Nino Negri Valtellina Superiore Sassella Le Tense 2017 750 ML

Bright ruby hue, accompanied by a complex nose with alluring raspberry notes and hints of roses and violet with sweet spices and notes of orange peel and candied fruit; full-bodied palate and ripe tannins in evidence. Full flavoured wine, with lingering notes of red berries and sweet spices in a long finish.\n \n Producer Information\n Established in 1897, Nino Negri is the premier estate producing wine in the Valtellina DOCG in Italy’s Lombardy region. The estate specialty is Sfursat (“strained” or “forced”); a wine made from grapes harvested by trained pickers and dried for 100 days in the cool, dry, alpine air. This winemaking style combines the opulence of Amarone with the elegant complexity of Barolo. The success of Nino Negri is due largely to the efforts of winemaker Casimiro Maule who has worked at the estate since 1971, his entire professional life. In 2007, Casimiro was named “Winemaker of the Year” by Gambero Rosso, the magazine authority in Italian wine. Nino Negri controls almost 400 acres of the finest Chiavennasca vineyards in the Valtellina Superiore subzones. The estate directly owns 75 acres of exceptional vineyards, including the 27 acre Fracia vineyard, an exclusive cru planted since 1995 to special clonal selections.The vine stocks that are cultivated horizontally from west to east, an innovated planting scheme for this region. The winery is located in the city of Chiuro in the 15th Century Quadrio Castle. The “castle” sits above an array of underground cellars which house thousands of barrels. All Nino Negri wines age for at least two years before they are released to ensure optimum maturity at time of bottling.