Giacomo Borgogno & Figli, Langhe, Freisa

Thanksgiving 2023. Variety #120 for 2023.

Nose: Medium intensity showing cherry, licorice, and spice. Palate: Dry with medium+ acid, medium tannin, medium body with flavors of cherry, raspberry and spice with a medium+ finish.

Freisa is generally light in color, but acidic with rustic tannins. Once popular in Piedmont, it’s now only about 2% of the plantings. Spontaneous fermentation in large concrete tanks. 10 months in large Slovenian oak. Borgogno is considered a traditional producer of Barolo with a long 250 year history. Smoky, bacon nose. Spice. Some tannins but it subsides with food. Dark red berry fruit. Some, camphor, heat at 14.5%. Definitely the most rustic of the reds. https://winediplomats.com/

I have only had a few Freisa wines so not sure I know what representative looks like. Reminds me of barbaresco, but had more tea like tannins. Light red fruit and earthy complex structure, almost gritty. Very fun.

A healthy vivid mid red, some flashes of orange. Smoke, bacon fat, liquorice and brambly fruit on the nose. Alcohol heat evident. Compact red and dark fruits on the palate, with firm tannins on the finish. Altogether a bit heavy going.

More substantial and Smokey that I would have expected. Rustic, medium body. Maybe medium minus,but then Some tannin piles on. Further down the line of Dolcetto. More rustic, dark cherry/ berry fruit, lightest blue fruit

Freisa, a lesser known Piemontese grape and my first time trying it. Lovely vibrant ruby colour with some evolution noticeable near the rim. Unlike my (modest) expectations this turns out to be quite a rustic, edgy wine with typical Piemontese character and racy acidity. Earthy, leather, wild berry. Feisty (but not overpowering) tannins which makes for a moderately full bodied wine. Certainly not lacking in fruit however, expression of dark fruit with a pinch of gooseberry. Shorter finish. QPR definitely …

Perhaps an off wine day...but this was biting...as in hard green. Will not score it.