2016 Freisa 'Kye' Langhe Rosso
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Tasting notes
I have a thing for the Freisa grape and am very excited to be in front of this sample. The 2016 Langhe Freisa Kyè is named after a colloquial phasing of the question "who is it?" (or "chi è?" in Italian), underlining some of the mystery and allure surrounding this native grape. Freisa is a local favorite, but it is relatively unknown outside of Piedmont. This expression from the fine team at G.D. Vajra opens to a nicely saturated color with dark ruby or garnet highlights. The bouquet offers black cherry, dark fruit and accents of spice or white pepper. Primary fruit is the protagonist and so is that pretty freshness. Fruit comes from vineyards planted closest to the winery at the lower part of Bricco delle Viole. The wine is fermented in stainless steel (to lock in those fresh berry aromas) and is aged in large Slavonian oak casks for 26 months. A mere 6,000 bottles were released in May 2020.
Critic scores
Average Score
Antonio Galloni, Vinous
Monica Larner, Wine Advocate
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The 2016 Langhe Freisa Kyé is a gorgeous wine, but it is going to need at least a few years in bottle to be at its very best. Scorched earth, smoke, tobacco, grilled herbs and black pepper give the Kyé its distinctive brooding personality. As always, the Kyé is a powerful, deep wine, but, as in recent years, the style is a bit more restrained than the more explosive wines in the past. The Kyé emerges from a parcel in the Vajra family's Bricco delle Viole home vineyard.