Cervaro della Sala 2024 Antinori

Tasting Note

In addition to aromas of yellow apple, ripe pear, and a light hint of white peach, there is a chalky, almost flinty note characteristic of limestone soils. Beneath these, soft nuances of toasted brioche and hazelnut emerge, resulting from barrel aging, but they are by no means dominant. On the palate, the 2024 "Cervaro della Sala" displays a creamy texture combined with a firm structure, while a salty freshness runs through the mid-palate. The finish is long and dry. The wine can be enjoyed now, but it will improve even further after a few years of aging.

Grape Varieties

In "Cervaro della Sala," Chardonnay plays the leading role, imparting the wine’s primary flavor—reminiscent of garden fruits—and maintaining balance by absorbing the aromas of French oak without becoming oily. The addition of a small amount of Grechetto, a variety native to Umbria, brings nutty notes and subtle herbal nuances, preventing the wine from becoming merely a “Burgundy knockoff.” And that’s very important. This is a Chardonnay grown on the calcareous-clay soils of Umbria, and it’s a wine that can only be found here—nowhere else.

Cellaring Potential

Best enjoyed till 2035. The 2024 vintage is already pleasant to drink while young, but it is recommended to wait 2–3 years until the oak notes fully blend with the fruit. The wine’s structure, based on the acidity and minerality inherent in the limestone soils of Sala, gives it a powerful foundation. Store in a dark place at a temperature of 12–14 °C, keeping the bottle lying on its side.

About Antinori

Marchesi Antinori dates its wine business to 1385, when Giovanni di Piero Antinori joined the Arte Fiorentina dei Vinattieri, the Florentine winemakers' guild. The family goes back further still: a Rinuccio di Antinoro is recorded making wine at the Castello di Combiate, north of Florence, around 1180. The castle was destroyed in 1202, the family moved into Florence, and for a while wine gave way to silk and banking

For centuries it stayed a sideline next to silk, wool and banking. Then came Piero Antinori, the 26th generation, who broke the Chianti Classico rulebook with oenologist Giacomo Tachis. Cabernet Sauvignon and Cabernet Franc planted in Val di Pesa, aged in barrique, sold as simple table wine because the rules left no other option. That was Tignanello, released in 1974, followed by Solaia in 1978 and Guado Al Tasso from Bolgheri in 1990. The headquarters sit at Bargino, about 30 kilometres south of Florence, between Florence and Siena. Classic Chianti and Super Tuscans, both from the same house.

Terroir & Climate

Castello della Sala is bottled as an Umbria IGT due to a blend that does not follow traditional rules. The vineyards are between 220 and 470 meters above sea level, providing the cool nights necessary for the Chardonnay to retain its acidity. The soil is clay and limestone, studded with Pliocene marine fossils. This fossilized limestone gives the wine its salty, chalky flavor. Without it, Cervaro would be a very different wine.

Winemaking

The tricky part of the cervaro is the separation. Antinori ferments part of the juice in stainless steel and part in French oak barriques (225 liter barrels). Malolactic fermentation takes place in the barrels, which tempers the malolactic acidity and gives the wine a creamy color in the middle of the palette. The wine is then aged in a mixture of new and used barrels for about 6 months and then aged in the bottle for at least 6 months before release. The key is balance. Enough oak to give texture and toast, but not so much that it smooths out the fruit or hides the underlying limestone.

Food Pairing

This wine is oriented toward rich food, but the acidity keeps it lively. Taste:

• Pasta stranguzzi, black truffle norcia, traditional Umbrian dishes.
• Roasted chicken with lemon and herbs
• Grilled lake fish from Trasimeno or meaty white fish in butter sauce.
• Aged pecorino, a perfect match for the saltiness of the wine and the cheese.

Serve at 10-12°C. If the bottle is not aged, no decanting is necessary.