Your favorite Nebbiolo's - D'Alba, Langhe, etc?

Hi all-
Querying the board on favorite producers of sub-$30 “generic” Nebbiolo? I’ve had some luck trying ones made by Barolo houses I like, Cavolotto makes a very nice one, but looking for standouts from you all?
Thanks!

Vietti Perbacco - not sure of the price in your market but it is very good.

My favorite Nebb in the $30 price range would be the CantinaGarrone Prunent from the Val d’Osola.

In general, I prefer the Nebbs from Valtelline/AltoPiemonte/Roero to B/B.
Tom

In the Langhe, Produttori di Barbaresco and Vajra are two that I’ve bought over the years and found very reliable. But I found most good Barolo and Barbaresco’s Langhe Nebbiolos are generally quite good. (Nebbiolo d’Alba is reserved for a small area around Alba and can’t be used for wines from the Barolo or Barbaresco zones, even though Dolcetto d’Alba and Barbera d’Alba can come from those areas. Go figure.)

I found the Vietti Perbaco very reliable, until the last one I had a couple of years ago (a '10, I believe), which I found a bit alcoholic.

Cantalupo’s Colline Novarese “Agamium” is just a silly great value at $15 or less. The '09 and '11 have both been super.

Travaglini Gattinara is a more serious wine, and very reliable year in, year out, but it’s more like $30.

The '15 vintage seemed very strong for the “lesser” wines when I visited the Langhe a year ago. I’d guess it’s hard to go wrong buying a '15 nebbiolo from any good Langhe producer. And, of course, if you see '13s around, they’re likely an even better bet.

I’ve tried on occasion the Nebbiolo offerings of Giacosa and Sandrone and have been underwhelmed. I used to be a fan of Vietti’s Perbaco but from what I understand, a lot of the juice which previously was used for it is now going into Vietti’s Barolo Castiglione, and that which can be had for the low $40’s is one of the best QPR’s available.

2015 Francesco Rinaldi is awesome! '16 will be even better.

If you see Cascina Ballarin’s nebbiolo, give it a go - very good and very good VFM IMO (whereas their Barolo wines are less appealing to me in the VFM stakes).

I went back to my notes from my visit last year (posted here) and found some other good ones:

2013 Brezza - Nebbiolo d’Alba – Vigna Santa Rosalia (I wasn’t so enamored of their '15 Langhe Nebbiolo)
2013 Oderro - Langhe Nebbiolo
2014 Vajra - Langhe Nebbiolo
2014 Frat. Alessandria - Langhe Nebbiolo
2015 Cogno - Langhe Nebbiolo “Montegrilli”

Given how difficult '14 was in Barolo (as opposed to Barbaresco), it’s a real credit to Vajra and Frat. Alessandria that their simple nebbiolo bottlings turned out so well.

Given your price point I’d add Marcarini Lasarin to the list.

I’ll echo John’s thoughts on Vajra and Produttori. The Produttori Langhe Nebbiolo can be had for like $17 and I think it’s quite good after about five years out from vintage. The Vajra is just a tad more and I find it a better wine. Moving up, the Produttori Normale/Torre (the main wine) can be had around $25 and is excellent and Vajra Barolo Albe I’ve found at under $30. So for each of these producers their basic nebbiolo and their first tier of “better” wines are both excellent and excellent value IMO.

I’ve never enjoyed the Vietti Perbacco. I may have always had them too young though, as I find even the basic nebbiolo wines typically need a little bit of time.

I need to make it a point to explore the Alto Piemonte more.

Echoing Vajra, Produttori and Cavallotto. I also like the Nebbiolo from Grasso and Burlotto.

Are there any domestic Nebbs of note? Are they price competitive with Italy?

Absolutely, Glenn. There’s a bunch of them out there at very competitive prices.
I just mentioned the one in the latest CortiBros newsletter on our NEB FaceBook page:

The Castelli/Gioranata/DueVigne/ClendenenFamily/Palmina/Fogarty/Harrington are some others quite good.
Tom

I tried the nebbiolo from Barboursville Vineyards in Virginia last week. You can skip that one. Much of the tannin and none of the fun.

I was in the region earlier this month and the best one I tried was Paulo Scavino’s 2016

Langhe Nebbiolo 2016

Light robe. Juicy acidity. Red raspberry and strawberry. Sleek rather than abrasive tannins. Brilliant quality for a generic Nebbiolo. The 2016 vintage looks very exciting.

Sounds like the Langhe Nebbiolo 2016 from Proddutori des Barbaresco I tried this weekend! Also liked it very much and similar taste profile.

Cameron makes one in the Willamette Valley, but I’ve never had it. That’s where I’d start if I wanted a domestic version.

Big fan of Ar.Pe.Pe. Rosso, although he US price at about $35 hardly makes it a bargain. Beautiful wine, typically quite open knit and very approachable.

Can I cheat and use the Produttori Cru’s? They are 25-26 Euros ex vat in Europe so when the exchange rate was at 1.08 I could get them back for under $30

On a more serious note I second the Ar.Pe.Pe. Rosso at around that $30 mark. The 2014 is a surprisingly good wine in a poor vintage, as they blended all the Crus into the Rosso. Balgera is also quite nice in that < $30 price range.

If you see them around I’ve been quite impressed with Elio Sandri’s Langhe Nebbiolo (esp. the 2013) for ~ $20, and the Colombera & Garella Coste della Sesia for ~ $18 - worth a try.

I’ve not had the Cameron, either, Michael. Alas, they don’t do direct sales, so you have to go thru a retailer.
I’ve requested them to send samples to our NEB get togethers, but they never have bothered.

They are, to my knowledge, the only producer of WillametteVlly Nebb. Cana’sFeast and Tammarack
also make a Nebb (which are both quite good)), but they’re from Ciel du Cheval/WashState Nebb.
Willamette is pretty cold for growing Nebb, but it can be done. EmilioCastelli does it in the heart of Pinot country.
Cana’sFeast also makes a pretty authentic Chinato as well.
Tom