Pinerolese DOC Freisa Brigit Nèir

100% Freisa from a late harvest on the Santa Brigida hill, aged 8 months in a large barrel and 6 months in the bottle – Independent Winemakers

Garnet red, spiced with red fruit and cocoa: this mountain Freisa reveals its tannins only at the table and can age in the cellar for up to seven years.

The Brigit Nèir, Pinerolese DOC Freisa di Dellerba

On the Santa Brigida hill, Freisa is the last to be harvested. Alex and Andrea Dellerba wait until the first week of October, when the first snow has already fallen on the Alps opposite, to hand-harvest the fully ripe grapes. It is this wait, very late for a grape variety with a high acidity, that gives the wine its unique character. Brigit Nèir, the “Black Brigida”, its balance between freshness and depth. In the cellar the most important work takes place at the beginning of the fermentation, with the decantingThe grape seeds, the pips of the grape, are separated from the must to prevent them from yielding their green, bitter tannins, and the wine retains only the noble tannins of the skins. This is followed by eight months of aging in large barrels and six months of bottle ageing. The result is a pure Pinerolese DOC Freisa, garnet in color, with aromas of spices, red fruit, and cocoa, and enveloping tannins that fully unfold when paired with food. It also has the structure to age for five to seven years, depending on the vintage. It is grown at 570 meters above sea level, on sandy, mineral soils with a southwest exposure, by two independent winemakers who grow, vinify, and bottle the grapes themselves.
 
 
 

The roots of this Freisa lie in a duty from 1517

Freisa has an official birthdate, and it's from around here: the first document mentioning it is a 1517 customs tariff from the municipality of Pancalieri, in the plain between Pinerolo and Carmagnola, where "fresearum" wine paid a higher duty than other wines, a sign that it was already considered prized. The name, according to many, recalls the strawberry, fraisa In Piedmontese, for its characteristic aroma of small red berries. For centuries, Freisa was the grape of the Turin and Chieri hills, almost always vinified as a lively and slightly sweet wine, with a light foam that tamed its acidity and rustic tannins. Only in recent decades have winemakers learned to make great still and aging red wines from it, aided by DNA analysis that has revealed its close relationship with Nebbiolo. Dry Freisa, aged in wood, is the most interesting rediscovery in Piedmontese winemaking in recent times, and Brigit Nèir is a mountain example: late harvest, racking, and large barrels are the three key approaches with which the Dellerba family have transformed a difficult grape into a wine of patience.
 
 
 

Choosing Dellerba's Brigit Nèir means taking care of the land

An aging wine is a promise made to the land, not just to those who will drink it. Dellerba's Freisa vines are grown using CCPB-certified organic methods, fed only with manure from the company's Piedmontese cows. The soil is never worked to allow it to breathe and conserve water. The winery operates with energy from its own solar panels. late harvest it is only possible with healthy grapes and a high altitude microclimate that dries and protects the bunches until October, and the decanting It is a patient manual work that replaces any chemical correction of tannins: it is removed, not added. The passage in large barrels and the months in the bottle complete a slow and respectful evolution, which delivers a wine capable of improving for years to come. The hallmark of Independent Winemakers It guarantees that all this happens within the confines of a single hill. A red like this opens up for the occasions that matter and is drunk with moderation, letting time in the glass do its work.
 
 
 

Technical Data

• Denomination: Pinerolese DOC Freisa – Piedmont
• Type: red wine for aging
• Grape variety: 100% Freisa
• Training system: Guyot
• Exposure: South-West
• Altitude: 570 m asl
• Soil: sandy, highly mineral
• Harvest: manual, late, first week of October, when fully ripe
• Vinification: crushing and destemming; destemming at the beginning of fermentation
• Aging: 8 months in large barrels, then 6 months in bottle
• Serving temperature: 18°C
• Aging potential: 5-7 years depending on the vintage
• Certification: Independent Winemakers; CCPB-certified organic farm
• It contains SULPHITES

Organoleptic Examination

Visual examination. In the glass, Brigit Nèir presents a full and luminous garnet red, with a rim that, in older vintages, fades to orange: the color of a wine that has aged in wood and bottle and is ready to evolve. The consistency is good, with slow, regular tears, and the medium transparency allows light to filter through to the bottom of the glass.

