La Casaccia 'Monfiorenzo' Freisa Monferrato

The lovely Rava family runs this pristine, certified organic estate in Cella Monte, just south of the Po River, in the Monferrato hills. They are a lively, energetic, and engaging bunch, and their wines are a direct portal to this wonderful family dynamic. We love all of their wines, but their Freisa is astoundingly good.

Freisa is Nebbiolo's cousin, and it shares a lot of the same structure as Nebbiolo does. The version from Team Rava is a wonderful introduction, as it smells of macerated, spicy strawberry, raspberry, and dried rose petal. It's certainly pretty, but it's also got a healthy amount of tannin, making it an ideal red to enjoy with grilled meats.