Nebbiolo, the grape used to make Italian Barolos and Barbarescos, can seduce wine drinkers almost as well as Pinot Noir. Unfortunately, the seduction rarely comes quickly or cheaply. If you look hard enough, however, you'll find wines like Ferrando "Etichetta Bianca" ("white label") 2001, a Nebbiolo from a small producer that is just spectacular.

Of all the wines I tasted this month, none met my criteria for a great wine as well as this one. The "Etichetta Bianca" is from a traditional family-run winery that makes its wines with love and care. It drinks beautifully now but will age gracefully for at least another seven years. Finally, the wine is exceptional for the price; it drinks like a $50 bottle.

Why the amazing quality for the price?

As you know, finding truly great Pinot under $30 a bottle can be quite difficult - there's simply not enough juice to satisfy worldwide cravings.

As the quality/price ratio decreases in traditional regions like California, Burgundy and even Oregon, we are finding some of our favorite value Pinots in unexpected places like the Jura, Austria, and today, Italy.

My previous experiences with Italian Pinot have been from Tuscany, and most have been lackluster. So when I heard about Pinot being grown in the mountainous region of Valle d'Aosta, better known for its skiing, I was a more than a bit skeptical.

Lambrusco's acidity and bubbles make it the perfect complement to the rich, largely pork-based cuisine of Emilia-Romagna, which is generally considered some of Italy's best. The acidity, bubbles and low tannins make Lambrusco a great partner for cheeses and spicy Asian foods as well. Overall, it's very versatile at the table.

Commonly thought of as just one grape, Lambrusco actually refers to a great big family of similar varietals growing mainly in Italy's Emilia-Romagna region, though there are also plantings in Lombardy and elsewhere. The vine originated in the wild before it was domesticated; it now boasts more than 60 strains, the most common being Sobara, Salamino (its grape bunches are said to look like salami,) and the red-stemmed Grasparossa. Sorbara is prized for it's lightness and elegance, while Grasparossa is the fullest and most powerful, and Salamino falls somewhere between the two.

Slightly more confusing, Lambrusco zones often share their names with their area's most common strain: In the area of Castelvetro it's Grasparossa, in Santa Croce it's the Salamino strain, and Sobara is associated with the plains north of Modena that surround a village of the same name. A fourth area, Lambrusco Reggiano, is home to a lot of bulk production and is extensively planted with high-yielding strains and Salamino.

Classic Lambrusco can be made either dry or amabile, which means off-dry or just slightly sweet. While typically red, there are both rosés and whites based on Lambrusco grapes as well.

The wines can be made sparkling through either the Charmat method (secondary fermentation takes place in a pressurized tank) or through the more traditional method where secondary fermentation occurs in the bottle.

While Piedmont's Langhe superstars Barolo and Barbaresco hog much of the spotlight, Nebbiolo grows and makes good - even great - wines under various aliases throughout Northwestern Italy. The wines may lack the muscle of Barolo and Barbaresco, but they make up for it in perfume, nervosity and delicacy.

Northern Piedmont: This region includes Gattinara, Ghemme, Bramaterra, Fara, Lessona, Sizzano and, of course, Boca. Nebbiolo (called Spanna here) is often blended with Vespolina and Uva Rara.

Carema: Also in northern Piedmont, but just southwest of those mentioned above. Carema sits in the shadows of Mt. Blanc and is on the border of the Valle d'Aosta region. Nebbiolo (here called Picoutener or Picotendro) grows at high altitudes in fantastically terraced vineyards rooted in poor stony soils. Compared to the wines from Gattinara, Lessona, Boca, etc., the wines of Carema are even more brisk and ethereal.

Valtellina: In Lombardia and bordering Switzerland, these vineyards reach over 2,000 feet. Nebbiolo (locally called Chiavennasca) can be blended with other grapes (Rossola, Pignola, Prugnolo and Pinot Nero). This is the most "nervous" Nebbiolo, full of flowers and sometimes subtle gamey notes. The four Crus are Sasella, Grumello, Inferno and Valgella, which may appear on labels. There's also a tradition of beefing up the region's light wine by drying grapes, Amarone-style; they call this Sforsato.

Donnas and Arnad-Montjovet: From the eastern section of Valle d'Aosta near Carema, these are light and crisp Nebbiolos (called Picoutener or Picotendro).

The following is translated from the YouTube intervew with Teobaldo Cappellano. Translation provided by former Crush Employee Bill Shube.

We have one terrible defect here in the region, with regard to the social set-up. All of a sudden we have Estates. The estate had always been a very tiny thing in our region.

This is truly a way of life for us here, because [previoiusly] my competitor wouldn't have been a landholder, so I wouldn't have been a farmer-winemaker, so I've lost the aspect of democracy. It's absurd, because in dictatorship, it's as if there can be more democracy than in an area like that where everyone has a landlord. But my competitor is also my neighbor, because he'd come to help me with the harvest, out of his own goodness, and he'd profit from it, too.

Extreme (Concentration, Balance, Rarity)
2009 Miani Friulano Filip
The Cult Producer of Italy's Friuli

"Enzo Pontoni crafts some of the most profound, monumental wines readers are likely to come across."
-Antonio Galloni, Wine Advocate

Yet it's also likely that many "readers" have never heard of Enzo Pontoni and his miraculous wines.

Italy's "Required Reading" 2000 Quintarelli Amarone Veneto: Unit 1.1 - Transcendentalism in Wine

Enter Quintarelli Amarone.

What can I say about Quintarelli that hasn’t been said before? He’s simply the master. The legend of Veneto’s Valpolicella region. The benchmark old-school Amarone producer whose only considerable peer is Romano Dal Forno.

Grand Wine, Grand Larceny
2003 Sandrone Barolo Le Vigne

"This is an especially fresh, vibrant wine for the vintage, with tannins that are particularly refined. Sandrone's 2003 Barolos have developed remarkably, and today are among the most successful Barolos of the vintage..."
- Antonio Galloni, The Wine Advocate

I am confident that this is the only opportunity you will ever have to buy this wine at this price. Looking around the country, the average bottle cost of the 03 Sandrone Le Vigne is well north of $100.

Bigger is Better: Monprivato 1.5L and 3.0L
2006 G. Mascarello Barolo Monprivato
Large Format
Ultimate Piedmont Cellar Treasures

A few weeks ago, we emailed about the 06 Monprivato bottles, and we promised that we'd get a few magnums to offer to Piedmont supporters...

Today we fulfill that promise and spread a little extra holiday cheer: rare magnums and even rarer double-magnums.

Monprivato Large-Format
2007 G. Mascarello Barolo Monprivato
The Only MAGNUMS & DOUBLE-MAGNUMS in the Country

"The 2007 Barolo Monprivato is flat-out stunning. Deep, powerfully layered and totally impeccable, the 2007 possesses marvelous class and harmony."
- Antonio Galloni, Wine Advocate

On Monday, we sent out our offer for the 2007 Monprivato - a wine that Antonio Galloni basically serenaded with his review.