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Antinori Cervaro Della Sala is an Italian white wine from Antinori’s Castello della Sala estate in Umbria, central Italy. It is one of Antinori’s top white wines and is a blend of approximately 85% Chardonnay and 15% Grechetto. The first vintage of Cervaro was 1985, and it was one of the very first Italian white wines to undergo malolactic fermentation and ageing in barriques.
Marchesi Antinori has been producing wine in Tuscany for six centuries. It was founded in 1385 when Giovanni di Piero Antinori became a member of the “Arte Fiorentina dei Vinattieri”, the Florentine Winemakers’ Guild. The company continues to go from strength to strength 26 generations later. Antinori is probably most famous for producing one of the original Super-Tuscan wines, Tignanello, and has estates throughout Italy (Peppoli in Chianti and Pian delle Vigne in Montalcino) and the rest of the world, including Stag’s Leap Wine Cellars in Napa Valley, USA.
In 1987, Antinori introduced its first Chardonnay-based wine, the 1985 vintage Cervaro della Sala. The name translates as Stag of the Hall, which was taken from that of the 14th-century feudal owners of Castello della Sala, the
Monaldeschi della Cervara.
The property was purchased by Antinori in 1940 and is located in Umbria, a short distance from the Tuscan border, approximately 11 miles from the historic city of Orvieto. It covers some 600 hectares with 229 hectares under vine. The vineyards are planted with traditional varieties such as Procanico and Grechetto but also with Chardonnay, Sauvignon Blanc, Semillon, Pinot Blanc, Viognier and a small quantity of Traminer and Riesling.
Antinori Cervaro della Sala always has a proportion of Grechetto in the blend, which is usually around Chardonnay 90% / Grechetto 10%. The grapes for Cervaro Della Sala 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.
Harvest Timing: Grapes are picked in the early morning to ensure they remain whole, healthy, and unstressed by high daytime temperatures.
Skin Contact: Grapes undergo a four-hour skin contact period at 50°F (10°C).
Initial Processing: The must is transferred to stainless steel tanks before moving to oak barrels.
Fermentation:
Both primary and malolactic fermentation occur in oak barrels for the Chardonnay.
Grechetto is fermented separately in stainless steel tanks.
Blending: After approximately three months, Chardonnay is returned to stainless steel tanks to be blended with the Grechetto.
Bottle Ageing: After bottling, the wine is aged for several months in the historic cellars of Castello della Sala before commercial release.
Cervaro wine has won numerous awards, including the coveted three goblets from Gambero Rosso (one of Italy’s leading wine magazines). Buy now at Fareham Wine Cellar.
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