raffaele Mastrovincenzo

For several years I have been leaving outside the old world continent, the great Europe. I have been exposed to several wines from Australia due I'm leaving here, also wines from New Zealand and lately USA and South Africa and some South America. International variety I will said the classic French grapes acting quite well in the countries just mention, but one of those I really find interesting is the Pinot Noir. Central Otago in New Zealand seems by the press one of the best example outside of Burgundy, as a region is divide in sub zone with different altitude and exposition. My preference sub zone is the Wanaka area with vines planted around the homonymous lake; another great region is the Sonoma in California especially with Russian River Valley AVA and Sonoma Coast AVA. however there are two Pinot Noir I have been very in love with: The first one is the Eyre Vineyards from Oregon in Willamette Valley in the little sub zone Dundee Hill AVA.  The Eyre Vineyards was fo...

Last week I was invited for a tasting discussion about Georgia Wines, in Melbourne Smith Street, the location was Rockwell and Sons  http://www.rockwellandsons.com.au  the cool kids on the block... The wines were tasted in different brackets with discussion about taste profile and understanding of the region and sub zone. 1st bracket Tsitska was the grape variety, 3 different producer  Tsitska is a good-quality white Georgian grape variety used in the production of dry, sparkling and fortified wines. Primarily grown in western Georgia, Tsitska is part of the Imereti family of indigenous Georgian vines. It ripens late and is not especially productive, but it is highly regarded by locals. Winesearcher quote.  1st wine Makaridze Winery on the left pics 2015, the wine was clean, dry with lovely bitter phenolic on the palate textural with concentration of orchard fruit as quince and red apple skin. Tension with great crush rock and stony minerality....

Benjamin Taillandier in the Minervois AOC in the Languedoc make wines less concentrate and alcoholic ... Lighter, fresher and lower in alcohol ... However his wines are full of liveness and are also vindesoif .... VITI VINI BIBI is a cuvee of grenache, cinsault, carignan with very low level of so2 ... He start in 2007 after finish winemaking school and work under Jean Baptiste Senat at Domaine Senat... For Benjamin Jean Baptiste is a mentor and with the technique and ideas he learned with his master; he decide to make is own wines. In 2007 he settled in his family’s hometown of Caunes-Minnervois, he purchased less than 6 hectare of vine under Grenache, Cinsault, Syrah and Terret Gris converting the farming in organic with the goal to convert in a future all his vines in biodynamic farming.  He achieved Ecocert certification.  Benjamin make fresh, mineral and full of flavour wines for the Minervois appellation.. A producer to watch ... #mineralwine #schist #marbl...

Gobelet vignoble et Galet terroir  Les Vignerons D’ Estézargues is a Co-ops in the south of Rhone, with a really interesting new way of the classic bulk massive production. They  takes a fundamentally different approach; starting in 1995 the ten different growers in this co-op began to vinify their wine separately and make single cuvées from their best plots. All the approach is #naturalwine making, any chemically in the vineyards and any correction in the winery. Michael Trebillon is the winemaker at Domaine Les Genestas this cuvee is 40% Grenache, 20% Syrah, 15% Carignan black fruit, sweet spice and orange peel .. plush palate with sauvory spicy notes ... The price of this wine are amazing ...( A different similar concepts happening in Italy with I Vigneri of Salvo Foti ) ... From a  France website VIN BIO  Les vignerons d'Estezargues est un groupement de vignerons des plus qualitatif. Les vins produits par les vignerons du groupement sont natur...

  Suenen is a small new RM located in the Cote des Blancs. A small family Champagne house run by  Aurelien the son of Daniel, who took over in 2008 suddenly after his dad was diagnosed with cancer.  Aurelien found himself with a great responsibility, but with the willing to do a great job; start to be inspired after visiting producers as Pascal Agrapart and Anselme Selosse. From this visit he start to take care of the the soil of his vineyard. Between 2009 and 2011 all the chemical was banned in his soil.  Emanuel Bourguignon help him to better understand the soil collaborating with LAMS the Laboratoire D'Analyses Microbiologiques des Sols.  Suenen owns just over 3 hectare of vineyards in the villages of Cramant, Oiry, Cuis and Chouilly.  Be in the Cote des Blancs the subsoil is very chalky with a very white topsoil showing great minerality and tension.  The Rose is mainly Chardonnay with less 10% Pinot noir to give a beautiful r...

Nebbiolo Dinner .… Nebbiolo is definitely the king grape varieties of Italy. From Northern Italy on the West part, mainly on the region of Piedimonte and Lombardia. Barolo and Barbaresco are the main Appellation or Denomination which made him “Nebbiolo” famous around the world. These two denominations are producing cellaring wines to be drunk after a while of the state vintage, long ageing potential and definitely great pleasure with food. Nebbiolo takes his name from the foggy layer or dust on the skin of the grape; a foggy resemblance. This grape varieties before release needs time in barrel to give a softened element to the tannin which are the main characteristic of this variety. Long ageing process result a  elements of oxidative notes  through nose and palate: dry rose petal, violet, licorice and sour red fruit… element of minerality as tar, dusty rocks and leather which come from the calcareous stony bed rock soil of...