We are already on record as Pelaverga fiends, so combine a branding new-to-market bottling of this high-maintenance grape with fewer than 30 hectares planted and the legitimate hype around its young producers, and, well, consider us intrigued. The 2023 from San Barnaba is everything we love about this singular grape: lifted, peppery, wildly aromatic, and almost impossible not to drink. The team vinifies in order to highlight these trademarks, with shorter maceration to extract color and aromatics without developing excessive tannins, and a relatively brief aging period of 3-6 months, exclusively in stainless steel or cement tanks, ensuring its primary fruit and hallmark spicy notes are preserved without any oak influence. Bright wild strawberry, tart raspberry, candied orange peel, and rose petal leap from the glass, layered with cracked white pepper, sweet spice, and a cooling herbal edge that keeps everything feeling vibrant and alive. The palate is light on its feet but remarkably expressive, balancing juicy red fruit with a savory, saline and mineral streak and mouthwatering freshness. There’s a delicacy to the wine that makes it feel almost weightless, yet the flavors linger beautifully, carried by subtle spice and a gentle floral perfume. Silky tannins stay firmly in the background, letting the wine’s energy, clarity, and pure drinkability take center stage. This is the kind of bottle that disappears very quickly once opened — playful, distinctive, and unmistakably Verduno – and already feels like a cult wine in the making.