raffaele Mastrovincenzo

 Lately I have been enjoying the Pinot Noir for the Commune of Maranges in Burgundy: This commune grows mainly Pinot Noir plus some Chardonnay, is bordering between the Côte-d’Or and the Saône-et-Loire close to the village of Santenay; with some great Premiers Crus. Maranges was granted its own AOC Village in 1988 covering the three villages of Cheilly-lès-Maranges, Dezize-lès-Maranges, and Sampigny-lès-Maranges. The vineyards mostly have a South/South-westerly exposure and lie at altitudes of 240-400 meters. The hill-slopes are differently oriented to those of the Côte de Beaune, making up a varied patchwork of hills and valleys.  Previously in this blog I spoke of Clair Obscure and their 1er Cru Sur less Bois Sud  https://raffaelemastrovincenzo.blogspot.com/2019/10/la-bourgogne-en-feu.html In this post I want to speak about this amazing vigneron Jean & Isabelle Vantey a Domaine des Rouges Queues "Fields of red tales".  The story ...

Some of my personal example of 2018 In Italy:  The varying climatic conditions from the North to the Southern Islands kept the vintners on their toes. Rainfall and hail were particularly tricky to navigate in this year, but overall the producers are very positive about the quality, and generally higher quantity, of the young wines.  Rabasco The 3.5-hectare estate of Iole Rabasco is located in the village of Pianella, in the heart of Abruzzo. The area offers a unique micro-climate particular to this north-central corner of Abruzzo; the Adriatic sea 40 kilometers away while the base of Gran Sasso Mountain is on the western edge of the Rabasco property.  Iole the owner she inheriting her family’s small vineyards and olive grove which are never been treated with chemicals. Montepulciano with little Trebbiano 40 years average 450 meters above sea level. Vines are trained in the traditional "Tendone" style of pergola vine training, all worked by hands, also some examp...

A new Beaujolais for my self Benjamin Yvernay.  Located in Cogny near Villefranche-sur-Saône, in the south of Gamay land outside of the famous 10 cru appellation. 3 ha of Gamay with vines age between 60 to 100 years old, few plants of Chardonnay and Gamaret. On clay, and limestone soils with a good percentage of granite.  The vinification is on whole clusters from 5 to 15 days without any addition. Aging from 6 months to 2 years in very old Burgundy barrels.  It's funky and fresh, with no sulfites added and a bit of barnyard character on the nose, with pure ripe berry fruit on the palate. A producer to watched.  Near Toulon on the French Riviera, in the Cotes de Provence AOC, there are 18 Cru Classé a sort of classification in the Bordeaux style. This wine I tried is from Clos Cibonne which is one of 18 Cru Classé growers in the Côtes de Provence AOC. The estate’s 15 hectares of vineyards are located 800 meters from the coast and are surrounded...

It has been an incredible time, with this restriction COVID 19 at home, we learn how to be more confident with the kitchen and as well each dish I prepared with my wife we did drunk lots of wines; my cellar here in Melbourne is becoming empty. Hopefully, this restriction will be lifted in all their limitation, and we can go back to normality soon. Traveling in the vineyards, visit the producer and meet peoples in the wine bar and restaurant are the things more I missed. Here some wines I have been enjoying during this time :      Rennersister Two sisters, Susanne and Stefanie, a natural winemaking in Austria, Burgenland region. A family winery since 1988 and the sisters are now taking in charge step by step. 2015 was the first vintage for red and white wines – so Rennersistas was born. 12 hectares surroundings their hometown, Gols. All their vineyards and wines are certified biodynamic and they’re worked with lots of intensive manual care. With the help of mother ...

Benoit Courault: Lives and make wine in Faye D'Anjou in the coteaux du Layon, His team seems to consist of him, two friends, and his horses. All vineyard work is without pesticides, herbicides, or chemical fertilizers.. Wines are aged on the lees in old barrels, usually for a year, and bottled by hand. Most of the vineyards he works are around his home. He learned the importance of vineyard work and healthy soils from several winemakers whom he worked with and hence dedicates most of his time to working his vineyards. The belief, which is common among natural winemakers, is that the most important work is in the vineyard, and should allow the winemaker to be 'hands-off' in the cellar. To the point, he spent over 5 years reviving previously herbicide soils from a small parcel he obtained, before feeling confident that the soils had ample microbial life and healthy root systems to yield quality grapes.  Gilbourg is 100% Chenin blanc this was 2108 quite rich on the palat...

Sparkling or Ancestral Wines The ancestral is a sparkling wine that re-ferments in the bottle with its own indigenous yeasts and residual sugars. The recipe, in fact, provides no disgorgement of the deposit that make up the yeasts, which are left inside the bottle, always corked with a crown cap, the maturation of the wine is "sur-lie", (lees is the coarse sediment, which consists mainly of dead yeast cells and small grape particles that accumulate during fermentation) the wines are slightly veiled and opaque, in contrast with the brightness of the bubbles we are used to. Orsi Vigneto San Vito Sur Lie Federico Orsi has been driving San Vito Vineyard for about ten years. A project to enhance the Colli Bolognesi and local varieties follow the principles of biodynamics. Respect for the soil, artisanal vinification without the use of technical winemaking or wine adjustment. Pignoletto is mainly the cepage, ferments with indigenous yeasts, in steel. The first warm ...

We selected four wines around Italy, for a tasting dinner. The idea was to showcase small farmers with an artisan approach. Also some of the autochthonous grapes of the vast different vines you can find in Itlay. Below Cantina Giardino 2108 White  A winery that since 2003 produces wines with a very "natural" approach. They use grapes from historic vineyards site, in the heart of Irpinia, the cradle of Aglianico, Fiano, and Greco. Antonio Di Gruttola the owner, begins to make wine (experimenting) without the modern conventional winemaking; the idea is to make wine by spontaneous fermentation, without filtration, clarification and without the aid of sulfites. Years of tests and research have confirmed that this could be the right way. Antonio prefers all his grapes to macerate for sometimes which in some cases lasts at least six months, like the Cuvee (Sophia). One of the company's choices is to vinify in 1000 liter stoneware amphorae to produce fresh...