And all this time I was working on the assumption that Nebbiolo is the new Pinot Noir, which made me think that maybe Grignolino is the new Gamay. I grew up with Heitz Grignolino so never thought much of it beyond it being an okay conveyor of alcohol (and Napa Valley tradition), but a recent bottle of 1957 Borgogno Grignolino put lie to the belief that Grignolino is something you drink within a year or two of release. It was stunning, but surpassed by a '57 Borgogno Freisa. Who'd a thunk it? Prior to that evening, the Vajra Kyè Freisa was my benchmark for the variety, but tasting the old Borgogno showed why Freisa was planted in so many vineyards now used for Nebbiolo. Due to the economics, nobody would be nutso enough to graft Nebbiolo back over to any other grape, but were Freisa or Grignolino to be reinstalled into better quality vineyards, wine drinkers would certainly benefit from the switch (collectors and investors, not-so-much).
And all this time I was working on the assumption that Nebbiolo is the new Pinot Noir, which made me think that maybe Grignolino is the new Gamay. I grew up with Heitz Grignolino so never thought much of it beyond it being an okay conveyor of alcohol (and Napa Valley tradition), but a recent bottle of 1957 Borgogno Grignolino put lie to the belief that Grignolino is something you drink within a year or two of release. It was stunning, but surpassed by a '57 Borgogno Freisa. Who'd a thunk it? Prior to that evening, the Vajra Kyè Freisa was my benchmark for the variety, but tasting the old Borgogno showed why Freisa was planted in so many vineyards now used for Nebbiolo. Due to the economics, nobody would be nutso enough to graft Nebbiolo back over to any other grape, but were Freisa or Grignolino to be reinstalled into better quality vineyards, wine drinkers would certainly benefit from the switch (collectors and investors, not-so-much).