2023 Cervaro dell Sala, Castello della Sala

Castello della Sala is arguably Italy's most famous white wine estate with the fossil rich soil found here perfect for producing top quality Chardonnay.  This beautiful medieval estate run by Marchesi Antinori is located on a hilltop near Orvieto in Umbria, near the Tuscan border. The vines grow in clay and calcareous based soils, rich in fossil shells, and they are well exposed to the rising of the sun with an excellent difference of temperature between day and night.

"The most impressive aspect of the Castello della Sala ethos is its ability to reinvent itself. This latest edition of Umbria's headline white is a true delight. Renzo Cotarella and his team have created an Italian masterpiece that is reminiscent of the great whites of Burgundy. The 2023 Cervaro della Sala opens to an elegantly reductive note of flint or crushed granite before sliding gracefully into silky fruit sensations, breakfast pastry and crème fraîche. It offers carefully balanced richness and textural importance. Winemaking is moving away from 500-liter barrels to embrace larger foudre. No bâtonnage is implemented. The wine is mostly Chardonnay, with a smaller part (between 5% and 10%, depending on the vintage) of Grechetto that has been further reduced in order to avoid any rustic tones from the Italian grape. Part of the Chardonnay does malolactic fermentation, but the Grechetto does not. This gives energy and verve to the final results. Castello della Sala has recently planted more Chardonnay (now totaling 80 hectares) for flexibility in choosing the best clusters. Throughout its many reinventions, this is the best Cervaro della Sala I have tasted. Drink 2026-2040."  97/100 Monica Larner, The Wine Advocate