La Psigula Azienda Vitivinicola
Bramaterra Red Blend
Bramaterra, Biella - Vercelli, Piedmont, Italy
This wine is so beautiful. It defies words but words are all I have so here goes nothing. Haunting nose of mid season cherries, melting road tar, dried and fresh roses, spice and cigar. Woodshop, old library books and so much more. Tweed jacket as well. A mesmerizing and spellbinding nose. Palate is just so together and integrated. This is so special with gorgeously refined tannins and amazing purity and freshness. So much refinement hard not to think of Piedmontese Volnay. So concentrated and so nimble with heavenly mid to late season cherry fruit. Terrific structure for long again. Wow. I’ll follow this throughout the night. After many hours of air this has melllowed out and it just flat out gorgeous with stunning fruit presence and clarity. Amazing length. 9.5 to 9.6.
This wine is so beautiful. It defies words but words are all I have so here goes nothing. Haunting nose of mid season cherries, melting road tar, dried and fresh roses, spice and cigar. Woodshop, old library books and so much more. Tweed jacket as well. A mesmerizing and spellbinding nose. Palate is just so together and integrated. This is so special with gorgeously refined tannins and amazing purity and freshness. So much refinement hard not to think of Piedmontese Volnay. So concentrated and so nimble with heavenly mid to late season cherry fruit. Terrific structure for long again. Wow. I’ll follow this throughout the night. After many hours of air this has melllowed out and it just flat out gorgeous with stunning fruit presence and clarity. Amazing length. 9.5 to 9.6.
Dec 10th, 2023More notes later while I revel in the beauty of this.
Nose is fresh and crushed roses and gorgeous early season cherry. Some lovely umami as well and tar. Just so fragrant and has a haunting quality. It’s really pretty. Achingly so. Palate is the platonic ideal of early season cherry. So elegant and nimble on the palate. Volnay like. Good fruit and length. Dusty fine tannin. Wow.
More notes later while I revel in the beauty of this.
Nose is fresh and crushed roses and gorgeous early season cherry. Some lovely umami as well and tar. Just so fragrant and has a haunting quality. It’s really pretty. Achingly so. Palate is the platonic ideal of early season cherry. So elegant and nimble on the palate. Volnay like. Good fruit and length. Dusty fine tannin. Wow.
The most Volnay of an AP wine I’ve ever had. Haunting nose of wild cherries, spice and mint. Fresh fallen leaves, earth and minerals. Leather, tar and old books. Some tweed jacket as well. So clean. Awesome aromas. So complex, enveloping and inviting. Super elegant and juicy with sweet mid season red cherry fruit and awesome purity and concentration. Much more approachable than the 16 at this point. So supple and succulent. This is so classy and has great breeding. The nose gets more complex with air. Really complex spice and florals start to develop. 9.6 nose. Super sweet fruit and painful tiny berry fruit intensity and suave tannins. 9.5 for real. Wow wine.
The most Volnay of an AP wine I’ve ever had. Haunting nose of wild cherries, spice and mint. Fresh fallen leaves, earth and minerals. Leather, tar and old books. Some tweed jacket as well. So clean. Awesome aromas. So complex, enveloping and inviting. Super elegant and juicy with sweet mid season red cherry fruit and awesome purity and concentration. Much more approachable than the 16 at this point. So supple and succulent. This is so classy and has great breeding. The nose gets more complex with air. Really complex spice and florals start to develop. 9.6 nose. Super sweet fruit and painful tiny berry fruit intensity and suave tannins. 9.5 for real. Wow wine.
Feb 8th, 2022This is Piedmontese Volnay. The most Burgundian Alto Piemonte wine ever. Smells like elite Village Volnay. Cherries. Upon cherries. So pure and refined. Gobs of minerals and elite dried roses. Just bananas aromas. Palate is next level refined but also has a hint of charming rusticity. Juicy and pure with velvety tannins and awesome freshness. Elite wine with structure to burn. Enjoy now and over 15 years. Brilliant showing.
This is Piedmontese Volnay. The most Burgundian Alto Piemonte wine ever. Smells like elite Village Volnay. Cherries. Upon cherries. So pure and refined. Gobs of minerals and elite dried roses. Just bananas aromas. Palate is next level refined but also has a hint of charming rusticity. Juicy and pure with velvety tannins and awesome freshness. Elite wine with structure to burn. Enjoy now and over 15 years. Brilliant showing.
Nov 26th, 2020Another new AP producer. Floral, expansive and delicate nose. Also loads of tar and tobacco. Mid to end of season cherries, cherry flower, mineral and sour cherry. Fragrant off the bat but needs 10-15 minutes to get going. Then gorgeous wet leaves and a burgundy sensibility. Layered and haunting. Like Volnay. Rich and decadent with cutting acids and big black and red cherry fruit and soft but substantial tannins. Loads of energy and purity. Terrific inner mouth florals balance and juiciness. Lovely tannin quality and awesome finesse. This is terrific. After some air this becomes more compact, fresh and complete. Brilliant wine. No hard edges and super engaging mid palate which crashes into a painfully intense tiny berry fruited finish with glorious sap and structure. Incredible.
