Antinori Cervaro della Sala 2023
Umbria IGT
Umbria, Italy
Regular price£422.74
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Arriving: 2-4 weeks
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| Style: White | Packaging: OCC |
| ABV: 13.0% | Closure: |
| Organic: No | Drink from: 2025 |
| Biodynamic: No | Drink to: 2034 |
| Grapes: 93% Chardonnay, 7% Grechetto | |
Cervaro della Sala was one of the first Italian white wines to have malolactic fermentation and ageing taking place in barriques. The name Cervaro comes from the noble family who owned Castello della Sala during the 14th century: the Monaldeschi della Cervara. A blend of Chardonnay grapes and a small quantity of Grechetto make a wine that can age over time and represents the elegance and complexity of this unique estate. The first vintage of Cervaro was 1985.
Critic scores
97 RP, 95 VM, 97 JS
Critic reviews
"The most impressive aspect of the Castello della Sala ethos is its ability to reinvent itself. This latest edition of Umbria's headline white is a true delight. Renzo Cotarella and his team have created an Italian masterpiece that is reminiscent of the great whites of Burgundy. The 2023 Cervaro della Sala opens to an elegantly reductive note of flint or crushed granite before sliding gracefully into silky fruit sensations, breakfast pastry and crème fraîche. It offers carefully balanced richness and textural importance. Winemaking is moving away from 500-liter barrels to embrace larger foudre. No bâtonnage is implemented. The wine is mostly Chardonnay, with a smaller part (between 5% and 10%, depending on the vintage) of Grechetto that has been further reduced in order to avoid any rustic tones from the Italian grape. Part of the Chardonnay does malolactic fermentation, but the Grechetto does not. This gives energy and verve to the final results. Castello della Sala has recently planted more Chardonnay (now totaling 80 hectares) for flexibility in choosing the best clusters. Throughout its many reinventions, this is the best Cervaro della Sala I have tasted."
Monica Larner, November 2025, RobertParker.com
"Youthfully coy, the 2023 Cervaro della Sala blows off an air smoky reduction to reveal depths of crushed yellow apples, sesame seeds, pine shavings and nuances of vanilla custard. This is pure elegance in the glass, as silken textures envelop the palate. A bump of residual acidity maintains energy throughout, even as the 2023 tapers off tannic and potent, with a resonance of mineral-infused apricots. This is a suburb rendition of Cervaro della Sala."
Eric Guido, April 2025, Vinous.com
"Classic Burgundian style. On the nose white chocolate, pink grapefruit, lemon zest and white flowers. Full-bodied, it shows weight, vibrancy and tension, with a silky texture and a salted citrus finish. Amazing balance in this vintage, with lemon peel bitterness in the aftertaste adding an extra dimension. Drink or hold."
James Suckling, May 2025, JamesSuckling.com
Monica Larner, November 2025, RobertParker.com
"Youthfully coy, the 2023 Cervaro della Sala blows off an air smoky reduction to reveal depths of crushed yellow apples, sesame seeds, pine shavings and nuances of vanilla custard. This is pure elegance in the glass, as silken textures envelop the palate. A bump of residual acidity maintains energy throughout, even as the 2023 tapers off tannic and potent, with a resonance of mineral-infused apricots. This is a suburb rendition of Cervaro della Sala."
Eric Guido, April 2025, Vinous.com
"Classic Burgundian style. On the nose white chocolate, pink grapefruit, lemon zest and white flowers. Full-bodied, it shows weight, vibrancy and tension, with a silky texture and a salted citrus finish. Amazing balance in this vintage, with lemon peel bitterness in the aftertaste adding an extra dimension. Drink or hold."
James Suckling, May 2025, JamesSuckling.com