Freisa on My Mind

L

Levi Dalton

Levi Dalton
Bartolo Mascarello Freisa 2005

Dark and brooding and not unlike a hard root (a turnip, perhaps?) that has been just pulled from the ground, the earth still covering it. This reveals little at first except angles and elbows, but aggressive swirling and a bit of time result in a really interesting wine that has no relation to any Freisa I have had before. I was told that this is made in a ripasso fashion, with nebbiolo grapes used as the pomace base. This is Freisa by way of Rhone, it seems, and the pretty, red floral fruit that you might expect from a Freisa is entirely not there. I would have it again, but this is probably a tough sell at $50 retail.

G.D. Vajra Freisa 1989

Wonderful. The best wine I have had in weeks. Really a treat. The aromatics were beautiful, and the palate a delight. This particular bottle was really drinking well. I was told by someone who had tried this wine before that his last experience hadn't been as grand. Bottles are bottles, I guess. Anyway, we lucked out this time around because everything about this wine was gorgeous and perfectly on point. Lovely wine. $35 well spent.
 
Yipes, those are some pretty hefty prices. (Maybe not that much for the Vajra because of the age on it.) I recall getting G. Mascarello Freisa in a restaurant a couple of years ago for something like $20-25.
 
Bartolo Mascarello premium, I'd say, plus the continued undervaluing of Vajra.

Thanks for the notes, Levi.
 
originally posted by Rahsaan:
originally posted by Levi Dalton:
Freisa on My Mind
Bartolo Mascarello Freisa 2005..$50 retail.

Vajra Freisa 1989..$35.
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How do you explain that?

An underpriced older bottle?
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Vajra doesn't carry the same cachet as Bartolo Mascarello with collectors? Nebbiolo grapes are involved in the production of the Bartolo?

The Freisa from Bartolo Mascarello is not usually imported into this country. Maybe someone had to pay someone a surcharge to get it here.
 
originally posted by Bill Lundstrom:
originally posted by Levi Dalton:


G.D. Vajra Freisa 1989
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i have an 03 or 04 of this i got at the winery. any opinions on when to drink?
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Hard to say. Those are two pretty different vintages.

Also, I think most people would like it on the younger side. I had the Kye (it is the Kye you have, correct?) from a recent vintage not too long ago, and I wouldn't have thought we were necessarily talking about a 20 year wine when I had it. That was part of what made the showing of the '89 so special. But then, I have had good experiences with older Freisa. I remember for instance how much I liked the '95 Coppo back in '02 or so. It was drinking wonderfully at that time.
 
yeah i have the kye. i guess i was just asking generally without vintage in mind. your right, totally different vintages. i'll probably drink it soon with a bottle of their white i also picked up. i see alot (drink alot too) of their dolcetto,barbera,nebb and barolo but never the kye or bianco (which is mostly reisling i think)

i found it interesting that mrs vajra felt people drank their wines too young. and she meant all of them. not just the barolo and higher end barbera and dolcetto.
 
originally posted by Levi Dalton:
Vajra doesn't carry the same cachet as Bartolo Mascarello with collectors? Nebbiolo grapes are involved in the production of the Bartolo?

The Freisa from Bartolo Mascarello is not usually imported into this country. Maybe someone had to pay someone a surcharge to get it here.
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Aha.

Sounds like fun wines. But I agree the $50 sounds steep.
 
originally posted by Bill Lundstrom:
yeah i have the kye. i guess i was just asking generally without vintage in mind. your right, totally different vintages. i'll probably drink it soon with a bottle of their white i also picked up. i see alot (drink alot too) of their dolcetto,barbera,nebb and barolo but never the kye or bianco (which is mostly reisling i think)

i found it interesting that mrs vajra felt people drank their wines too young. and she meant all of them. not just the barolo and higher end barbera and dolcetto.
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I have tried the '06 Riesling a few times. I would be quite curious how it fairs with more bottle age, actually.
 
originally posted by Levi Dalton:
originally posted by Bill Lundstrom:
yeah i have the kye. i guess i was just asking generally without vintage in mind. your right, totally different vintages. i'll probably drink it soon with a bottle of their white i also picked up. i see alot (drink alot too) of their dolcetto,barbera,nebb and barolo but never the kye or bianco (which is mostly reisling i think)

i found it interesting that mrs vajra felt people drank their wines too young. and she meant all of them. not just the barolo and higher end barbera and dolcetto.
Click to expand...

