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95 Robert Parker
The 2016 Cervaro della Sala ushers forth with grace, beauty and finesse. The mouthfeel is thinner and more streamlined, but this is in large part intentional. I have written about this in the past: This celebrated Italian white has experienced a restyling effort to lighten and brighten it up. Harvest is executed a bit earlier in order to limit alcohol. The percentage of Grechetto was reduced to make more room for the freshness and natural acidity that comes from the increased Chardonnay component. Lastly, skin maceration times were tweaked and reduced from about eight hours in past vintages to four to six hours (at cooler temperatures) in this vintage. All of these changes work to reverse the textural heaviness and fruit maturity that, to many, feels out of date in today's wine market. The results are clear. This is a pristine and elegant interpretation with crisp notes of peach and tropical fruit followed by sharp mineral definition. Those salty flavors come from the Grechetto. The wine ferments and stays in oak for five months. This is a classic vintage that has produced a profoundly vertical and focused wine. I'm told that great efforts have been made to recreate this magic formula in 2017, despite the fact that vintage is much hotter and drier. For now, we have this beautiful wine to drink.
Producer
Antinori - Castello della Sala
A short distance from the historic city of Orvieto, Castello della Sala towers its scenic landscape as Antinori’s only fully Umbrian estate. Spread across 500-hectares, the Antinori family uses 140-hectares of this pleasant property for the production of Chardonnay, in addition to several other indigenous and aromatic white varietals, Procanico and Grechetto, as well as a limited amounts of non-traditional varieties. Built in 1350, the aesthetic medieval fortress stands in the center of the historic, hillside Etruscan villages lying between the Paglia River and Mount Nibbio. The dynamism between the old and the new, which is ever-present in each of Antinori’s productions – holds true. Integration of both traditional and modern practices within the vineyards and cellars have produced five first-rate whites, and one pure, age-worthy Pinot Noir. It’s most famous wines are Cervaro della Sala – a vibrant yellow, crisp blend of Chardonnay and Grechetto – and its second wine, a pure Chardonnay – Bramito del Cervo.