Freisa rules

Do you know Freisa?

No, not the pompous radio shrink on the old TV show.  (Ha ha.  Humor.)

Image ripped off from my buddy, Filippo Ronco

I mean the grape variety that thrives in its home territory of Piemonte, the lighter, easier-drinking, less expensive counterpart of Nebbiolo. (Freisas typically retail for $15-20 in New York.  From Piedmontese big wigs somewhat more, naturally.)

Which is not to say that Freisa is some sort of plonk.  Not at all.  It has its own charms in flavor and style, good fruit and acidity anchored by enough tannins to give it a wee bit of gravitas.  The best versions have an earthy, herbal-aromatic quality that lifts it above the run-of-the-mill the same way a good Morgon is miles above a plain Beaujolais. 

Here is the first part of the Oxford Companion's entry on the grape (Daniel Thomases was one of the authors):

[Freisa] is a light red grape variety indigenous to the Piemonte region of north west Italy and, more specifically, to the provinces of Asti, Alessandria, and Cuneo in scattered vineyards which reach almost to the gates of the city of Turin.

The vine was known in Piemonte in 1799, and dna profiling at davis and Torino showed that Freisa has a parent–offspring relationship with nebbiolo. Freisa musts can be quite high in both acidity and tannins even if, like Nebbiolo, it is relatively light coloured for the region, although its wines are coarser in terms of the tannins and flavours.

The wine exists as a varietal in a range of styles, but traditionally as a slightly frothy wine from a secondary fermentation, which retains some unfermented residual sugar to balance the slight bitterness from the lees. Freisa‚s decisively purple colour and aromas of raspberries and violets tend to find favour much more readily than its flavours, which, with their combination of the bitter and the sweet, seem to arouse widely divergent reactions: from Hugh johnson‚s ‛immensely appetizing‚ to Robert parker‚s ‛totally repugnant wine‚.

(I left the links, with the strange capitalization and punctuation, for you to follow.)

As usual, I would be in the Hugh Johnson column.  Freisa is usually an "appetizing" wine in the best sense of "appetizing," in part because it's a lovely accompaniment to a wide variety of foods.

Further, in the right hands, the "combination of bitter and sweet" flavors is both deepened and merged in an impressive way, with or without the presence of oak. 

The "right hands" would include the family-run estate of Cascina Gilli, a 21-hectare (50 acre) winery in Castelnuovo Don Bosco (Asti).  Owned by Gianni Vergnano, Cascina Gilli makes Barbera, Bonarda and Malvasia in additon to Freisa.  But, in the able hands of winemaker Bruno Tamagnone, the winery produces not one or two but four versions of Freisa. These people are Freisa specialists; and the Freisa I have tasted is far above any of the others I've ever had, including those by some of Piemonte's biggest guns.

Cascina Gilli.  Almost worth giving up Manhattan for a place like this...

My introduction to Cascina Gilli was through the winery's marketing director, Chiara Martinotti, who is, in the best Italian family winery tradition, a niece of the proprietor.  I met Chiara for lunch on Friday and tasted a couple of her wines -- a Barbera d'Asti and an unoaked Freisa -- between appointments.  The Barbera was nicely focused, even refined in this unbarriqued form.  But to me the real hit was the unoaked Freisa.

Chiara told me that

Cascina Gilli has the exposition and soil that bring out the best of this grape.  "The soil is very clayey so the water runs quickly down hill.  The plants suffer from water stress, meaning that they must push their roots deep, and so they produce perfume and flavors that are very intense."  She added, "We love Freisa, but I think two of the versions we make are not for the American market."

"Why is this?"

"They are in the 'vivace' style of our zone.  Very acidic, maybe not rounded enough or with too much tannin for the US."

Note this from the Vigna del Forno fact sheet: "It's a Freisa much softer and more structured than usual.  The tannic notes, typical of this vine, are here reduced.  Excellent if served with meat, mild mature cheese and also with more demanding dishes like braised beef."

I begged her for samples of all four styles.  I did taste the "Vigna del Forno" edition -- unoaked, as mentioned.  It was impressive compared to other Freisas I'd tried.  Rounder than the vivace style, no doubt, but surprisingly complex.  Like that mythical Morgon.

These first two aren't deemed suitable for America.  "We can't handle the truth!"

Yum yum YUM (my point system in action)

Means "revelation" in dialect.  I guess because usually Freisa doesn't co-habitate with new oak

I can't wait to taste all of Cascina Gilli's Freisas.  And I will share my impressions ASAP. 

Would anyone in New York like to be on my tasting panel?  I mean, someone besides Eric Asimov?  (sob!)

I'll take three volunteers from the Peanut Gallery...

Comments

[djr]

...wish I could, wish I might, have the wish I wish tonight...

[Terry Hughes]

Nice stuff, David. Even Gabrio is giving me some slack, telling me, "Now you're finally writing about good wine again."

He a hater, ma'.

[tirebouchon]

Sono felice che tu abbia incontrato Chiara e i vini di Cascina Gilli, un produttore "vero" con un gruppo di lavoro giovane e preparatissimo (fra cui spicca l'enologo Bruno Tamagnone, giovanissimo).
Il posto dove sorge l'azienda tutta circondata da ettari e ettari di vigne è uno dei più spettacolari in Piemonte, dove tu sai ti aspettiamo da tanto tempo e dove ammiriamo il tuo amore per il vino italiano.
Devi assaggiare la Freisa Arvelè , un vino che può invecchiare anche 15 anni, ma anche la Freisa Vigna del Moro può durare diversi anni.
Gianni Vergnano ha dato tutto se stesso nella valorizzazione di un vitigno ancora sottovalutato in Italia e all'estero, si può dire che sia il maestro della freisa.

[Terry Hughes]

Informazioni (e complimenti [blush]) affascinanti, Vittorio. Grazie.

E' impressionante il carattere dei vini ormai assaggiati da me, Chiara mi ha promesso campioni della Freisa, tutt'e 4 tipi. Ammetto che ieri sera ho stappato il Barbera barricato, che non mi pareva buono quanto il Barbera senza rovere. Sara' caso di gusto personale.

Devo aggiungere che essere "Maestro della Freisa" mi pare un posizionamento unico e di gran valore in un mercato sovraccolmo di vini qualunque, per lo piu' buoni ma senza vera distinzione. Mi spiace di parlare da markettaro, e' un'abitudine...

Domenico si trovera' presto ad Alessandria per la competizione internazionale del Barbera, come giudice. Ma per 36 ore solamente, purtroppo.