Burlotto 2025 Verduno Pelaverga

100% Pelaverga

Piedmont, Italy 

Medium Body

Pelaverga is one of Piedmont's oldest and rarest red grape varieties. The impression is light and bright, with vibrant strawberry, roses, and orange peel backed by subtle earthiness and spice. In the words of the producer: "If it is true that perfumes give us back the past intact, then this wine is a small time machine."

Practicing Organic

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The first vintage of the Burlotto Pelaverga was 1800, according to the distributor's notes. Today, the wine comes from three different sites in Verduno: Sut Jort, Lasagne, and Rocche dell'Olmo. A general soil type is of calcareous limestone. Vines planted are between 4 and 20 years old and trained to the Guyot system. Fruit is hand harvested in the beginning of October. Fermentation starts with 7 days of maceration in French oak. Next, malo occurs in stainless, before the wine ages for 3 months in wood. For an additional 2 months, the wine stays in stainless casks. Finally, the wine spends at least 2 months after bottling in the cellar before release. The result is a bolder expression of the varietal than I'm used to. Even the color has depth and darkness, as opposed to the brownish, earthy light red that I usually associate with wine made from this classic grape in the Piedmont. The nose has an attractive bouquet of wild cherries and blueberries. There is a breezy, summery aroma of thick green grassy fields instead of the spicy, peppery character I typically find in Pelaverga wines. Herbs, cherry, and a bit of dark mineral and rich plum show on the palate. Well structured, slightly tannic, but bright on the tongue. Not a big wine at all, but surprisingly substantial in flavor and texture for a Pelaverga from Verduno. All that said, this is a delicious wine from Burlotto, as we should expect from the producer. Also, exactly what you should be drinking as the nights cool and we change seasons.