Freisa is a grape variety I’ve never had before but I have enjoyed Barberas by G. Mascarello. This grape variety was favorably mentioned in a recent DVD set hosted by Jennifer Simonetti-Bryan. So when I saw this on the shelf at Yankee Spirits(Sturbridge MA) I added it to the cart. In reading a little more about wine from this grape i knew the tannic structure was going to need steak. Well last night was bacon wrapped filet mignon night so I pulled the 2006 G. Mascarello Freisa Toetto from the Eurocave. The wine was slightly cool when tasted. In the glass the color was a slightly translucent garnet color with good clarity. On the nose the aromatics were slight but reminded me of sour cherries. The flavors in the mouth continued the sour cherry note and possibly some blackberry fruit which is difficult to ascertain when tasting the wine by itself as the tannins are very significant. No fizziness with this wine as I had read with Friesa wines. With steak the wine came into a pleasant balance with fruit making more of an appearance with the tannins and acidity. Still tannins are the prominent feature of this wine but very enjoyable with food. The wine has moderate length to keep the enjoyment going. Clearly this is a red meat food wine and not for quaffing. This could be aged slightly longer(1-2 yrs) to soften but I would be concerned that the fruit might not be there if aged for several years. Overall I like this wine and it is not a bad value around the $20 mark…Gary
Thanks for the data point. I have a 2000 of the Mascarello I’ve been holding.
My experience with the freisa made in the Barolo zone is that it ages like Barolo. Certainly the Vajra bottlings do. The 89 and 90 Vajras that were on the market about five years ago could easily be mistaken for nebbiolo, which makes sense since they’re genetically related. So I’d expect an 06 to be pretty stern now.
I don’t know any freisa made around Barolo that is spritzy. That style, with a bit of sweetness, is more common to the east.
Thanks for the followup message John. I shall look for a Vajra example to compare. Would love to try an older Freisa to see how it holds up on the fruit end…Gary
Quick followup. After sitting in the bottle for 24hr the fruit made more of an appearance against the tannins which made the wine more approachable. However it still requires a food partner…Gary
I was excited once to find the Mascarello Freisa on the shelf at Hi Time, I think for around $18. But I thought the wine was very poor.
I don’t have any more specific recollection of it, but I was definitely disappointed and found it hardly drinkable. It’s possible it needed age, certain food, or something else.
I have really enjoyed the Vajra.
I opened a Burlotto 2012 Freisa a week or so ago and it was a brute at first – inky, with hard tannins and no fruit or charm. But the half bottle I’d put in the fridge for a day or two (we didn’t drink much of it the first night) showed its fruit and came into balance. Softer tannins than a nebbiolo, but you can see the family resemblance. It definitely needs serious food, but there’s a nice wine there behind the initial shroud.