G.D. Vajra, Langhe, Freisa Kye

Delightful nose, at once pretty (violets, pipe tobacco, molasses, spices) and funky (root vegetables, mud, basement, tar). Striking concentration and structure. Gritty tannins at the back. Long, velour-flannel-like finish. 91-92.

2022 vintage

Well structured, ripe fruit. Needs time to settle down, tannins are still present and noticable.

2022 vintage

Barolo 2025; 7/1/2025-7/9/2025 (Barolo, Italy) : First time tasting this bottling. Freisa is purported to be a cross of Nebbiolo with another variety of uncertain origin. Well this tastes like a Syrah, with white pepper, violets and blueberries, more than anything else. Very Rhône-ish. A bit direct and fruit driven, lots of dark fruit concentration, chewy tannins. I like it, though quite different from any other red I’ve tasted in Piemonte.

2022 vintage

Best Freisa I have tried. Food wine needing some years i the cellar with a long aging potential.

2022 vintage

This cuvée is composed of grapes from the lower part of Bricco delle Viole. Peppery on the nose, rich and savory on the palate, this wine is easy to understand but effective, with notes of strawberry and peppermint, but unfortunately the finish falls a little flat. This is a good wine with a rather warm character.

2022 vintage

Visit to Vajra (Vajra, Barolo) : The nose is savory, but with a slightly upfront and slightly stern take to the tones of dark red cherries, black raspberries, licorice, tobacco leaf, leather, a touch of liqueur notes, and violets. This shows off decent depth, but it’s also showing the vintage. The Full bodied feel is robust and with the savory quality of the nose while possessing tart, medium+ acidity and chewy, high tannins. This is still good, but the nose …

2022 vintage

A month in Barolo: A visit at G.D. Vajra with Francesca Vajra (Barolo, Pedimont, Italy) : The vines are now 40 years old here. The color is typically rich and dark, and the wine offers meaty aromas and quite elegant, luscious fruit. I love that combination of aroma and find it quite unique. Rich, soft and round on palate entry. Good strong tannins, bordering on bitter, but with smaller sips its more smooth and elegant. Massive dial up of acidity …

2022 vintage

Perfumed cherries and blackberries, yoghurt. On the palate juicy red berries and dark cherries, ok medium+ acidity and a touch of sweetness, slightly sticky tannin.

2022 vintage

With Isi Deep, dark fruit with violet and tar on the nose. Heavier with overt force. on the palate. It’s a little overripe with the fruit turning plum. Full bodied and firm with a little coarse tannins. Feels warm. Don’t get me wrong, it’s very good, but it is marked by the vintage.

2022 vintage

I didn't know what to expect of this wine. It turned out to be quite a revelation. Nearly opaque ruby colour. Nose full of lactic nuances, pepper and olive paste. If tasted blind I would've definitely placed it somewhere in southern Rhone. The mouth feel is intense and full of character with lots of salinity coating your mouth and a very long aftertaste. Great stuff.

2022 vintage

Great to be back to this indigenous varietal after 6 years. Farmed from vines planted at 1980, wine was aged for 9 months, partially in large Slavonian oak casks and FR barrels. Deep ruby colour. Medium+ intensity aroma of cherries, pine needles, violets, spices, liquorice, minty and mocha hints. Full body, racy and bright, feels ripe yet lively, intense and elegant texture with fruity core, lively medium+ acidity, firm tannins.

2022 vintage

Medium red ruby in color. Full, fragrant & aromatic nose of ripe fruit aromas of cherries, currants & raspberries with overtones of floral notes of roses, herbs, tobacco, spices & a hint of minerals. Medium bodied with a good concentration of well balanced & smooth textured, ripe fruit flavors of cherries, cranberries & pomegranate with herbs, spices & minerals. Lingering finish. Drinks quite well at present with extended airing but may develop slightly further with additional aging. A very interesting …

2018 vintage

Medium color. Medium intensity aroma of strawberry, fresh cut flowers. High intensity flavor of strawberry, pepper. Medium+ tannin. Medium body.

2022 vintage

Raspberries and lavender followed by a hint of pipe tobacco on the nose. This wine is fruit forward and balanced with the classic, Italian acidity. The flavors unfold as raspberries, leather, and a slight hint of clove. We really enjoyed this wine!

2018 vintage

Confiture de fraise, cerise bien mure et juteuse, herbacé, légère amertume, acidité moyenne, mon premier Freisa et c'est définitivement pas un style que je suis habitué. Pas mauvais mais ce n'est pas mon style.

2018 vintage

An interesting wine. Somewhat “muscle-bound,” as if they were trying to prove that Freisa deserves a place at the table with the “big boys” - prefer Freisa as a more “acrobatic” wine.

2018 vintage

Fantastic rendition of freisa - herbal, feral, complex and enjoyable now but should age well. This makes an excellent case for freisa as a serious wine, not that I needed to be convinced.

