Cervaro della Sala 2023 75cl

Cervaro della Sala is the wine that proved Umbria could make Chardonnay to rival Burgundy, and the 2023 carries that reputation with quiet confidence. Antinori's flagship white blends 95% Chardonnay with 5% Grechetto, the local grape that gives the wine its unmistakable Umbrian accent.

Castello della Sala sits in the hills near Orvieto, a medieval estate the Antinori family has farmed since 1940. Cervaro was the wine that started it all here in 1985, fermented and aged in French oak and taken through malolactic conversion in a way that was radical for Italy at the time. Grechetto, picked slightly later, adds a herbal grip and a mineral spine that keeps the Chardonnay honest.

Expect a nose of ripe pear, hazelnut and a lick of toasted brioche, with white flowers lifting above it. The palate is broad and creamy but never heavy, carried by a saline, almost flinty acidity that runs right through to a long finish. There is real tension here between richness and freshness, which is exactly what separates it from a straightforward oaked white.

This drinks beautifully now but will reward five to eight years in the cellar, gaining nutty depth. At just under £70 it is not cheap, yet for a wine of this pedigree and ageing potential it earns its place.

How to Serve

Serve at 10-12°C in a broad white wine glass. No need to decant, though a first pour left to warm slightly in the glass shows more.

Where to Drink It

Bocca di Lupo in Soho, for Italian cooking that meets it head-on. Trivet near London Bridge, whose list loves a wine like this. Luca in Clerkenwell, for a modern Italian setting.

Food Pairings

Roast chicken with lemon and herbs, or a plate of tagliolini with white truffle if the season allows.