Producer
Niccolò Antinori bought the fourteenth-century Castello della Sala in 1940, to provide a source of white wines to match the excellence of his Tuscan reds. With the introduction of Cervaro della Sala in 1987, his dream was fully realised: this is one of Italy’s defining whites, as influential and sought after as Tignanello. The vineyards are planted with a mixture of traditional Italian and international varieties, offering a range of wines from the traditional Orvieto to the mould-breaking IGTs.
Vineyard
The grapes originate from fifteen to twenty-year-old vineyards surrounding Castello della Sala, at altitudes between 300 and 400 metres above sea level. The soil is rich in marine fossils with some clay. The grapes were harvested at night to maintain freshness.
Winery
Grapes were kept at a low temperature for destemming and crushing. The two varieties were fermented separately. The Chardonnay must was kept in contact with the skins for four hours to increase the range of aromas, was settled by gravity, then transferred into 225-litre French oak barriques for fermentation, while the Grechetto fermented in tank. The Chardonnay remained on its lees in barriques for about three months, during which time the malolactic was completed. It was then blended and bottled, and spent several months in bottle before release.