I have tried the '06 Riesling a few times. I would be quite curious how it fairs with more bottle age, actually.
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i remember being told to hold it 5 years, but it could age many years beyond that. can't remember what year i have.

ever have their chianato(sp)?
 
originally posted by Bill Lundstrom:

ever have their chianato(sp)?
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Yes. Amari and Chinati are a specialty of where I work. We have quite a few. The Vajra just came back into the Manhattan market after a period of being out-of-stock. We have it. Anyway, I like it alright. Lighter styled. Pretty pricey these days (more than Cappellano at the moment).
 
I'm letting a few Barberas go into to deep sleep (mostly Giacosa) as an experiment. But I never really thought that a Freisa would go 20 years.
 
Both those '89 and '90 Vajras are real treats, more than just interesting novelties. When I visited Vajra we tasted a couple really nice Barolos but all they wanted to talk about was their freisa. The Kye is the bottling they make with the specific intent it be put down for long-term aging, and seeing how well the regular bottlings of the '89 and '90 fared I wouldn't be inclined to open a Kye without substantial time in the bottle. So, I buried my '01s.
 
originally posted by Keith Levenberg:
Both those '89 and '90 Vajras are real treats, more than just interesting novelties. When I visited Vajra we tasted a couple really nice Barolos but all they wanted to talk about was their freisa. The Kye is the bottling they make with the specific intent it be put down for long-term aging, and seeing how well the regular bottlings of the '89 and '90 fared I wouldn't be inclined to open a Kye without substantial time in the bottle. So, I buried my '01s.
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Coincidentally John Morris was just recommending the 1990 to me today.
 
Had recent suite of G. Mascarello wines in November at winery. The Freisa was angular, hard, mean, and tight. I got the impression that Giuseppe (the younger) was not all that fond of it, but perhaps he was not all that fond of it young.

Their 04 Barbera just went on sale here for $48 CDN. Two Barolos, one, apparently the Monprivato, is $110ish I am told....
 
originally posted by Levi Dalton:
Freisa on My Mind
Bartolo Mascarello Freisa 2005

Dark and brooding and not unlike a hard root (a turnip, perhaps?) that has been just pulled from the ground, the earth still covering it. This reveals little at first except angles and elbows, but aggressive swirling and a bit of time result in a really interesting wine that has no relation to any Freisa I have had before. I was told that this is made in a ripasso fashion, with nebbiolo grapes used as the pomace base. This is Freisa by way of Rhone, it seems, and the pretty, red floral fruit that you might expect from a Freisa is entirely not there. I would have it again, but this is probably a tough sell at $50 retail.

G.D. Vajra Freisa 1989

Wonderful. The best wine I have had in weeks. Really a treat. The aromatics were beautiful, and the palate a delight. This particular bottle was really drinking well. I was told by someone who had tried this wine before that his last experience hadn't been as grand. Bottles are bottles, I guess. Anyway, we lucked out this time around because everything about this wine was gorgeous and perfectly on point. Lovely wine. $35 well spent.
Click to expand...

Thanks for the note, Levi, and the heads up that these are available on the market.

As of April '07, the B. Mascarello was only available at the cantina. In my conversation with Maria Theresa, she recommended aging for at least 4 years. She was drinking her '99s. As Levi says, it's a ripasso, and before I tasted Vajra's I would have thought it was the influence of the Nebbiolo that gave it such longevity.

With the Vajra, I was told that they treat the Kye in pretty much precisely the same way they handle their Barolo. In the Boston market, at least, the price of the current release Kye is comparable to what they're asking for the '89. I'll be picking up a few.
 
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