Funky, vibrant and expressive wild berry, red cherry, bramble and violet and red rose floral perfumes. Also, some dark plum, damp black soil, old wooden chest, worn leather couch and lemon zest notes. Rich-seeming dark berry and cherry fruit on entry, followed by racy, intense acidity across the mid palate, to the dry, mineral finish. Mixed dried herbs and garrigue, tart red cherries, graphite, lemon citrus, earth and leather. Juicy and powerful with fine grained (not rustic) tannins. Below mid weight but with sufficient structure and stuffing. Characterful. Good length. Ideally hold until 2024+. A top quality Freisa! 93+.

Deep, dark crimson colour. A muted nose with aromas of blackcurrants and blackberries, dark cherries and Black Doris plums, tobacco leaf and wet terracotta pot. On palate, polished, vibrant blackberries. Also liquorice, dried herbs, dark cherries and plums, and a little cacao and dark chocolate. Sleek, svelte tannins. The impression of lower acidity. Satiny mouthfeel however the alcohol a little over-prominent (14.5% ABV). Many vintages, I regard this label from Vajra as one of the best Barberas in the whole Langhe. However, at least at present, based on this bottle, the 2013 is somewhat disappointing. Presently drinking quite primary, it's a bit one-dimensional. The underlying material and balance, overall, seem good, so I am at 90, but a hold until 2024+.

A shade lighter, and more ochre, than the Currá. A bouquet of sour red cherries, cedar, sawdust, damp and dry soil and faint red rose perfumes. On palate, this bottle is now much more open than described in my 2019 note. Red cherry, orange citrus, tar, sottobosco and a hint of menthol. Elegant and cultured. Sandy tannins. A little below mid weight but dense and structured. Not lacking in ripe, rich fruit. In good balance and proportion. The alcohol on the label (14.5% ABV) a surprise - there is no alcoholic burn. Currently, in my view, drinking better than the Currá, generally considered to be the superior vineyard. Drink until at least 2032.

Colour dark ruby at the core, some garnet at the rim. The nose showing more woody barrique than the Cottá, also less development. A restrained bouquet of creosote, wet, black soil, damp sottobosco, espresso and dark berry and cherry fruit. In the mouth, an espresso and tarry entry. Also, some oak artefact but now, 11 years from vintage, the least I can remember for this wine. There is still serious tannin here but the grip has loosened. Darker fruited than the Cottá with more creosote, mocha and balsamico. Also, more structured and closed than the Cottá, not as accessible. It will, I think, be the longer lived of the two wines and still has potential on the upside.