Negri INFERNO Valtellina Superiore DOCG

Grapes: 95% Chiavennasca (the local name for Nebbiolo); Pignola and Merlot;

Vineyard: selected parcels in the sub-zone DOCG Inferno, in the commune of Tresivio, at 350-500 metres altitude. South-facing, on loose, sandy soil.

Training system: archetto variation of the Guyot, with 3500 vines per hectare, and a yield of 80 quintals/hectare.

Vinification: the ripe grapes, picked between the middle of October and early November, are traditionally vinified by the red wine method, with 10 days maceration of the skins in the must; the fermentation takes place at 25°-26°C.

Maturation: the new wine stays in stainless steel for 2 months, before spending 18 months in Slavonian oak vats. It then ages for some months in glass.

The wine:

vivid ruby colour;

heady bouquet of considerable finesse with hints of plums, blackberries, roses and dried violets backed by pleasing suggestions of resin and spices (cloves, cinnamon);

dry, very savoury, rather tannic flavour with an elegant, lingering aftertaste of toasted hazelnuts. 

Serving temperature: 20° C.

FOOD MATCHES: lamb, goat, game, roasts of red meat, cheese (bitto).