San Giovanni della Sala Orvieto classico Superiore DOC 2023

In Umbria, a short distance from the border with Tuscany, about 18 kilometres from the historic city of Orvieto stands Castello della Sala, an imposing manor house dating back to the Middle Ages, whose lands extend over 500 hectares, 170 hectares of which are planted with vines, halfway between the Paglia river and the summit of Monte Nibbio. The 170 hectares of vines, cultivated with traditional varieties such as Procanico and Grechetto, but also with Chardonnay, Sauvignon Blanc, Sèmillon, Pinot Bianco, Viognier and a small proportion of Traminer and Riesling, are located at an altitude of 220 - 470 metres above sea level. Castello della Sala is an area highly suited to the production of white wines with one exception: Pinot Noir, which finds in this terroir the ideal conditions to express itself at its best. The area is characterised by soil that tends to be clayey, calcareous, rich in fossil shells, with vineyards well exposed to sunrise and with excellent temperature excursions. In the spring of 1979, at the age of 25, agronomist Renzo Cotarella arrived at Castello della Sala. Work immediately began on an ambitious project: to create a white wine capable of expressing itself over the years and evolving over time. They experimented with Chardonnay and deepened their knowledge of the interesting Grechetto, capable of giving typicality and territoriality. The search for a great wine with character and personality became almost an obsession. After a series of disappointing vintages, it was the 1985 vintage that gave the first true Cervaro della Sala: one of the first Italian wines to undergo malolactic fermentation and ageing in barriques. The modern conception of the vinification cellar, designed to enhance the freshness and aromas of the grapes and to guarantee uncompromising quality, lives in harmony with the historic ageing cellar, dating back to the 16th century and located under the ancient stronghold of Castello della Sala. Part of the Cervaro della Sala and Pinot Noir della Sala still rest here in French oak barriques, protected by the thick walls of the fortress, which maintain a naturally constant temperature and humidity.