2018 vintage

Strawberry, herbal and sweetness in nose. Grippy tannin, acidic, rustic and herbal with bitterness and sweetness at finishes

2018 vintage

Decanted for 3.5 hrs. Some nice floral aromatics - violets; some good acidity - sour red fruit; tannins remain a little rough and distracting; definitely some astringency here. No doubt this will probably be better in a few years, however, I'm just not sure there is enough going on in this wine for the complexity and length that I'm looking for to be there. Not a bad bottle of wine; not a wine I'll buy again.

2018 vintage

2015 G.D. Vajra Freisa ‘Kye’ Langhe Rosso 💭This is the 2nd episode of a 2-part feature on Freisa grape variety. It is also the finale. In this post I’m featuring the 2015 G.D. Vajra Freisa ‘Kye’ Langhe Rosso. Same Freisa grapes but planted in a different province within Piemonte. It has almost similar qualities on the nose as compared to a Pinot Noir but on the palate is where it differs. Kyé means ‘who is?’ and represents the surprise this …

2015 vintage

Dark, cherry, terpenic minty note, almost like a toned down fernet. Dark color, plenty of tannin, this was indeed untamed. Very tasty and serious, can almost surely improve with more time.

2015 vintage

Brief note. Excellent Freisa, like a traditional Barolo from a good year with a slightly feral, rustic wild berry edge (meant as a positive, if that’s unclear!). Tar, tart (mainly) black cherries, peaty damp soil, liquorice, blackberries, dried herbs and bonfire smoke. Precise, vibrant acidity. Characterful, chunky tannins. Great now, with this concentration it’ll improve over the next 5-10+ years.

2015 vintage

Lively and fresh on the nose. Dark cherry as well. But bright. And dark cherry on the palate. Super tasty and wonderful. Darn that is delicious.

2018 vintage

Deep- purple-ruby. Wonderful perfume of rose petals, fresh black plum, cherry liqueur chocolates, tar, liquorice and tomato puree. Medium-bodied, with a black cherry skin texture, generous against a crunchy acidity and finishes with firm, rasping tannins. A fairly bold wine that has an ongoing pomace note and a wide flavour spectrum that shows furniture polish, underbrush, wild, feral notes, medicinal and an unusual menthol veering to mint toothpaste that adds a coolness as the wine opens further. There is a …

2015 vintage

Color: dark ruby Nose: strawberry, sour cherry, leather, underbrush, fireplace smoke, tomato concentrate, violet Palate: medium body, medium-high acidity, medium-high tannins. Aromas are really awesome here confirming the nose with some fallen leaves to boot. Definitely lots of sour cherry and strawberry but the smoky and umami are forward. Finish: long Definitely had this in the wrong season, an autumnal wine if ever I've had one. Rigorous and serious, but also generous and forceful. Has to go with beef stew. …

2015 vintage

Served blind Fairly deep ruby purple Strawberry blackberry aromas and flavors Bone dry, quite balanced acidity This is a bit simple, but really quite lovely and worth a visit. Or a detour... (I initially guessed Dolcetto, but so much more)

2015 vintage

The nose is clean and extremely floral and perfumed, with Nebbiolo-like tart red fruit, red flowers and medicinal herbs. Dry, with high acid, pronounced, grippy tannins and med (+) to high alcohol (14%). Overall, it is a medium (+) to full-bodied wine, with substantial flavor intensity and a pleasant, med (+) long, tannic finish. It is barely entering its optimal drinking window and should continue to evolve over the next five to ten years. A really interesting and well-made wine …

2015 vintage

Thanksgiving week in Piemonte; 11/22/2019-11/30/2019 (Milan, Barolo, Alba, Barbaresco) : Tasted at the winery. 12-18 months in large oak barrels. Grippy with dark berries and spice, great balancing acidity - this is quite enjoyable.

2015 vintage

Le Langhe 2019; 10/26/2019-11/1/2019 (Le Langhe, Piedmont, Italy) : Rich earthy smell, mushrooms and black fruit. More Nebbiolo like in the mouth, concentrated and slightly floral, plenty of tannin. Quite a long finish, but not the acid of Nebbiolo. Interesting wine.

2015 vintage

With Isidoro Dark fruit, tar, violets, and back licorice on the nose. Sappy and dense and pretty refined for freisa. Structured, dark fruited, and tarry and simultaneously floral. Excellent freisa. Little freisa coarse tannins on back end.

2015 vintage

Piedmont; 2/11/2019-2/15/2019 (Alba, Italy) : Freisa was mostly ripped out in the 1970s because it was an unproductive grape, but this wine is from 60-year old vines. Funky, slightly mushroomy, with some strawberry tones. Extremely backward, this may well be one of the most tannic wines I can remember tasting, which makes it a really tough slog. In fact, I was still picking the tannin out of my mouth on the way to the car. Definitely not my cup of …

2015 vintage

With Isidoro Dark fruited. Tar, violets on the nose. Rich, dense, structured, yet not fat and more finessed than usual. Finishes with but contextually relatively fine tannins. There is sense of tension and balance here and a calcareous backbone feel to it. Outstanding Freisa.

2015 vintage

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G.D. Vajra, Langhe, Freisa Kye

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