Spotted this ystrday, so cracked it open last night:
1. G.D.Vajra Kye Freisa Albeisa DOC: Langhe (14.5%; www.GiulianaImports.com/Boulder) Barolo 2009: Med.dark color; beautiful fragrant floral/rose petals/lilacs/violets/Nebb-like slight earthy/dusty very perfumey/aromatic nose; quite tart rather tannic/hard/bitey dry/no frizzante quite floral/lilacs/violets/spicy lovely flavor; very long rather hard/tannic quite floral/lilacs/violets/spicy slight earthy/dusty very interesting/perfumey finish; has the bite of a Langhe Nebbiolo but a lot more fragrance; would guess it needs several yrs of age to soften the tannins a bit; a bit pricey but not way out of line. $44.50 (KK)
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A wee BloodyPulpit:
1. Freisa: This is a variety that I like quite a lot. It is a Nebbiolo X ?? cross of long ago, the other parent probably extinct now. It has a bit more perfume/aromatic character than Nebb, but much the same hard/tannic bite of Nebbiolo. It is much more common in the AltoPiemonte, where it can deliver a wine in the more harsh climate near the Alps. Often it is made as a frizzante wine and often a parzialmente fermentato wine, which I tend to like a lot.
RandallGrahm used to have some Freisa planted in his Soledad vnyd and made a delicious frizzante. But it was hard to grow and has been pulled out. Wrongo/dongo. I know of no current plantings in Calif.
Tom