April 1, 2015 · 9:26 am

Vittorio Bera – Vinitaly 2015

Arcese 2013
Nice open mineral oxidative notes. Quite leesy cheesy texture not showing the fruit as much, less aromatics.

Le Verrane Barbera 2012
Nice soft earthy meaty herbal subtlety. Bright fresh evocative vibrant bubbly wine.

Ronco Malo Barbera d’Asti 2012
Bright floral notes but some pretty stink. Tight lean savoury mealy tannins, expressive but fresh, nice and clean on the palate.

Mai Dire Mai 2012 Cabernet
Fairly classic. Not bad, not outstanding. Quite a bit of tannin.

Bricco della Serra Dolcetto 2010
Very very stinky nose, very wild explosive.

Moscato d’Asti 2013
More subtle and mineral now, lighter more focused textural. But still lovely musky concentration. A great wine.

Alessandra Bera from Vittorio Bera

Alessandra Bera from Vittorio Bera

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April 1, 2015 · 9:14 am

La Castellada – Cerea 2015

Friulano 2009
Very lifted floral honey blossom aromas. Rich but fresh on the palate, a little bit of savoury wax note, nice clean finish.

Bianco 2009
More rich caramel notes, honeycomb notes. Silky sweet texture rolls across the palate, rich mouthfeel almost syrup-like, still fresh at the end though.

Ribolla Gialla 2009
Tighter leaner younger more savoury intensity, more tannin in this one, fresh but fuller expression.

Pinot Grigio 2009
Very delicate bronze colour, a bit quiet on the nose. Tight intensity, some red fruits with a little sweetness of fruit, long and focused. Nice serious rosé wine.

Merlot 2005
Lifted and fresh intensity belies its age, fresh but also quite a bit of tannic grip and warmth.

Rosso 2006
Really big on the nose, oodles of sweet ripe black fruits. A bit heavy and varietal but not vegetal or under ripe at all. Just not my style.

Cru 2006
Serious colour development. Really intense toffee notes, lots of tannic texture, very long on the palate, dry but sweet at the same time. Intense wine.

La Castellada wines

La Castellada wines

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March 31, 2015 · 2:24 pm

Ampeleia – Vinitaly 2015

Un Litro 2014
Cleaner lighter, fresher but with the same purity. Will be interesting to see it once in bottle and arrived in Australia.

Kepos 2013
Lighter on the nose, more subtle, tight lean focused but not quite the same, a bit too safe?

Alicante 2014
Purity focus crunchiness, potent. Fine bright carbonic notes, tight lean tannins, not the same as 2013.

Cabernet Franc 2014
Very intense varietal nose, herbal, bright tight. Light lean a bit dirty on the back in a nice way, not as varietal on the palate. Reasonable amount of tannin.

Ampeleia 2012
A lot more shy on the nose, but still nice pure focus and subtle dark fruits. Oak a little too prominent at the moment, adding quite a bit of tannin to the mouth feel, needs a bit more depth of fruit, needs some more time perhaps?

Simona Spinelli from Ampeleia

Simona Spinelli from Ampeleia

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March 31, 2015 · 1:38 pm

Fiegl – Vinitaly 2015

Villa Dugo Pinot Grigio 2014
Bright fresh crisp but a little shy at the moment, good texture, needs to settle a bit though. Will be perfect when it arrives.

Villa Dugo Chardonnay 2014
Nice shellfish slightly oily notes. Textural now, fruit yet to express, good acidity, nice and fresh and clean, good drinkability.

Villa Dugo Sauvignon 2014
Positively jumping out of the glass, super vibrant and pungent, sweaty varietal character. Nice and fresh not oppressive on the palate, solid varietal notes, delivers quality for price.

Ribolla Gialla di Oslavia 2012
Very pretty floral honeysuckle notes, quite lifted and perfumed, a hint of crunch too, the slightest attractive volatility. Very lean and precise on the palate, a bit of oxidative barrel character, some sweetish texture, good phenolic grip late on the palate, needs a bit more time to open up perhaps?

Cuvée Leopold Blanc 2011
Very austere pretty subtlety. Purity depth lighter on the oak, hints of some savoury texture, a great white wine to be sure.

Villa Dugo Cabernet Franc 2013
Nice focused earthy aromas, not green but some very mature herbal notes. Bright tight juicy fresh gluggable, just the slightest hint of menthol but a savoury edge to it, good tannins for the price.

Cuvée Leopold Rouge 2008
Round subtle sweet oaky dark red fruits. Balanced fresh, mellow bright, tannins there but not aggressive, good length and nice supporting barrel.

Martin Fiegl with Osteria Balla head sommelier Piero Fonseca

Martin Fiegl with Osteria Balla head sommelier Piero Fonseca

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March 31, 2015 · 1:30 pm

Giuseppe Rinaldi – Cerea 2015

Langhe Nebbiolo 2013
Quite subtle, haunting almost, delicate freshness, deceptive tannins, elegant and long, in a league of its own.

