Scarpa Verduno Pelaverga | 2024

We love Pelaverga for its white pepper snap, strawberry fruit, and its singular way of showing Piedmont at its most graceful. Native to Verduno, one of Barolo’s outsider communes, it remains a rarity, with Burlotto, Castello di Verduno, and Fratelli Alessandria among its best-known champions. Scarpa’s version, though, is no shrinking violet. It comes from a tiny one-hectare parcel in Monvigliero, Verduno’s golden site, planted in 1970 and re-grafted in 2019. Vinified entirely in steel with moderate pump-overs, it lands in the sweet spot between not too delicate and not overly structured. It slides over the palate with ripe red fruit, a fine veil of spice, and firm, but slim-fit tannins. Salami and mortadella are easy pairings, but Pelaverga shines with alternative flavors like soy, ginger, and mirin. Quantities from Scarpa are pathetic. So, grab what you can. ~Allegra Angelo