Product Type: White Wines
Country: Italy
Region: Umbria/Latium
Appellation: Umbria IGT
Producer: Castello della Sala
Alcohol: 12.5%
Grape Varieties: 100% Chardonnay
Closure: Cork

Producer: Niccolo 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: 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.

Winery: The grapes were first placed in vats and held at 10C for a few hours cold maceration, then the free-run juice racked to French oak barrels (Alliers and Troncais) where alcoholic and partial malolactic fermentation took place. The wine was aged in wood for five months before blending and bottling.

Taste: The baby brother of the iconic Cervaro della Sala is an exceptional wine in its own right, with a richly structured palate and aromas of apples, vanilla and toast.