Inferno Valtellina Superiore DOCG 2015

Rainoldi is Valtellina's Nebbiolo. The wines of Rainoldi pay homage to their ancestors through the terracing and carrying on the local viticultural tradition. Rainoldi offers a range of wines that glorify and honor the local culture while striving to innovate and improve.

The winery was founded by Giuseppe Rainoldi in 1925, in the suburb of Casacce, near Chiuro in Valtellina, and was named after Giuseppe's son. Valtellina is a mountainous valley that stretches from East to West in Nothern Italy. It is the second largest area in the world for of Nebbiolo. Here, the vine variety Nebbiolo - locally called Chiavennasca - can offer scented, highly elegant and ageable wines.

About the Vineyard

Inferno comes from the smallest and rockiest subzone of Valtellina Superiore. The name Inferno alludes to the extreme nature of this sub-zone. When the sun hits the steep terraced rocks in the summer, the angle of the terracing plus the heat absorption of the exposed rocks creates an extremely hot environment that is equated to hell. 

Wine Production

Each parcel is harvested based on its altitude in order to maintain the right ripeness, and is vinified separately in a newly installed high-tech winemaking cellar. Due to the extreme steepness of each parcel in Valtellina, grapes are hand harvested and then carried out by helicopter.

Tasting Notes

Delicate, hazelnut, ethereal aroma. Dry, pleasantly tannic, lingering taste.

Food Pairing

Inferno pairs very well with red meat, game and rich cheeses.

Vineyard & Production Info

Soil composition:

Silt and Sand

Training method:

Guyot Arch-trained

Exposure:

Southern

Average Vine Age:

55 years

Harvest time:

between the second and third week in October

First vintage of this wine:

1925

Bottles produced of this wine:

21,300

Winemaking & Aging

Varietal composition:

100% Nebbiolo

Fermentation container:

Stainless steel tanks

Length of alcoholic fermentation:

14 days

Fermentation temperature:

77 °F

Maceration technique:

Punchdown and Pumpovers

Length of maceration:

10 days

Malolactic fermentation:

Yes

Fining agent:

Animal based

Type of aging container:

Barrels

Size of aging container:

26 hl, 56 hl, 115 hl

Type of oak:

Slavonian and French oak

Length of aging before bottling:

18 - 20 months

Length of bottle aging:

6 - 9 months

Analytical Data

Alcohol:

12.5 %

pH level:

3.6

Residual sugar:

<1 g/L

Acidity:

5.3 g/L

Dry extract:

27.7 g/L