"Impeccable balance"
- Noble Esoterica
2010 G.D. Vajra
Freisa della Langhe Kyè
Before there was Nebbiolo, there was Freisa
"From top to bottom, this is one of the most consistently brilliant ranges in all of Italy" - Antonio Galloni, Vinous Media
This includes the absolute benchmark Freisa. Vajra takes this esoteric grape and brings it to jaw-dropping heights.
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Vajra's Freisa has become an obsession for us. A few years ago we stumbled upon a parcel of old Freisa. And things have never been the same since. It started with a stunning '89 and then there was the '90, which was also killer.
For the uninitiated, the 2010 vintage is an ideal place to get to know Freisa. Everything points to 2010 being a great vintage for the Barolo area. Antonio Galloni has said that "2010 is the greatest young Barolo vintage I have tasted in 18 years of visiting the region."
We know that the Galloni quote refers to Barolo specifically, but it's no stretch to apply this to Vajra's Freisa. It's grown in the same area and Nebbiolo and Freisa are genetically related. Freisa is actually a parent grape of Nebbiolo (the grapes share 85 percent DNA). Nebbiolo is undoubtedly one of Italy's noble grapes and in Vajra's hands Freisa boasts plenty nobility of its own.
Throughout Piedmont, Freisa gets treated in widely different ways - it can be sparkling, sweet, a simple and fruity quaffer, but there's no one that even comes close to rendering the grape in such a dead serious and compelling form as Vajra.
It's with Vajra that the grape's relationship with Nebbiolo becomes brutally clear. There's a structure, sense of breeding and such a spectrum of flower, spice, herbs and dark fruit.
The 2010 vintage of Vajra's Freisa is gorgeous. A true hallmark of the vintage, it's incredibly fine-tuned, precise and elegant. Galloni notes that "2010 stands out for its impeccable balance." The amount of energy and, at the same time, substance of the wines is amazing. It will age very well and we've created 4-pack pricing for this reason.
The Freisa Kyè is sourced from over-35-year-old vines in the clay-rich soils of Vajra's San Ponzio vineyard,1,300 feet above sea level. The wine sees long aging in Slavonian barrels.
This is a great example of an heirloom, indigenous grape that's been elevated to what was an unimaginable level. Vajra's Freisa is one of the great esoteric gems of Italy, not to mention one of the great values in ageable Piedmont
To order, reply to offers@crushwineco.com or call the store at (212) 980-9463.
Joe Salamone
Wine Buyer
Crush Wine & Spirits