A mineral-laden, terroir-driven wine that captures the sultriness of the vintage, this ’11 Cervaro della Sala offers its juicy orchard fruits, spice, citrus and almond notes, yet while it’s opulent and rich, this Chardonnay nonetheless shows the hand of its makers in its fine structure, elegance and mouth-feel. While the 2011 growing season was challenging to some, Antinori and Renzo Cotarella's team timed the harvest impeccably to capture the berries at their ripest and most intense--yet still nicely acidic for balance. The result is a wine that's layered and sumptuous, but still structured and long aging; it's a luminous vintage that will shine its light for decades, while still offering relatively early drinking. Intended for aging--the estate has bottles dating to '85, about the same time that Angelo Gaja was perfecting his Chardonnay-based Gaia & Rey--Cevaro is a blend of mostly Chardonnay kissed with ten percent Grechetto.
- Country: Italy
- Region: Umbria
- Subregion/Classification: Umbria IGT
While the world-famous Antinori estate is headquartered in the heart of Chianti Classico, the ancient winemaking family has long had roots in Umbria. Antinori founded its Umbrian estate, Castello della Sala, located where Umbria abuts Toscana in the northwest corner of Orvieto in 1985, although the extended family had bought buying the land in 1940. These 1,300 acres (about 400 under vine) are under the guidance of Marchese Piero Antinori, his three daughters, and renowned enologist Renzo Cotarella, an Umbrian native. Sporting soils of clay, volcanic sediment and Pliocene fossils, the rolling land at Castello della Sala, named after its beautiful medieval fortress, grows several indigenous grapes, particularly Procanico and Grechetto, as well as some international varietals, like Chardonnay, Pinot Noir and Sauvignon Blanc. One of the finest Italian Chardonnays, Cervaro della Sala, comes from this Italian estate, as do very compelling bottlings of Orvieto (bottled as San Giovanni della Sala), Pinot Nero, and Muffato della Sala, a world-class dessert wine.
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