raffaele Mastrovincenzo

Brunello di Montalcino is one of the most famous and prestigious italian wine. All Brunello di Montalcino wine is made exclusive from Sangiovese grapes grown on the slopes around Montalcino a classic Tuscan hilltop village 30 km south of Siena. The world Brunello translates roughly as "Little dark one", and is the local vernacular name for Sangiovese grosso, the large-berries form of Sangiovese which grows in the area. The climate in the production zone is Mediterranean. On the lower slopes the soil is clayey marl, higher up a combination of limestone and marl with some tufaceous volcanic stone. The best soil are "galestro albarese" clay with carbonate of lime and friable rock. The harvest go between the latter part of September and the middle of October. Subdistrict of the Brunello zone Brunello production zone can be divided into three district. The first district takes in the area north and to the east of the town of Montalcino, including the town of Tor...

Cornas is at the bottom of North Rhone valley producing only 100% Syrah. Steep slopes vines are planted on a decomposed granitic soil, locally called "gore". Alain Voge his one of the finest producer in this small appellation, all his harvest is done by hand usually being in the middle of september. Grapes are destemmed, fermentation is carried out in a small stainless steel vats (30 to 50 hl) with temperature control. Ageing is done in cask.  I recently drank Les Chailles 06 which means the grapes are coming of a parcel of Syrah with an average of 30 years old on granitic terrace bordering a calcareous hill. This soil gave particular siliceous concentration called "Les Chailles" with a great grafite and dusty character on the nose and palate. My 2006 was clear with medium purple intensity with very light orange on the rim, concentration and viscosity was intense and elegant, the nose was dusty earthy and mineral, grafite, charcoal, granitic with forest fl...

Pietro Caciogna wines In 2005 Pietro Caciorgna was invited by his friend Marco De Grazia owner of the winery Tenuta Delle Terre Nere whom produces an excellent Etna Rosso with Nerello Macalese. Pietro visited his vineyards, located in districts between Passopiciaro and Randazzo, he fell in love with the outstanding landscapes and the beauties of the vineyards. Marco De Grazia encourages Pietro to buy some plot of land until Mr Caciorgna finds this little gem, half of hectare of Nerello hundred years old also uncrafted "prefillosera". Located in Contrada Marchese near Passopiciaro. In 2005 and 2006 he purchased the grapes for this vineyards to understand the potential of the expression of the Clos; the vilification was take in Tenuta delle Terre Nere gently allowed by Mr. De Grazia. That's the reason of the name N'Anticchia which means in dialect just a little. The production of 2005 did not even reach the 1,800 bottles. From 2006 to 4000, then it will lead to...

2002 Latricieres Chambertin Simon Bize One of the domaine's particularities is to work with whole cluster; in order to use good phenolic ripeness is necessary to obtain quality tannins and extraction. Not only the finesse of the fruit but the whole sense of harvest. My grandmother pass way on the 4th of July; that wine was like her, austere, opulent and simple, ornate and gentle, autarchy and powerless, pragmatic and idealistic, old and young…. The opposite of everything a rule in poem and grammar called oxymora. You were a real whole bunch lady full of oxymora. Cheers bella donna.

Viogner and Condrieu… Coleman and Cherry Today was quite a boring winter day, I spent my morning reading about Don Cherry and his trumpet, an  awesome musician. I remember his music when I was in love with Ornette Coleman "Something else" "Tomorrow is the question" and "The shape of jazz to come" beautiful albums where Don Cherry show his beautiful talent. After that i bought some of his music and a Movie where he did the sound track Holy Mountain made by Alejandro Jodorowsky. When i was back home i started to cook and I told to my wife to go and buy a bottle of Viogner around 50 bucks, she came back with a Domain Georges Vernay Viogner Le Pied de Samson 2011. It was perfectly aromatic, peach, apricot and mushroom character on the nose mineral and tasty with lovely oily texture, some herbal, mint, sage; for sure not a reductive at all, very expressive wine but really enjoyable. Apparently Le Pied De Samson it is a lieux-dit located 300 meters above th...

Chardonnay and Pinot noir, France and California on south appellation Macconais and Santa Barbara county... Last night I had a dinner an event in Melbourne called Borrowed space. I had two wines a Chardonnay From Macconais a Poully fuisse by Verget in the plot "Terroir de Vergisson" which means limestone soil and produce wines with good balance, thanks to begin grown at a higher elevation than is usual for Poully Fuisse. Only 20% new wood. Citrus, floral and orchard fruit, got some more saline notes and more stone fruit character with some air. Excellent clarity and persistence. Texture in the palate concentrated medium weight with a long finish in palate with toasty and buttery perception. The next wine was Byron vineyard in Santa Barbara county in California. A sustainable farming methods is the key of the philosophy of the winery, all the picking are hand made form a small plot of vineyards in the finest Santa Barbara.  Maritime climate with a mix of con...

BRUNELLO NOT A BRUNELLO  I never post on my personal diary tasting, a wine which I didn't enjoyed but this time I a need to do this… I was in a rush this afternoon, I stop at the bottle shop to buy a bottle of wine and bring to a friend of mine … So I saw some Barolo was a bit expensive and went to the shell on Tuscany section I saw this Valdicava and I know James Suckling like this one. I never like his way to describe the wine so i never take him serious but this time a said to myself let me give him a chance, INFACT I didn't enjoyed this Brunello di Montalcino completely over extracted dark fruit lots of sweet spice and lots of oak tannin I'll say a wine like Michelle Roland doing in France… So Mr Suckling i was just on impression you don't like real wine or perhaps you really didn't get the means of world terroir… So please stop to infected the web with your recommendation… Because this Brunello doesn't have nothing to do with Sangiovese Grosso and Brun...

CENTRAL OTAGO NEW ZELAND  Central Otago is the coolest wine region and one of the most south southerly wine regions in the world.   It's a continental climate with hot summer and cold winter and hot summer days and cold nights. The local mesoclimates turn out to be suitable for a Pinot Noir. Most winery a less than a decade old with the successful Pinot Noir joined by Pinot gris, Sauvignon blanc, Riesling and Chardonnay. Felton Road single vineyard Calvert in Bannockburn in Central otago 2010 was a bit over extract with pronounced nose of red fruit quite ripe and some beautiful red berries but quite tight wood spice and hint of leather. On the plate quite classic new world Pinot Noir structure long savory with a slightly sweetness mask by the oak. Felton Road  Beginning with meticulous site selection and vineyard design started in 1991, Felton Road's story is one of refusal to compromise. A strict 100% estate policy with fully organic and biodynamic viticult...

CHABLIS The climate in the Chablis region is mostly influenced by the continental climate of the Saône region.  The average annual temperature is around 11°. It is not uncommon for the region to experience minimum evening temperatures of -20° or -25° in January, and evening temperatures below 0° at the end of April and the beginning of May. Favorable daytime temperatures of above 10° begin in mid-April and end around the beginning of October. The town of Chablis lies in the valley of river Serein,  surrounded  by hills, in the best sites it is limestone overlaid with a  layer of Kimmeridgian clay, which is very rich in marine fossils.  Lately I enjoyed this small vigneron Lauren Tribut his Cote de Lechet 2011,was quite interesting. The wine was immediately appealing, crispy and lively, with lovely fruit, lemony aromas, spice apple flowers, smokiness, toasty flavor and direct minerality with shellfish, limestone and button mushroo...