Look at a geological map of Barolo and you’ll spot something fascinating—a tiny finger of limestone that sneaks across the border into Diano d'Alba. That's where Renzo Castella farms his eight hectares, on the exact same rock that makes Serralunga d'Alba legendary.

The Castella family has been here since the early 1900s. Grandpa Severino started it all, dad Simone expanded the vineyards, and now Renzo—armed with a proper wine education—has turned three generations of farming into something special. While his neighbors sell grapes, Renzo bottles his own wine.

You won't find him on social media. His “winery” is a tiny stone cellar next to his parents' house (mom makes killer prosciutto sandwiches, by the way). Gambero Rosso and Slow Wine can't stop raving about this humble, natural operation. Renzo sells every vintage to sommeliers in Italy who look for easygoing, drinkable Nebbiolo.

There's even a word in local dialect, “Baroleggiano,” for wines like this that technically aren't Barolo but sure taste like it. Isn’t that what we all want?

WHY YOU'LL LOVE IT

• Noble Terroir: Pull up any geological map of Piedmont and you'll see it—that precious vein of limestone sneaking across the border from Serralunga into Renzo's vineyard in Diano. It's the same mother rock that gives Barolo finesse and breed, but at a fraction of the price.
  

• Not of its Time: “Mandonnina” holds much in common with our favorite Barolos of the 1970s and 80s, or contemporary “alpine” Nebbiolo from Bramaterra or Carema. This is not an explosive, muscular, high-polish red. It is a red of purity, elegance, and perfume.
  

• It Will Bloom: Having enjoyed multiple vintages from this same vineyard and cellar, we promise that a bounty of truffles, dried roses, and delicately sweet cherries awaits anyone patient enough to cellar this surprisingly affordable bottle.
  

• Insiders’ Nebbiolo: Despite zero marketing, Renzo’s wines have become darlings of the trade. Gambero Rosso and Slow Wine love him. When sommeliers pour a glass for themselves with a big bowl of “family-meal” bolognese, this is what they choose.

HOW TO SERVE IT

• Decant for 15 minutes if drinking now—this wine needs air to show its best. Serve at 58-62°F in red wine stems.
  

• Drink now through 2030.
  

• A perfect companion to rustic Italian “weeknight dishes” like pappardelle bolognese, or a plate of cold carne cruda with a little drizzle of fresh Ligurian olive oil and dainty basil leaves. And yeah, PIZZA!