go somewhere like the Loire. Since the late 90', Baraut has worked as a consultant for several of the most esteemed producers in Savennieres including Patrick Baudouin, Domaine Closel and Domaine de Rouchambeau; becaming familiar with t

                                                          Domaine Alexandre Filaine                                                                       Geoges Laval Damery and Cumieres are neighbor towns along the Marne river in Champagne. Vincent Laval and Fabrice Gass are two truly champagne growers sharing same technique, minimal manipulation, native yeast fermentations, organic farming and very low use of sulphur. Also some blog on the web tell me they have been in school togheter. we are in the southern of Montaigne de Reims leading over into Valle de la Marne a soil with free lime (high ph) belemnite and micraster chalky soil provide grapes with high acid content. In Montaigne de reims the top soil are mixture of sandy and clay lignite with chalk rubble, subsoil principally Belemnite chalk with micraster chalk full of lignite and sandstone. Valle de la Marne topsoil are marl, lignite with sandy loam and clay sharing almost the same subsoil with more clay and sandstone