Barolo Brunate 2011
Lovely lithe expressive elegant soft subtle long full structured approachable.

Barolo Tre Tine 2011
A little bit more brooding and closed, very serious intensity. Fuller more intense structure on the palate, more tannin, more crunch, needs more time.

Rinaldi Langhe Freisa 2013

Rinaldi Langhe Freisa 2013

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March 29, 2015 · 9:41 pm

Vodopivec – Cerea 2015

Origine 2011
A little richer and more textural in style, oily texture, nice cheesy notes.

Vitovska 2011
Much livelier aromatics, very mineral citrus, earthy pithiness on the palate, fresh vibrant but very long. Some savoury apricot.

Vitovska T 2011 (6 months skin amphora, 2.5 years amphora)
Herbal density, still extremely shy, a rubbery aroma. Very heady ethereal depth subtlety. Very very long.

Solo 2011
More intense expressive notes brighter character of the T. Very subtle elegant texture but hold on the back palate, silky freshness.

Vitovska 2010
Showing quite floral now, quite pure on the nose. More pithy texture, earthiness.

Paolo Vodopivec with importer in Australia Gianmarco Balestrini

Paolo Vodopivec with importer in Australia Gianmarco Balestrini

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March 27, 2015 · 1:31 am

Marco de Bartoli – Villa Favorita 2015

Lucido Cataratto 2014
Very aromatic, quite floral. Very intense crunchy focused puckering acids.

Pietranera Zibibbo 2013
Intensely aromatic musky jubes. Very dry but open on the palate. Nice grapefruit notes.

Integer Grillo 2012
Smoke on the water. Very sulphury textural savouriness.

Integer Zibbibo 2012
Really interesting influence on the aromatics. A bit wacky on the back but still had that core of fruit sweetness.

Grappoli del Grillo 2013
Mealy wheaty notes. Quite sharp on the palate.

Bukkuram Sole d’Agosto 2012
Intense raisin, intense freshness, very warm on the palate. Exceptionally young and showing some volatility.

Vecchio Samperi
Oxidative nuts, very dry, not sweet in fact. Wonderfully complex, evolved significantly on the palate.

Josephine De Bartoli

Josephine De Bartoli

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March 27, 2015 · 12:39 am

Radoar – Villa Favorita 2015

Muller Thurgau 2013
Fresh linear mineral yet a little open too. Subtlety of texture.

Etza 2013 (mt)
A little more vibrant on the nose, a little wilder and greener. Quite intense on the palate, but still very fresh and good pithiness.

Radoy 2013 (Kerner)
A little shyer on the nose with more green apple notes. Very vibrant explosive fruit on the palate, quite juicy and some RS too. Nice texture, not sure about the 25g of sugar, but then it would get pretty warm.

Zweigelt 2013
Kind of earthy meaty notes, dried red fruits. Fresh on the palate, but that meatiness comes through on the palate. A bit different to done Austrian examples I’ve tasted.

Loach 2012 (zwiegelt, pinot nero)
More intense also more closed on the nose. More tannic, less meaty, very subtle spice notes.

Radoar Muller Thurgau

Radoar Muller Thurgau

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March 27, 2015 · 12:19 am

Cà de Noci – Villa Favorita 2015

DeFratelli 2011
Nice cidery oxidative notes. Bright crunchy freshness, a bit nervous at the moments, very late textural notes.

Nottediluna 2013
Nice and fresh with a hint of stink on the nose, very crunchy yet a little quiet at the moment.

2014 Querciole
Not showing aromatics yet. Wonderfully bold yet lots of finesse, very long and lovely texture.

2014 Tre Dame
A little floral, it lovely spice notes, bright red fruits a bit sour, wild to be sure, showing that funkiness much earlier in this vintage.

Gheppio 2009
Wild earthy foxy chocolate stinkiness. Nice tight ness and focus, not showing as much dirtiness on the palate, slightly mellow.

Campagni di Viaggio 2008
Looking super intense bold and some carob notes.

Aresco 2010
Lovely salty caramel muscaty notes, exceptionally fresh. Really bright and crunchy acids.

DSC01214

Brothers Giovanni and Alberto Masini from Cà de Noci in Emilia-Romagna

 

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March 19, 2015 · 9:00 am

The Vincast with Randall Pollard from Heart & Soil

Randall Pollard is a name in Victoria synonymous with independent fine-wine sales, having worked in the industry for almost 20 years before opening his own wine store in Geelong (Randall’s), and then importing a range of outstanding artisan wines from France and Europe (Heart & Soil). His love of wine stems from sneaking glasses of wine from the cask at the age of 15, enjoying it with cheese and bread. He shared more stories from his career on this episode of The Vincast.

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Randall Pollard from Heart & Soil Wines

Randall Pollard from Heart & Soil Wines

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