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 ...

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 berrie...

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 thr...

Montagne de Reims Montagne terroir is rich in chalk a type of  limestone derived from the deposition of tiny life-forms on the bed of the sea which a millennia ago was in this area, thus give a Champagne Ardenne an extraordinary characteristic from his wine especially in Ambonnay, Trepail and Bouzy. Minerality and saltiness drive the wine from that area. Lately have been taste two different R.M. from this part of Champagne from Trepail David Leclapart and from Ambonnay Egly Ouriet. Leclapart a blanc de blanc Apotrè from Trepail David believe in the respect from life so his wine are pure and simply, the use of barrel is primordial, traditional pressing and the adding of sulphur as discreet as possible, indigenous yeast, no insemination with lactic acid bacteria. The racking and bottling are performed according to the rhythms of the moon. The malolactic fermentation is systematic because it allows to stabilize the wines and limit the use of sulfur.  Certified by Ecocer...

Sauvignon blanc is certainly the white varieties most important and popular, along with Chardonnay in the whole world, which make some of the best white wines in the world. It is good to specify Blanc, because there are different varieties of it, mostly depending on the color of the grapes, Sauvignon Gris and Rosé (which gives the wines a good body), appreciated in the Bordeaux and Loire. There are Sauvignon Jaune, Noir, Violet and  the last is Sauvignon Vert or Sauvignonasse considered related to the Friulano or Tocai in Italy, very popular in Chile (less abstract, more rustic, less potential aging ). It is a grape with penetrating aroma, which allows the immediate recognition, the typical scents: gooseberries, nettles, moss and cat pee (characteristics that are best expressed in Sancerre and central areas of the Loire). In California, Australia and New Zealand has been tested with fermentation and aging in oak resulting in wines more complex, but with the loss of the freshn...

A pinot noir for Alsace by Albert Mann, 500 horn manure 501 horn silica 502 Yarrow 503 Chamomile 504 Stinging Nettle 505 Oak Bark 506 Dandelion 507 valerian 508 Equisetum Casuarina This number there are all the different homemade compost which Albert Mann apparently using to fertilized his vineyards to balance the atmosphere and the biodiversity in the land. Also only using "selection massale" which consist in high quality vines, to maintain diversity. After several months of fermentation, the wines remain in contact with their lees to stabilize them naturally, every thing is in according with moon for more energy and vitality. Clos de Faille is a beatiful Pinot noir from Alsace made in a beautiful manner i loved this 2009. Thanks to the Mann family

Domaine de Trévallon Erloi Durrbach has been producing wine at Domaine de Trévallon since 1977. The vineyard was within the appellation of Coteaux des Baux de Provence, but since Eloi did not agree to plant any other varieties than the Syrah and Cabernet Sauvignon which he has always vinified, he lost appellation status and was “demoted” to Vin de Pays. He has even been refused permission to expand his 15 hectare vineyard so new plantings have only become possible by uprooting old vines. His wines are now so sought after that the domain has attained almost cult status. The distinctive cubist labels were designed by Eloi's father - a friend and contemporary of Picasso.  I had this wine a few days ago and was a really while ago i didn't have it. So complex and young, a wine support with a really strong tannin lots of red fruit carry by smokiness leather and earthy characteristic. Very long deeply with length never ended, finish dry and spice 50% Cabernet and 50% Shiraz fr...

One of the most controversial producer in Langha; Bartolo Mascarello his an old fashion winery who doesn't believe in Barrique small french oak cask to ageing the nebbiolo. Only big slavonian oak or cherry cask big as well.... Also he believe the single vineyard is not a big purpose for that area in fact his wine is a blend for a different plot - a composition from the most well know area in Barolo district.. "Cannubi" " S. Lorenzo" "Ruè" "Rocche de la Morra" Incredibile perfume, real fragrance, a melange of scents, first flowers, then berries, one second raspberries, the next strawberries, then truffle followed by leather; explosive. mouth filling flavors, great class and elegance. Long live to Bartolo Mascarello wich rest in the hell after pass away not long time ago. cheers