raffaele Mastrovincenzo

Has been an amazingly busy time since Melbourne reopen from the 5 months of lockdown ending in November 2019. The trade has been very busy serving delicious dishes and pouring outstanding drinks. I have been running across the city showing wines and talk with wine buyers. As well I tasted extremely good bootles. Let's talk about some in these new post:  4 wines hit my palate:  . 2018 Daniel Sage - Prospérité de L'entreprise Merlot and Carignan . 2019 Ajola Rossetto  Sangiovese  . Cascina Tavijn 68  Barbera, Ruche  . 2017 Clusel Roch Les Schistes Syrah (Serine), Viogner  2018 Daniel Sage - Prospérité de L'entreprise Merlot and Carignan Daniel Sage is fast becoming an icon of the natural wine scene, he works with Pinot Noir, Syrah, Gamay, Merlot, Carignan and Chardonnay and Viognier in an in the northern Ardéche, just south of Lyon, small vineyards plot. Daniel start in 2011. This cuvée is the marriage of Merlot and Carignan, whi...

The Legend Pierre Overnoy  L’histoire récente du vin nature commence peut-être ici. Pierre Overnoy réalise dans les années 1950 que l’enseignement reçu à l’école œnologique de Beaune et qui préconise l’usage des désherbants chimiques va dans la mauvaise direction. C’est dans sa cave, en goûtant et comparant ses vins d’alors avec ceux de son père et de son frère qu’il comprend l’impact de l’œnologie technologique sur le goût du vin. En 1984 sa première cuvée sans soufre est née. En 2001 il transmet son domaine à Emmanuel Houillon.  Pierre Overnoy fait office de figure tutélaire dans le monde du vin nature, les dégustations chez lui sont légendaires.  Ses vins sont malheureusement introuvables et font l’objet d’une spéculation incontrôlable.   Il Poulsard è un vitigno degno di nota  ha caratteristiche uniche  scarico in colore, (la buccia sarà sottile?)  ha sempre un unghia granato (vuole copiare il Nebbiolo?)  Ha queste note di lampone acidule, le ...

  David Lett is the father of Oregon pinot noir, inspired by traditional Burgundian winemaking practice. His Pinot noir stands in the more delicately perfumed style. In 2005, Jason Lett took over from his father as winemaker and vineyard manager and continues his family’s pioneering legacy. Tight and austere while young, these wines often begin to blossom only at 5-10 years of age. The philosophy of the Eyrie Vineyards, from the beginning the wines have been made exclusively from grapes grown without the use of insecticides, herbicides, or systemic fungicides.  The vines are grown on their own roots and are not irrigated. In 1979, in Paris, and the following year in Beaune, The Eyrie Vineyards 1975 Pinot noir bought international attention to Oregon, a wine region unfamiliar to almost anyone except a handful of hardy pioneers; Oregon won recognition as the New World home for pinot noir. Willamette Valley  is one of the United States' most importan...

Pantom   is a project done in 2019 from the Sardegna producer Panevino Gianfranco Manca located in the town of Nurri in the south of the Island a bit further north of the city of Cagliari.  2018 was for Gianfranco a poor vintage in his vineyards due bad weather, so he decides with the help of his Australian importer Giorgio de Maria to do a vintage in South Australia on the famous Basket Range "Natural Wine" district.  So the Project Pantom is a wordplay around  PA  Panevino A NT  Anton "Lucy Margaux" T OM  " Tom Shobbrrok.  Anton and Tom make him comfortable and help him outsource truly exceptional grapes from Adelaide Hills and South Australia, and collaborate with him on the production of the wines for this project.  2019 Jet Lag    100% Grenache from Vine Vale in SA 30 hours of skin maceration with aging in Tonneau approximately 800L, the idea was to make a PET NAT so to stren...

"Macconais" to the south of the Cote Chalonnaise, the most southern section of Burgundy wine; mainly based around Chardonnay. Production is around 40 million bottles a year. The production has been mainly around cooperative wineries; however recently growers have been farming and expressing this outstanding terroir. A new generation of artisan has grown fast in the last decades. The approach of those little vigneron is inspired by the sustainability of work in the vineyards. The appellations best known is Pouilly Fuisse which lately has been promoted by the INAO a 1er Cru status. Established in 1992 800 hectares spread over four communes Fuisse, Solutré Pouilly, Vergisson and Chaintre. Also, next to Pouilly Fuisse are other amazing appellations, Saint Verant and Vire Clesse. Vire and Clesse are two communes between Tournus and Macon communes; in 1998 both of them joined into one appellation Vire-Clesse for the fact they resembled each other in tipicity and style. ...

2020 Tom Shobbrook new cuvée, in Vine Vale South Australia. Hot days, cool nights, great potential alcohol; however the cool night preserved the acid structure and make the wine despite being rich are supporting with an array of freshness due to the high acidity. 2020 Poco Rosso  A Syrah from Vine Vale in Barossa Valley in South Australia a vineyard planted in the 1930' Syrah, 50% direct pressed  destemmed and 50% whole bunch for 3 weeks then old barrel aging. Cherry, cranberry, grapy must... Savoury, nervous acidity with orizzontal complexity.  A joy for summer   2020 Poolside  A Syrah from Vine Vale in Barossa valley in South Australia a vineyard planted in 1985. Bright intense cranberry Rose colour with medium viscosity. Vivid and translucent color with those beautifully Bright watery rim shades. The nose bursting with aroma of mature cranberry and cherry, underripe strawberry along crispy salty rocks, no evidence of o...

Trebbiano d'Abruzzo "Lammidia" - "Colle Florido" - "Rabasco". Trebbiano d'Abruzzo" Is a white grape in the central region of Abruzzo, it was documented since 1856 by Raffaele Sersante. Roughly 14 million liters of Trebbiano d'Abruzzo is produced each year. Is golden-green in color,  long cylindrical bunches of tough-skinned berries, with a delicate bouquet and refreshing, crisp acidity. Big leaves protect him from sunburn in the hot summers always ventilated by the Adriatic sea on one side and the Apennine mountain chain on the other side. A terrific terroir with ancient marl/limestone base with dark massive clay on the surface ( Jura - Burgundy rings a bell?) The training system is a pergola, quite unique in this region lower in height and closer between the branches of the vines.  The official Trebbiano d'Abruzzo production zone covers, all parts of the Abruzzo region which are not dominated by mountains, the ...

Tom Shobbrook in his vineyard March 2020 Hello everyone... Most of you know I'm living in Australia and I have been working with wines in Melbourne for some time. Natural wine in Australia has a very identified scene, due to some winemakers in South Australia. The heart of the concentration where the movement starts, it is in Adelaide Hills in the village of Basket Range, with a great producer in Barossa Valley "Tom Shobbrook", in Mclaren Vale Jauma by James  Erskine.  Here a little article by Eric Asimov in the NY Times about the movement:  https://www.nytimes.com/2019/04/04/dining/drinks/natural-wine-australia-lo-fi.html Basket Range is on the hills of Adelaide city with lots of natural forests with those patches of vineyards very beautiful, you'll find when you drive up with the car. From Adelaide airport, it's very close 30 minutes driving. Long and cool growing season with vines placed between 450 to 600 meters above sea level, make this region a cool climate...