The splendid Castello della Sala, the prestigious Umbrian estate of the Antinori Family, rises on a promontory of the Umbrian Apennines. A place of incredible beauty and charm. For decades it has represented the heart of production for the finest white wines bearing the Antinori name.
In the spring of 1979, Renzo Cotarella, a young agronomist, arrived at the Castello and in less than ten years would create the estate’s signature wines. During those years, work immediately began on an ambitious varietal enhancement project. This was aimed at obtaining white wines with greater personality than those produced in the Orvieto Classico area. Work focused on Chardonnay and deepened knowledge of Grechetto. The search for a great wine that would stand out for character and personality became almost an obsession.
In 1985, Cervaro della Sala was born, one of the most renowned and appreciated Italian wines in the world.

CERVARO DELLA SALA 2018

The 2018 vintage was generally cool, marked by light rainfall that favored the correct development of the vine’s vegetative cycle. January was mild with little rain. In contrast, late February and early March were characterized by below-average temperatures and snowfall, followed by above-average rainfall that helped replenish the soil’s water reserves. Fairly regular late spring rains slightly slowed the berry development phase. The generally warm climate favored slow and steady ripening. The Chardonnay harvest for Cervaro della Sala began in the last ten days of August with healthy, ripe grapes featuring excellent freshness and an outstanding aromatic profile, while the Grechetto harvest took place about two weeks later.

Vinification

The vinification cellar is built to fully exploit the principle of gravity, allowing for the handling and maceration of the grapes without mechanical intervention from pumping.
The grapes are harvested in the very early hours of the morning to ensure the fruit arrives at the cellar intact and unstressed by the day’s higher temperatures. The must, resulting from skin maceration at 10 °C for about four hours, is gravity-fed into decantation tanks to clear before being transferred to barriques. This is where alcoholic fermentation takes place, followed by malolactic fermentation.

Usually, after five months, the Chardonnay is ready to be transferred back to stainless steel to be blended with the Grechetto, which is vinified separately and without the use of wood. Subsequently, Cervaro della Sala ages for several months in the bottle in the historic cellars of Castello della Sala before being released to the market.