Another new AP producer. Floral, expansive and delicate nose. Also loads of tar and tobacco. Mid to end of season cherries, cherry flower, mineral and sour cherry. Fragrant off the bat but needs 10-15 minutes to get going. Then gorgeous wet leaves and a burgundy sensibility. Layered and haunting. Like Volnay. Rich and decadent with cutting acids and big black and red cherry fruit and soft but substantial tannins. Loads of energy and purity. Terrific inner mouth florals balance and juiciness. Lovely tannin quality and awesome finesse. This is terrific. After some air this becomes more compact, fresh and complete. Brilliant wine. No hard edges and super engaging mid palate which crashes into a painfully intense tiny berry fruited finish with glorious sap and structure. Incredible.
Mar 28th, 2020
Out of the gates beautiful nose. Blueberry violet mashup. Intense but round. Really pretty. A bare hint of spice to round it out. Intensely floral. A 9.5 nose.
As it opens more dense deep and profound. Wow. Almost like dehydrated cherries. That savory cherry spice melange that you only get from $$$ expensive Barolo. Just infiltrates the nose. Cherry spice intense perfume
Palate is tight on open. Crushed blueberries. Grippy tanins. As this opens piercingly bright cherry and sour cherry. Very clean and precise.
1 hour in dense deep cherries. Chocolate and spice in a balancing way. Controlled density. Has that savoriness you get in high end Nebbiolo. Barolo weight in this vintage. This is clean. Sick juiciness. Old school barolo weight. Present but not obnoxious.
An hour in ... a long finish. Savory. A hint of chocolate. Cherry.
Needs 2-3 years is my guess to drink without a 1 hour decant. We’ll see.
This is a sick young “Barolo” an hour in. Wow.
9.5 is the floor here. It has the balance structure and density to be a world killer in 10 years.
Bought from fass selections.
Out of the gates beautiful nose. Blueberry violet mashup. Intense but round. Really pretty. A bare hint of spice to round it out. Intensely floral. A 9.5 nose.
As it opens more dense deep and profound. Wow. Almost like dehydrated cherries. That savory cherry spice melange that you only get from $$$ expensive Barolo. Just infiltrates the nose. Cherry spice intense perfume
Palate is tight on open. Crushed blueberries. Grippy tanins. As this opens piercingly bright cherry and sour cherry. Very clean and precise.
1 hour in dense deep cherries. Chocolate and spice in a balancing way. Controlled density. Has that savoriness you get in high end Nebbiolo. Barolo weight in this vintage. This is clean. Sick juiciness. Old school barolo weight. Present but not obnoxious.
An hour in ... a long finish. Savory. A hint of chocolate. Cherry.
Needs 2-3 years is my guess to drink without a 1 hour decant. We’ll see.
This is a sick young “Barolo” an hour in. Wow.
9.5 is the floor here. It has the balance structure and density to be a world killer in 10 years.
Bought from fass selections.
A 2018, but just wow. Stunning aromatics and mouthfeel. I had no idea Bramaterra could be like this...a revelation.
A 2018, but just wow. Stunning aromatics and mouthfeel. I had no idea Bramaterra could be like this...a revelation.
1 person found it helpfulJan 11th, 2023
Supremely elegant. Drinking very nicely with a decant. Cozy mustiness which blows off, mint, fruit, & spices on the nose. Palate is all sweet cherry fruit with a lacework tannic undergirding that softens as it opens. Totally see the volnay comparison @Lyle Fass notes below. Lovely stuff. 😍
Supremely elegant. Drinking very nicely with a decant. Cozy mustiness which blows off, mint, fruit, & spices on the nose. Palate is all sweet cherry fruit with a lacework tannic undergirding that softens as it opens. Totally see the volnay comparison @Lyle Fass notes below. Lovely stuff. 😍
1 person found it helpfulMay 20th, 2022Pop and pour, notes from 4 hrs open. As with the 2018, perhaps the most fascinating Bramaterra I have ever had. On the nose: clove, black raspberry, blood orange, tar, intoxicating perfume. On the palate: stunning acidity and density, high-toned pomegranate, blackberry, blood orange, soft clove. So elegamt, and refined velvety tannin on the close. Again, a singular example.
Pop and pour, notes from 4 hrs open. As with the 2018, perhaps the most fascinating Bramaterra I have ever had. On the nose: clove, black raspberry, blood orange, tar, intoxicating perfume. On the palate: stunning acidity and density, high-toned pomegranate, blackberry, blood orange, soft clove. So elegamt, and refined velvety tannin on the close. Again, a singular example.
Nov 19th, 2023
I had written an entire treatise, D wiped it out?
Delicious Nebbiolo, Vespolina, Croatina, raised in Acacia. A ringer for Volnay( as Lyle said).
Lots of flowers, tar, cherry on the nose. That inimitable N. Italian thang that gets me. A red that’s bricking toward brown.
Big entry and soft luscious, velvet mouthfeel, hint of tannin on the finish, satisfying, not intrusive.
Great stuff!
Thanks Lyle.
@FassSelections
I had written an entire treatise, D wiped it out?
Delicious Nebbiolo, Vespolina, Croatina, raised in Acacia. A ringer for Volnay( as Lyle said).
Lots of flowers, tar, cherry on the nose. That inimitable N. Italian thang that gets me. A red that’s bricking toward brown.
Big entry and soft luscious, velvet mouthfeel, hint of tannin on the finish, satisfying, not intrusive.
Great stuff!
Thanks Lyle.
@FassSelections