CASA VINICOLA
Aldo Rainoldi
Valtellina
“Valtellina is a unique territory, rich in history, culture and biodiversity. It is the second largest Nebbiolo producing region in the world.”
Rainoldi is one of Valtellina's most important producers, bottling elegant, aromatic and long-lived Nebbiolo wines that represent immense value for money.
Rainoldi is a fourth generation family wine business that was founded amid a climate of poverty and emigration in 1920s Valtellina. The current owners of this 100 year old winery are Aldo and Michela Rainoldi, along with their son, Marco. They practice organic farming across the most significant sub-zones of the region: Sassella, Grumello and Inferno. Their Sfuzsat is legendary (high altitude, air-dried Nebbiolo that pre-dates Amarone) and they have pioneered traditional method sparkling since the 1970s, producing the finest fizzy Nebbiolo in the world. Avoiding over extraction, their wines are crunchy, perfumed and extraordinarily age-worthy. A recent bottle of silky 1959 Sassella shook us to the core with its incredible freshness, poise and integrity.
A pristine 1959 Rainoldi Sassella, April 2024.
Piedmont’s neighbour, Lombardy, hosts Valtellina, Nebbiolo’s other kingdom where the grape is known as Chiavennasca. Valtellina is an uncommon east-west valley where vineyards are carved out of the south face of the Alps, bordering Switzerland. 95% of vineyards in this small, alpine region are given to Nebbiolo, where plantings are found ranging from 200m to 600m+.
In a world of increasingly richer, softer and more alcoholic Nebbiolo, Rainoldi's work is BRIGHT, refreshing and IMPORTANTLY, food-friendly.
Inferno, Inferno Riserva and Rainoldi’s famed Sfursat.
THE WINES
Rainoldi Brut Rosé
A vintage, traditional method sparkling with a minimum of 36 months on lees before disgorgement. Chiavennasca 92%, Pignola 4%, Rossola 4% from vineyards around Ponte in Valtellina and Teglio at 500 - 730 m. First vintage 1980.
A super sophisticated sparkling with blushing red fruits and excellent texture and mousse. It has superb acid and a sensitive balance. Complexity and intrigue abounds with rose, shades of orange, woody herbs and baking spice – some savoury earth hints are in there somewhere too. This is exquisite drinking and ages impeccably well in the cellar for 10+ years.
Rainoldi ‘Cuvée Maria Vittoria’ Rosé Nature
A vintage, traditional method, zero dosage sparkling with a minimum 60 months on lees. Chiavennasca 92%, Pignola 4%, Rossola 4% from vineyards around Ponte in Valtellina and Teglio at 500 - 730 m. First vintage 2007.
The world’s finest sparkling Nebbiolo?
Rainoldi ‘Alpi Retiche’ IGT Nebbiolo *1.5L Magnums available
Un-oaked, flavourful and bright, this is one of the great introductions to Valtellina, indeed to Nebbiolo as a whole. 100% Nebbiolo from Tresivio and Ponte in Valtellina between 300 - 650 m. In production since 2006.
"Textbook crisp Valtellina Nebbiolo here. All the red fruits, alpine herbs, plus a bit of almond and liquorice. It’s light to medium-bodied, crisp and fresh, has a blood orange tang, plenty of energy, a coverlet of dusty tannin, and fine length with pepper dusted strawberry to close. Lovely." - Gary Walsh, The Wine Front (2019 vintage)
Rainoldi ‘San Gregorio’ Rosso di Valtellina DOC
The house classic showcasing the bright side of Valtellina, walking a line between smokey, savoury alpine herbs and a core of delicious, little red fruits. 100% Nebbiolo from Ponte in Valtellina between 400 - 600 m. Aged for 5 months in large Slavonian oak. In production since 1925.
"Very alpine in its presentation of aromatic herbs, red fruits, and some smoke and mineral stuff. It’s light bodied, all strawberry and red cherry, a pleasant orange peel bitterness and Campari spice, with cool acidity, dusty feel, and a powdery ash-like finish of very good length. Classic. Valtellina represent..." - Gary Walsh, The Wine Front
Rainoldi Valtellina Superiore DOCG Inferno
Along with Sassella, the wines of the Inferno sub-zone are Valtellina's most highly regarded. Inferno, or Hell due to it's extremely tough viticultural conditions, is comprised of 55 hectares of rugged terraces that sit between 300 - 550 m.
100% Nebbiolo from Montagna in Valtellina, Poggiridenti and Tresivio between 350 - 550 m. Aged for 20 months in large Slavonian oak. In production since 1925.
