raffaele Mastrovincenzo

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...

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 co...

Chardonnay from the grand cru of Choully on the village Mont-Aignu, grand cru of Avize in the village Chapelle, Grand cru Oger in the village Terre de Noel and the last from the grand cru Le Mesnil sur Oger the villages Chetillon and Ailerrand all vinified separately in oak barrels to improve vitality, elegance and structure. Also a touch of Pinot noir just 5% in the blend to give a the final glass roundness and character. Only 6 grams of residual sugar at the bottling. This is the best champagne of the NM Duval - Leroy only made in exceptional years as 1990, 1995, 1996. Yellow gold colour with extremely fine bubbles, mineral flavors, very aromatic, floral, lemon candy, hints of orange and brioche, vanilla coffee and halzenut in undertone with butterscotch in the final, creamy and stylish alternating aroma of yeast, oaky and citrus element. Duval Leroy is located in Vertus in the heart of " La Cote des Blanc" cultivated 200 hectares,,, massive number. Two family come t...

Saumur blanc appellation is a Chenin blanc in the district of Anjou in the Loire valley region. Chenin Blanc also know as Pineau de la Loire need to be at least 80% in the appellation Saumur blanc. Soil consistent on loose gravel, close to the bank of the Loire river you find this yellowish fragile sedimentary rock formed during the Turonian era roughly 90 millions years ago called Tuffeau. A combination of sand and marine fossils with the gravel character makes this rock extremely porous, absorbing water rapidly and releasing it slowly. This well drainage is very suitable for the growing of vines, so the vines can draw excess of water and hold reserves that stop the vines from shutting down entirely during drier periods. The Foucault family's "Clos Rougeard" own 10 ha of vines in Saumur-Champigny and produce three red cuvees and one white. Clos Rougeard is a cult estate that produces arguably the finest Cabernet Franc and Chenin Blanc in the  world. The Foucault brot...

In the center of Touraine district lies a beautiful appellation called Vouvray which celebrating the versatile of Chenin Blanc. The Vouvray designation AOC was made in 1936, cover the commune of Vouvray in the department of Indre et Loire, and the neighboring villages of Chancay, Noizay, Reugny, Rochecorbon, Sainte-Radegonde-en-Tourraine, Vernou-sur-Brenne and part of Parcay- Meslay. The appellation regulations dictate that the wines must consist almost entirely of Chenin Blanc but in theory can contain a small amount of Arbois grapes. Vouvray can be affected by the soil; clay soil may tend towards a fruity flavors, flinty clay soil may taste more mineral. Also siliceous-clay and limestone clay soil embrace the different of Terroir. The cool climate ensure good acidity, which balance the distinctive character of the Chenin fruit profile and acid structure and the mineral quality are impart by the soil. The vineyard are subject, in a good years, to botrytis cynera, the old responsib...

Vincent Dancer is one of the most exciting young winemakers to emerge in Burgundy in recent years. Vincent started in 1996 cultivated his vineyard with love and care in respect of the mother Nature. Only 5,5 hectare of vineyard owned by this young vigneron of the Cote de Beaune in all superb site. Tete Du Clos a premeir cru on Chassagne Montrachet. La Romanee in Chassagne also. Vincent should label them as Morgeot. In Mersault Vincent Dancer make great wines as premier cru Les Perrieres and with the lieu-dit Les Grand Charrons next to the premier cru Goutte d'Or. As a grand cru he made Chevalier Montrachet which belong only in the village of Puligny Montrachet. His tiny estate in Chassagne-Montrachet in a decade has climbed the hierarchy of white wine mans of the Cote de Beaune. His approach is focus in develop an artisan approach of is business. In the first years the production was very low 4,000 bottles and some wines was sold to commercial companies.  In 200...

Friuli Venezia Giulia Carso Doc Red, iron rich soil with a limestone content leads the wines an acidity characteristic  and mineral notes. Vitovska seems to be the queen of this special terroir a crossing of Malvasia Bianca Lunga, Prosecco Tonda and Terrano a red which come from the Refosco Istriano Family. Vitovska is a thicker skinned variety that can withstand cold winters, summer draughts and the strong wind of the Bora. Zidarich is a small producer in the small town Prepotto only 24.000 bottle on only 8 ha of vineyard. His Winery looks like a cathedral  sculpted from the hard rock a perfect meeting of nature and human ingenuity. The wines are very particular and strongly traditional. The whites are made crushing the berry and leaving the juice with own skin during the cuvaison (fermenting must).  A true craftsman grower with a real understanding of the Carso terroir. The Vitovska form 2009 was cloudy golden straw yellow. Floral and mineral with citrus zest ...