Nino Negri Valtellina Sassella DOCG La Tense 2020

Nino Negri was founded in 1897 in Chiuro, in the Valtellina valley of northern Lombardy near the Swiss border. The estate is now part of the Gruppo Italiano Vini portfolio. Casimiro Maule served as winemaker for several decades from the 1970s until handing over in the late 2010s.

The Valtellina runs east-west along the upper Adda river, with terraced vineyards on south-facing slopes that support Nebbiolo (locally Chiavennasca) above the snowline limit for most other varieties. The estate works across the Valtellina Superiore DOCG sub-zones — Inferno, Sassella, Grumello, Valgella, Maroggia — and is widely associated with Sfursat di Valtellina DOCG, made from grapes air-dried in lofts before pressing. The headline cuvée is 5 Stelle Sfursat.

Brasato, roast venison, aged Bitto cheese and slow-cooked game; a cellar-tier Valtellina for laying down 5-15 years.