La Miraja Freisa d'Asti | 2023

An offspring of Nebbiolo, Freisa can swing from light-hearted and juicy to tannic and rich. Pronounced “FREEH'EE-za,” its name comes from the Latin fresia, meaning strawberry—which is spot-on once you stick your nose in a glass. While you’ll find some planted in Lombardy and the Veneto, its true home is near Torino, then made its way to Asti, where it was largely pushed aside in the 20th century as bigger names like Barolo and Barbaresco stole the spotlight.

Made entirely from estate fruit from a single vineyard, La Miraja produces fewer than 200 cases of this little Piedmontese gem. The grapes are hand-harvested, destemmed, then basket-pressed into stainless steel, spending 10 days on the skins, while fermentation naturally starts. In the glass, it makes a mess of strawberries, then follows into sweet-and-sour cherries and an outdoorsy spice. There’s real structure here, but without all the tough, dusty business of Nebbiolo. It’s bright, savory, a little wild, and ridiculously charming. Considering how rare Freisa is, the value is kind of nuts. I only wish there were more of it—but then again, would it be as special? ~Allegra Angelo