This is a strict, elegant, and quietly powerful alpine Nebbiolo that opens with perfumed red fruits and tones of dried herbs, tobacco leaf and anise. In the mouth, a staining core of mineral-soaked dark cherry is kept tightly focused by a backbone of clear, racy acidity. Medium bodied, regal and long, these wines are outright bargains in the world of wine.
Rainoldi Valtellina Superiore DOCG Inferno Riserva
100% Nebbiolo from Montagna in Valtellina, Poggiridenti and Tresivio between 350 - 550 m. Aged for 18 months in small oak barrels followed by extended bottle ageing between Rainoldi’s cellar and ours. First vintage 1983. Only produced in select years.
"Rainoldi’s 2018 Valtellina Superiore Inferno Riserva is packed with macerated cherry, liquorice, sweet spice, leather, orange zest and vanillin. There’s a bit of oak sweetness here, but it works quite well. This racy, inviting Inferno Riserva is pretty alluring. Drink it over the next decade or so. 93 points." - Antonio Galloni, Vinous.
Rainoldi Valtellina Superiore DOCG Sassella
The name Sassella refers to the importance of the iron-rich rocky outcrops on which a smaller layer of earth rests. The altitude of the vineyards ranges from 300 m up to 630m across 120 hectares. The wines of this area are recognized for their particular elegance and aptitude for aging. Rainoldi’s vineyards are located in the “Grigioni” hamlet (municipality of Castione), in correspondence with the Sassella sanctuary and in Triasso (municipality of Sondrio).
100% Nebbiolo from Castione Andevenno and Sondrio between 290 - 630 m. Aged for 20 months in 25 and 56 HL Slavonian and French oak barrels followed by bottle ageing between Rainoldi’s cellar and ours. In production since 1925.
“The 2019 Valtellina Superiore Sassella is laced with black cherry, spice, leather, licorice and incense, all of which bring out the darker side of Nebbiolo. Medium in body, with bright acids and plenty of hillside tannin, the Sassella is an absolute delight. 91 points.” Antonio Galloni, Vinous.
Rainoldi Valtellina Superiore DOCG Sassella Riserva *1.5L & 3L Magnums available
100% Nebbiolo from Castione Andevenno and Sondrio between 290 - 630 m. Aged for 24 months in 25 and 56 HL Slavonian and French oak barrels followed by bottle ageing between Rainoldi’s cellar and ours. First vintage 1983. Only produced in select years.
"Just mid ruby with orange tinges. Stalky, spicy cherry fruit which becomes lifted and perfumed with aeration. Cherry and a hint of cassis and fine, coating, long-lasting tannins. Super-elegant style. 17+." - Walter Speller, Jancis Robinson
Rainoldi Valtellina Superiore DOCG ‘Vigna Degli Apostoli’ *1.5L Magnums available
A super-special bottling of one of the finest little parcels in Sassella, and all of Valtellina. 100% Nebbiolo from Sondrio, near the Sassella sanctuary, at 300 m. Aged for 26 months in 25 HL Slavonian and French oak barrels followed by 36 months bottle ageing in Rainoldi’s cellar. First vintage 2013. 2000 bottles produced in select years.
Rainoldi Sforzato di Valtellina DOCG
Made since the 17th century with an air drying technique that pre-dates Amarone, Sforzato (Sfursat in dialect) is the most prestigious wine of Valtellina. 100% Nebbiolo chosen across their vineyards at altitude between 400 - 650 m. Grapes are dried for 2 months at 350m. First vintage 1970.
Chiavennasca (Nebbiolo) grapes are harvested in the first ten days of October. Carefully arranged in small boxes of 5 – 6 kg or on racks, they are then left to dry in special ventilated rooms called “fruttai” until early December, so that the weight loss reaches 30% – 32% of the initial weight. The result is a concentration of sugars, polyphenols and aromas such as to produce a dry wine with great personality and finesse, suitable for the most varied occasions and food-wine pairings.
“The 2018 Sfursat di Valtellina is a wild, exotic beauty. Dark cherries in liqueur, cloves, spice, alpine herbs, sweet pipe tobacco and incense lend an exotic flair. Deep, sensual and inviting, the 2018 packs plenty of Sfursat intensity in a classic frame. Even with its notable intensity, the 2018 remains quite elegant and impeccable in its balance. I loved it. 94 points.” - Antonio Galloni, Vinous.
REGION MAP
FURTHER READING
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