'I Custodi' translates to 'The Keepers' or 'The Custodians,' and refers to this group of growers who watch over some of the unique indigenous vineyards on Mount Etna. Wines from this place are tenuous-- Mount Etna is Europe's most active volcano, and recent August activity (mostly on the Southeast side) have the wine industry in a constant state of uncertainty from day to day. 

Made from approximately 40-year-old indigenous vines grown on the northern slopes of Mount Etna, this bianco is a blend of mostly carricante (70%) and a bit of minnella and gracanico as well. Here, high-density bush vines (8.5K vines per hectare) compete for the limited nutrients available in the volcanic soil. This small batch wine spends a year in concrete and steel, before a 6-month aging period in-bottle. 

Vincent Girardin is an 11th generation winemaker in Burgundy, and has had a firm grip on his family's winery since the early 1980s. He farms with a biodynamic philosophy and all fermentations are long and slow, with only natural yeasts (including malolactic). The whites spend almost two years on their fine lees, adding a sense of richness to the bracing acidity that you can find in these wines. 


Vincent Girardin 'Corton-Charlemagne' Grand Cru 2011 (Burgundy, France)
compact and dense, but with a rich and cool, almost silky midpalate despite the healthy acidity. aromas of white peaches and hints of vanilla.  

Here's a neat article in the Imbibe September-October Issue about the rising popularity of red wines from Austria & Germany. 
And yes, in this article I professed my love of aged Rebholtz spatburgunder.... 

The fruit for this wine comes from 70-90 year old gamay plants grown on a blend of sand, schist & granite in one of Beaujolais' rarest crus: Saint-Amour. Established in 1950, Domaine Cheveau is in its third generation of family business, and they do more work in Pouilly-Fuisse than in Beaujolais. 

The family makes a few passes in the vineyard before they finish a harvest. In the fermentation and elevage there are no stems and no wood. 

Domaine Cheveau 'Les Champs Grilles' gamay 2010 (Saint-Amour, Beaujolais, Burgundy, France) 
Happy, ripe-plum aromas, juicy and soft on the palate with nice yet balanced acidity. Not as dense and brooding as the 09 but just as enjoyable. Nice in a restaurant setting because it pairs well with so many different foods. Also, I love a wine that evolves a little once the bottle has been opened, rather than becoming oxodized or flat the next day. When you come back to this the following day, the fruit fades a little and a wonderful herby aroma takes over-- only a few lovely wines do this before they oxodize. 

Padrao dos Povos, or 'Standard of the People,' comes from the Ribeira de Oura subregion of Tras-os-Montes. Tras-os-Montes translates to 'Over the Mountains,' and the region is exactly that: just over the mountains from the Douro. 

This particular wine comes from 12 hectares of grapes grown on granite soils. The winery has some old-vineyard whites including some 100yr+ alvarinho, but their reds are relatively new plantings, about 12 years old. The climate is similar to the Ribera Sacra, and the reds are foot-tred. 
It's a blend of 40% tinta roriz, 40% tinta amarela, & 20% touriga franca.  

Quinta de Arcosso 'Padrao dos Povos' 2010 vinho tinto (Tras-os-Montes, Portugal)
Aromas of minerals, rich, dried plums, and dried meats; rich, soft tannins on the palate; lots of personality. 

Grapes: 20% touriga franca, 40% tinta roriz, and 40% tinta amarela 
Winemakers: Francisco Montenegro, Amilcar Salgado
Vineyard: South-facing, 20% slope
Region: Tras-os-Montes
Sub-Region: Ribeira de Oura 
Country: Portugal
Soil: Rocky Outcropping of Granite
Oak: 12 mo in 3-5yr old oak

This pinot noir comes from a wine cooperative in Germany that claims to be 'the oldest wine cooperative in the world.' Founded in 1868, they have been providing services to growers for well over a century. 

1868- 18 members
1881- 141 members
1968- 240 members
1982- merger with Altenahr coop
2014- 330-400 members

Today's approximately 400 members farm 140 hectares of vineyards in the Ahr's steep, slate slopes, and their average yearly output is about 1,000,000 liters. Of their production, 60% is pinot noir.

Since their merger with another coop, the official name of their new coop is Mayschosser/Altenahr, however, 'Mayschosser Weinkeller' is still visible on the label drawings. 

This is a great example of an inexpensive pinot noir from Germany that is a great quality-to-value wine.