Olfactory examination. The nose opens on the spices,, pepper, clove and a hint of nutmeg left by the large barrel, and continues with the red fruit of Freisa, raspberry and ripe cherry, up to a dark and delicious base of cocoaWith oxygenation, the violet, typical of the grape, and a balsamic note of undergrowth emerge; it's a bouquet that transforms in the glass and rewards those who have the patience to wait a few minutes.

Taste test. In the mouth the wine is dry and medium-full bodied, with a enveloping tannicity This is its distinctive feature: the tannins, refined by the racking, are dense but never aggressive, and are fully released only with the right combination at the table, when they meet meat. The high acidity keeps the palate fresh and taut despite the late harvest, and the finish is long, with hints of red fruit, cocoa, and spice. A red that appears austere on its own but becomes generous at the table.
 
 
 

Gastronomic pairings

Brigit Nèir is a wine that demands the table, and in particular the second meat: calf in all its forms, from pan-fried fillet to stewed oxtail, and the pigFrom roasts to cotechino, from cured meats to capocollo. The enveloping tannins find a tenderizing partner in the fat and protein of the meat, while the acidity cleanses the palate and prepares for the next bite. It effortlessly pairs with traditional Piedmontese dishes, such as bagna càuda and braised meat, and with mature cheeses of character; with a few more years under its belt, it also pairs well with game. Serve at 18°C ​​in large glasses, uncorking an hour beforehand and, for older vintages, decanting gently.
 
 
 

How to Best Use: Pinerolese DOC Freisa Brigit Nèir

• VEAL TAIL VACCINARA STYLE, WITH A HINT OF COCOA – The Roman dish meets a mountain Freisa. Brown the Veal tail in pieces with the Red onion of Tropea IGP, blend with a glass of Brigit Nèir, cover with the Biodynamic Sauced Datterino Tomato and cook for four hours on a very low heat; at the end of cooking, dissolve a small square of 71% Organic Dark Chocolate, as tradition dictates, which recalls the cocoa notes of the wine. Served with the Organic Clean Catalonia Chicory sautéed in a pan.
• Veal Fillet with Shiitake Mushrooms and Chopped Cardoncelli Mushrooms – An elegant and quick second course. Sear the Biodynamic Veal Fillet in a pan, let it rest and, in the same pan, sauté the Fresh Organic Shiitake Mushrooms with a spoonful of Cardoncelli Mushrooms with Almonds, which binds the sauce. Accompany with the Organic Romanesco broccoli steamed and the Biodynamic Purple Sweet Potatoes baked: earth, woods and meat, Freisa's favourite playground.
• THE AUTUMN BAGNA CÀUDA – The Piedmontese ritual that calls for a tannic red. Desalt the Anchovies of Cetara in Salt, melt them over a very low heat with plenty of garlic and extra virgin olive oil until you obtain a cream, and bring it to the table in the fojòt with the vegetables to be dipped: Thistle raw rib, the Organic Jerusalem Artichoke in slices, the Green Cabbage in segments and the Organic Beetroot Red Turnip boiled. Brigit Nèir, with its acidity, holds its own against the garlic and anchovies like few other wines.

The Producer: Dellerba

Brothers Alex and Andrea Dellerba have been cultivating the Santa Brigida hill in Pinerolo since 2012: organically farmed vineyards of Freisa, Barbera, Favorita, and rare Pinerolo varietals, orchards, pastures for Piedmontese cattle, and a farm with an educational farm. Freisa is the iconic grape of their hill, and Brigit Nèir is the wine that takes it to the highest levels: late harvest, patient work in the cellar, and the time it takes to grow.
 
 
 

Ingredients

Freisa grapes. Contains SULPHITES.
 
 
 

Nutritional Values ​​(average values ​​per 100ml of product)

• Energy: 312,35 kJ / 74,65 kcal
• Fat: 0 g
• of which saturated fatty acids: 0 g
• Carbohydrates: 0 g
• of which sugars: 0g
• Protein: 0 g
• Salt: 0 g

Storage and Disposal

Wine suitable for aging: store bottles lying down, in a dark, cool place with no temperature fluctuations, ideally between 12 and 16°C, where it can mature for five to seven years, depending on the vintage. Open one hour before serving and pour at 18°C; for older bottles, let stand for a few hours and decant. After opening, reseal and refrigerate, consuming within two to three days. Disposal: bottle in the glass recycling bin, cork in the organic waste bin or designated collection point, and cap according to your local council's instructions.
 
 
 

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