Castello della Sala is housed in a beautiful medieval castle not far from Orvieto. Antinori acquired the property in 1940 together with the 500 hectares of land. The property extends between the Paglia river and Monte Nibbio and the vineyards are cultivated at altitudes between 220 and 470 m above sea level. The soils are of sedimentary origin with limestone and clay and are rich in marine fossils. The climate is characterized by significant temperature variations between night and day. These conditions favor the cultivation of white grapes. In fact, here Antinori has planted local white grapes such as Grechetto and Procanico (Trebbiano) and international ones such as Chardonnay, Sauvignon blanc, Sémillon, Riesling, Pinot blanc, etc. The only red grape variety grown in Castello della Sala is Pinot noir.
Renzo Cotarella began his career in Castello della Sala as a young agronomist. Today Renzo Cotarella is CEO of Marchesi Antinori. He is responsible for the success of Castello della Sala with two innovative white wines of extraordinary quality: Cervaro della Sala and Muffato della Sala. In 1985, after a trip to Burgundy, Renzo Cotarella produced Cervaro della Sala, a white made from Chardonnay aged in barrique, a wine never seen before in Italy.
The Muffato della Sala saw the light two years later; it is a sweet wine produced from grapes affected by noble rot inspired by the great sweet wines of Sauternes.
In 1985 a new functional cellar was built, separated from the Castle. Today Castello della Sala produces over one million bottles a year from 170 hectares of vineyards.