Description

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.

There are forty hectares of Chardonnay planted at Castello della Sala, with a mixture of several clones. The vineyards are situated between 200 and 400 metres above sea level, on soil rich in marine fossils with some clay.

The grapes were picked at night and immediately chilled to preserve freshness. After a few hours’ cold maceration, the juice was racked partly to oak barrels and partly to stainless steel tanks for alcoholic fermentation. The oak component also went through malolactic fermentation, and was
then blended with the tank-fermented portion