The Castello della Sala and its wines in the foreground: San Giovanni and Cervaro della Sala

Today's journey takes us to visit the Castello della Sala, an estate that includes a territory of 600 hectares, one third cultivated with vineyards, together with Massimiliano Pasquini, manager of the estate since 2008. Of fourteenth-century origins, the manor is located about eighteen kilometers from the city of Orvieto, a land of white wines that are rediscovered here and mixed with international varieties: we therefore find Procanico and Grechetto, but also the timeless Chardonnay, Pinot Blanc, Viognier and other types of grapes, planted between 220 and 470 m above sea level

Massimiliano, can you tell us the story of

We are located on the outskirts of the town of Ficulle, in a fortified fortress that has been owned by the Antinori family since 1940. Some of the interiors, such as the famous fifteenth-century chapel, are frescoed and testify to the long past of this land: the latter is retraced in the choice of blends for the estate

Since the late 1960s, the Antinori family began to introduce international grapes to create labels such as San Giovanni della Sala (Orvieto Classico), Muffato (a sweet wine), Cervaro della Sala, Bramito, Conte della Vipera and the Castle's only red wine,

We have two glasses in front of us at the moment. Which wines will we taste, and from which vintages?

The first wine we will approach will be San Giovanni della Sala, in the 2021 vintage. This wine takes its name from the church of San Giovanni that is located inside the fortification, and is the first produced by the estate: the 2021 vintage is the last available on the market, with a four-month aging in bottle. We produce approximately 100,000 bottles, this year with 15% Grechetto, 25% Brocanico, 15% Viognier, which matures very well here and offers aromatic notes to the blend, and finally a final 10% of Pinot Blanc, which increases the duration of

How would you describe the style of the wines produced here?

I would say that it is very modern, well defined by the Antinori family. A style in which there is a reference to Orvieto Classico but with a touch of innovation, for a wine that is not too strong or muscular but elegant, vertical, balanced between aroma,

San Giovanni is a wine to be “ready to drink”, so to speak, ready one year after the harvest. Its best expression is in the juvenile period, even if it is kept for 2-3 years

On the other hand, what will the second cup be filled with?

The next wine we are going to taste will be a 2020 Cervaro della Sala, probably the wine that gets the most attention from production to commercialization. Born in 1985, this wine is a blend of two grapes, Chardonnay — fermented in barrels with alcoholic fermentation, followed by malolactic fermentation — and Grechetto — fermented exclusively with alcoholic fermentation, in stainless steel. All the grapes are obviously ours

The percentages of the two grapes may change from year to year, for example, in 2020 we used 88% Chardonnay and 12% Grechetto, which is usually added to a greater extent in warmer years (such as 2017), where acidity is needed. In cooler vintages like 2014, 2019 we used less

Have you ever thought about using 100% Chardonnay?

Yes, we have also tried to make bottles of pure Chardonnay, but we much prefer to give personality to the wine and respect the terroir of this magnificent place, which we invite you to visit.

For our part, we invite you to listen to the interview and to immerse yourself in the atmosphere of the Castello della Sala, preferably in the company of a good glass of wine. Cheers and... Until the next episode

To catch up on previous episodes of The Italian Wine Podcast, you could start with Epokale the Tramin winery's 100-point wine

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