Community Tasting Note

forceberry wrote:

Friday, July 16, 2021 - 100% Freisa from the Barolo cru Bricco Boschis. Fermented spontaneously with indigenous yeasts, macerated with the skins for 3-5 days using submerged cap technique. Aged for 12-15 months in old, 2000 to 3000-liter Slavonian oak bottis. Bottled 15th November, 2017. 14,1% alcohol, 2,2 g/l residual sugar, 6,42 g/l acidity, pH 3,31 and 28,3 g/l total dry extract. Tasted blind.

Somewhat translucent cherry red color with a somewhat plummy hue. Quite ripe and dark-toned but also subtly green nose with aromas of sweet black cherries, some floral notes of roses, a little bit of pickle juice, light boysenberry notes, a savory hint of baked spices and a green touch of raw beet or tilled soil - perhaps a bit of geosmin here? Or reduction? The wine is lively, fresh and medium-bodied on the palate with intense, ripe flavors of tart lingonberries and fresh forest fruits, some sour cherry bitterness, a little bit of meaty umami, light licorice notes, a subtly vegetal hint of pickle juice and a touch of geosmin. The wine is intensely structured - yet not aggressive - thanks to its high acidity and medium tannins that lend a healthy grip to the gums. The finish is quite long, somewhat grippy and slightly warming with ripe yet savory flavors of dark forest fruits, some licorice, a little bit of sour cherry bitterness, light savory notes of gamey meat, a floral hint of roses and a subtly vegetal touch of raw beet.

A very nice, firm and tasty Freisa that is still very youthful in character. However, there is a weird, slightly green streak running through the ripe and relatively dark-toned fruit, reminding me of freshly tilled soil or raw, still unwashed beets, making me wonder if the wine has a slightest touch of geosmin? Or if the wine is slightly reductive, resulting in these subtly green off notes? They are fortunately not prominent at all and thus the wine is still fully enjoyable, but they do distract a bit from the pleasure - every sip I take, I just think how I'd enjoy the wine more if it weren't for these off notes. Pinpointing this wine didn't take that much time - the bitter notes of sour cherry and moderate tannins took us quite quickly to Piemonte - but nailing the variety correctly took a bit more time.

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