“Cervaro della Sala” Umbria IGT 2024

Castello della Sala | Antinori | Umbria
Marchesi Antinori S.p.A. | Piazza Antinori 3 | IT 50123 Firenze

10080124 · 0,75 l · 96,00 €/l · Price (DE) incl. VAT, excl. Shippingavailable immediately

The famous Castello della Sala stands on a hill above Orvieto – a medieval stronghold, surrounded by woodland and olive groves, deep in the tranquillity of Umbria. The Marchesi Antinori have owned it for generations; but what made it a wine legend was the first Cervaro della Sala in 1985: a white wine conceived like a red – barrique fermentation, malolactic fermentation, and a long ageing process. Producing a white wine capable of ageing for decades was by no means a matter of course in Italy at that time. But it became one. The winemaking process follows a principle once formulated by Renzo Cotarella and which still applies today: as little intervention as possible. The Castello's winery operates using gravity – no mechanical pumps, no unnecessary stress on the grapes. The harvest begins in the early hours of the morning, when temperatures are still cool. The Chardonnay macerates on its skins for four hours at 10 degrees, then ferments in barriques and matures with partial malolactic fermentation. The Grechetto remains exclusively in steel – it brings the tension that the Chardonnay alone cannot provide. In February, the two are blended together.

The 2024 vintage got off to a mild start: good water reserves in the soil, and a slightly cooler spring, which allowed the vegetation to develop at a steady pace. Flowering took place at the end of May, with Grechetto flowering a week later than the Chardonnay. July and August were hot and stable, with marked differences between day and night temperatures – that slow, gradual ripening which gives the white wines from the higher-altitude vineyards of Castello their precision and aromatic character.harvest took place at the end of August, and the Grechetto in mid-September.

A clear straw-yellow colour with pale green highlights. The bouquet is precise and direct: pink grapefruit, elderflower, camomile, vanilla, pastry cream, and underlying it all, the characteristic hint of flint that sets this vineyard's Chardonnay apart from all others. On the palate, it is taut and elegant – toasted almond, white pepper, ginger, and a salty structure underpinned by a crisp, invigorating freshness. The finish is long and characterised by precise minerality. A Cervaro full of clarity. Aromatically precise, energetic, with an expressive freshness that makes this vintage a delight to drink early – and an even greater one later on. SUPERIORE.DE

"A typical Cervaro with aromas and flavours of sliced apples, pineapple, vanilla and crushed mussels, followed by a medium to full body with lovely density and intensity. A slight oiliness and freshness on the finish. Elegant and lively. Suitable for immediate enjoyment or for ageing." James Suckling