NV Fratelli Grasso "Trej", Piedmont, Italy

ABOUT THIS WINE

“Trej” is dialect for “3.” indicating the three wines blended to make Trej, Nebbiolo, Barbera, and Dolcetto. Universally enjoyable with meats, cheese, red sauce, pasta, pizza, risotto — a perfect table wine that goes beyond Italian foods. All three grapes are fermented and aged separately. Nebbiolo spends 15-25 days on the skins, Barbera 10-12 days, and Dolcetto is just 10 days. Local yeast is used to ferment. Each wine is aged separately and then blended together by taste. Different vintages for each wine presents a unique expression. Nebbiolo and Barbera will see 1 year in large casks followed by at least 1 year in tank. These grapes will be bottled with the current vintage of Dolcetto which will see less than a year in tank, no oak on the Dolcetto. 

ABOUT THIS PRODUCER

The Grasso brothers have been making wine since before they founded the Azienda Agricola in 1970. They have been farming the same land and making wine from that land non-stop for 50 years! Nothing seems more traditional or wholesome than joining them for a walk through their vineyards. The vineyards are right out the back door and adjacent to the winery converted from the old family barn. Even though they don’t speak any English, their infectious smiles and easy-going nature make one feel right at home. With large Slavonian oak barrels that average 45 years of age, very little has changed in their approach for the last half a century. The largest portion of their land holdings comes from the Vallegrande cru which runs from the bottom of the hill at 900 ft asl., up to 1300 feet at the crown of the hill. Here Alfredo and Luigi make their flagship wine with a minimum of 30 months (up to 48 months) of aging in the large old barrels.

The Barbaresco region is often times referred to as the ‘Queen’ of the Nebbiolo grape because the wines tend to be more elegant than their neighboring Barolo (The King). Barbaresco is a third the size of Barolo and received DOC status in 1966 and later DOCG status (Italy’s highest designation) in 1980.