In America, when we discuss local, we usually mean within 100 miles or so. Here in San Francisco, we like to claim the rolling hills of Coastal Sonoma and Monterey as our own “local” backyard.
Italy, however, takes locals to a completely different extreme. There, the local dialect shifts slightly from one village to the next, like an ancient game of broken telephone, so that by the time you travel ten towns over it can get hard for the original villagers to understand. The way you simmer the local ragout or shape the tortellini will also vary dramatically between two hamlets separated by just a few miles.
And so it is with wines and the grapes that produce them. Sure, the official DOC system has played a role in standardizing wine production, so that now, for example, a collection of eleven villages in the Langhe are all incentivized to focus heavily on the Nebbiolo grape to make Barolo.
Yet even within these eleven specific villages you will find stubborn holdouts. The one that has become most beloved is Pelaverga, found in the village of Verduno. This is a grape that faced near extinction as recently as the 1960s, when there were literally just a handful of vines left kicking around, entirely within Verduno boundaries.
Why do legendary Barolo producers in the village of Verduno continue to devote time and precious vineyard space to Pelaverga? Well, it provides so much of the aromatic magic and bright cherry fruit of Nebbiolo, but entirely without its heavy weight or dense structure. Winemakers often describe Pelaverga as lighter than air, featuring bright red fruit seamlessly married to notes of wild thyme and fresh rosemary.
For reasons that are by now obvious, nobody makes a massive amount of Pelaverga, and we rarely have much to offer on our shelves. Our recent arrival comes from the historic Castello di Verduno estate. The winery calls this particular bottling Basadone, which is not the name of a vineyard, but rather the local dialect for the wild poppy flower. Colloquially it translates to little kiss, reflecting old village lore that Pelaverga acts as an aphrodisiac. Could it be love that saved this rare grape from extinction?
Castello di Verduno Verduno Pelaverga Basadone 2024 - $39.99
The newly arrived 2024 vintage shows off a bright ruby hue and unleashes a highly perfumed, energetic profile packed with crushed strawberries and fresh raspberries. This rare red carries a beautifully defined clarity on the palate, where the core of juicy mountain fruit is seamlessly accented by floral notes, a distinct touch of ground nutmeg, and a racy, saline texture. Aeration coaxes out an expansive, savory depth that leads into a persistent, mineral driven dry finish, proving that this light bodied wine is a stellar, food friendly overachiever.
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