LA NASCOSTA

La Nascosta is a winery based in Val d’Orcia, Tuscany. It’s not easy to find. Its cellar is an apogee structure designed by architect Nicola Mastrojanni. The place, hidden under a hill, has been literally carved into the mountains so to provide a constant temperature of 15°C throughout the year. La Nascosta, in Italian, means “the hidden one”. The name came out after a long creative effort, involving wine makers, experts and enthusiasts from 12 Countries around the world, who had to pick one name among 12 proposed ones. La Nascosta came out as the winning one by a long distance. Brandpowder, after the naming, had to came up with a logo and a brand identity. We went for extreme understatement. The logo is dry printed on paper, with an embossing that barely makes it readable, but to the connoisseur. The wines, produced and “invented” by the Mastrojanni family, who have an expertise running back to times when Tuscany’s main wine was just Chianti, are part of the Super Tuscan breed: wines who don’t necessarily respect the traditional soil and location, but challenge the geography with a totally new creative palette for the palate. The Mastrojanni family, counting Antonio, the founder, his wife Concepcion, and their two sons, Nicola and Luca, is always fighting. The mix of their personality is so powerful that any decision must go through endless discussions. Brandpowder immensely enjoyed such difficult environment because wine is the end result of their passionate, fighty character. It’s also a fight against odds, but Nature proved to be generous to the Mastrojanni family. It has not been easy, at times, to work with them, but the four components of the family are passionate, honest, and straightforward and we could find a wavelength together. The deep love they have for their own land is reflected by the supreme quality of their wines. None of them is what you’d expect from a Tuscan wine. They all exceed your expectations, especially the white ones. Luca is the person running the cellar, 365/7/24, with a dedication that overtakes simple love. It’s a matter of sleepless nights and obsession because obsession, no less, is what brings the best results, at the end of the day. If you want to know more, please visit their website. And if you happen to pass by, do not miss the opportunity to book a visit in their blessed land.