CASTELLO DELLA SALA 'Cervaro della Sala' Marchesi Antinori - Umbria IGT 2022/23 Bottle - VERY LIMITED

Description

The Cervaro della Sala is a blend of 85% Chardonnay and 15% Grechetto. It opens with vibrant citrus, green apple, and delicate floral notes, supported by a refined mineral streak. Bright acidity and a crisp, balanced finish make it incredibly versatile, ideal with seafood, poultry, or creamy risotto. An elegant, expressive white that showcases the finesse and craftsmanship of Marchesi Antinori, one of Italy’s finest estates.

*****

2022
The Wine Advocate RP 94
Reviewed by: Monica Larner
Drink Date: 2024 - 2035
This is Marchesi Antinori's top white wine, and it comes from the region of Umbria. The Castello della Sala 2022 Cervaro della Sala is based on Chardonnay and has a small part of the local grape Grechetto in the blend. The nose opens to a reductive note of flint or matchstick, but it lifts quickly to reveal soft orchard fruit, white peach and minty apple. There are delicately applied toasted notes with a hint of pecan or macadamia nut. To finish, you also get salty mineral notes that underline the extremely vertical or lifted personality of the bouquet. Renzo Cotarella tells me that tweaks to winemaking in recent years have attempted "to slim down the wine and not make it any bigger." This was a hot vintage, but Cervaro della Sala remains true to its leaner and meaner blueprint. However, given its accessible personality, we could expect a shorter drinking window for the 2022s.

James Suckling 98 points
Attractive nose of ripe mangoes, pineapple and grilled lemons with some toasty, nutty notes and hints of smoky minerality. Cardamom and pie crust, too. It’s full-bodied, nervy and juicy, with bright acidity and savory nuances. It’s layered and long and it builds up on the palate, with vibrant, spicy notes of candied ginger, dried lemons and bitter citrus peel. Truly the Montrachet of Italy. Drink or hold.

Decanter 93 points
Tasted by: James Button
Drinking Window: 2024 - 2037
While Antinori's Tignanello broke the mould for Tuscan reds, the family's Cervaro della Sala was among the first Italian whites to undergo malolactic fermentation and ageing in barriques when the 1985 vintage was released. A blend of Chardonnay and a small portion of unoaked Grechetto, it has a rich and bold scent of tropical fruits, spice, wood and white peach. The spicy, toasty, nutty wood is upfront in the mouth, carrying ripe flavours of apricot and mango, and nuances of banana, white peach and apple. Nutty and sapid, and with gum-tingling acidity, this is a wine which will benefit from further cellaring to allow the oak to harmonise.