Negri Grumello SASSOROSSO Valtellina Superiore DOCG

The grapes: 95% nebbiolo – chiavvennasca, 5% rossola.

The vineyard: Sassorosso vineyards, are in the heart of the sub-zone Grumello; the vines, trained by the archetto variation of the Guyot system, on south-facing terraces with shallow, sandy soil, at 450 metres altitude, yielded 60 quintals of grapes per hectare.

The vinification and the maturation: the bunches, picked by hand from 12 to 14 October, were traditionally vinified by the red wine method at a controlled temperature by means of automatic must distributors, with 6 days maceration and frequent pumping of the must over the cap. (7 times a day to begin with); the wine stayed in stainless steel until December, then, 50% of the wine was transferred into 80 hl Slavonain oak vats and the remaining 50% was put into small oak barrels.

The wine: Grumello Sassorosso has a carnet colour with orange red tints. The bouquet, ethereal and very distinctive, has a fine fragrance of dried flowers (wild roses, violets) and of bitter spices (cloves, cinnamon) which underscore hints of cocoa. The flavour is dry, savoury, lean and elegant with a pleasant, lingering aftertaste of bitter almonds. It is a nervous wine of particular finesse, with a good roundness that of it exalts the characteristics.

Optimum keeping: 5/7 years in bottles stored horizontally in cool, dark conditions.

Unusual fact: Sassorosso is one of the best crus of Grumello (from the Latin grumus: hill, high round) the Valtellina Superiore sub-zone where stood the fourteenth century Castel Grumello, destroyed by the Grigioni in 1526.

Serving temperature: 18° C.

FOOD MATHCES: game, roast red meats, mature cheeses.