Three generations of Gattos have made wine in these hills since the early 1900s, and since 1993 it's been Pierfrancesco's estate — enough of a Ruché believer that he helped set up the grape's museum in Castagnole. The Ruchè di Castagnole Monferrato is where to start, and the "Loro" Riserva is where to finish: the grape given time, floral and deep. There's plenty behind it — Barbera d'Asti Superiore, Grignolino, Nebbiolo, Pinot Nero, even a Viognier — plus a grappa distilled from the Ruché Riserva that regulars swear by. Prices are fair; the Ruché and the Barbera Superiore both hover around eleven euros.
Don't come for a panorama. The cellar sits in the courtyard of a working farmhouse, and the welcome is the plain, family kind — often Edoardo walking you through the range, in English if you need it. It's open long hours six days a week plus Sunday mornings; taste before you choose, and know that the bottled wines outrun the bulk.