The name Cervaro comes from the noble family that owned Castello della Sala during the 14th century, Monaldeschi della Cervara. A blend of Chardonnay grapes and a small quantity of Grechetto make a wine that can age over time and represent the elegance and complexity of this unique estate. Cervaro della Sala is one of the first Italian white wines to have malolactic fermentation and aging take place in barriques. The first vintage of Cervaro to be produced was the 1985 vintage.

Weather The 2018 vintage was, in general, a fresh one distinguished by occasional light precipitation capable of correctly favoring the cycle of the vine. The month of January was mild and with little rainfall, while the end of February and the beginning of March were marked by lower than average temperatures and snow followed by above average rains which contributed to re- balancing the supply of ground water in the soil. The regular rainfall of late spring slightly slowed the phase of the growth of the berries. The climate, warm on the whole, was characterized from July on and during the entire month of August by excellent temperature swings between daytime warmth and evening and nighttime coolness which favored a gradual and continuous ripening of the crop. The picking of the Chardonnay for the Cervaro della Sala began with healthy grapes during the last ten days of August, ripe and with a high-level aromatic profile, while the harvest of the Grechetto took place some fifteen days later.

The castle’s fermentation cellars were constructed to take full advantage of the principle of gravity and assists the movement of the grapes and their maceration without the crop being pumped or subjected to mechanical movement of the mass. The picking of the grapes takes place during the very first hours of the day so that the cellars receive fruit in pristine condition, without the influence of the higher and warmer temperatures of the day. The must is treated to a maceration on its skins for four hours at a temperature of 10 degrees celsius and subsequently falls into stainless steel fermentation tanks where it loses its impurities before going into small oak barrels. Here it fully ferments and then is put through a complete malolactic fermentation. After five months of aging, the Chardonnay is usually ready to be blended and to go back into stainless steel, where it is assembled with the Grechetto, which has been fermented, separately, on its own, without contact with wood. The Cervaro della Sala is then aged in bottle for various months in the Castello della Sala cellars before being placed on the market.

Technical Information:
Grape: 92% Chardonnay | 8% Grechetto
Alcohol: 12.5 %

Tasting Note: The 2018 Cervaro della Sala is a luminous straw yellow in color streaked with occasional greenish highlights. The nose shows light toasted notes accompanied by aromas of citrus fruit, tropical fruit, and hints of butter. The palate is notably savory and fresh, con characteristics of chamomile, white fruit, and flint along with a pleasurable persistence and tasting depth. Its youth, although already inviting and enjoyable, announces much capacity for aging. The wine, still quite young, will evolve in an optimal fashion in the years to come.

The Tenuta Tignanello estate is in the heart of Chianti Classico, in the gently rolling hillsides between the Greve and Pesa river valleys. It extends over an area of 319 hectares (788 acres), of which about 130 (321 acres) are dedicated to vines. Two of the estate’s prized vineyards are on the same hillside, Tignanello and Solaia, on soils that originated from marine marlstone from the Pliocene period rich in limestone and schist. The vines enjoy hot temperatures during the day and cooler evenings throughout the growing season. The estate’s two signature wines, Solaia and Tignanello, are produced from these vineyards and have been defined by the international press as “among the most influential wines in the history of Italian viticulture”. According to Marchesi Antinori, Solaia and Tignanello are an ongoing challenge and a never-ending passion. The Tignanello estate has vineyards of indigenous Sangiovese grapes as well as some other untraditional varieties such as Cabernet Franc.