Marchesi Antinori needs no introduction in the context of Italian red wine — Tignanello, Solaia, Cervaro della Sala, Vin Santo — the family that has been making wine since 1385, through 26 generations, is most internationally associated with the Tuscan reds that changed Italian wine history. But Castello della Sala, the Antinori family's Umbrian estate purchased by Niccolò Antinori in 1940, tells a different and equally important story: the story of what happens when one of Italy's greatest winemaking families turns its full attention to white wine.

The castle and its 600-hectare property sit about 18 kilometres from the historic city of Orvieto in Umbria — the region's "green heart," hemmed in by Tuscany, Lazio, and the Marche, without a coastline or international border, whose clay and calcareous soils rich in marine fossils and whose dramatic day-to-night temperature differentials make it one of Italy's most specifically suited environments for growing aromatic white varieties. Conte della Vipera — the Count of the Viper — takes its name from the Monaldeschi della Vipera family, the original proprietors of the medieval castle, and its label carries an illustration of the 13th-century San Giovanni Chapel that still stands on the estate. First produced in 1997, it has become one of the most consistent and the most specifically Umbrian expressions of the Sauvignon Blanc/Sémillon blend available from any Italian producer.

The 2024 growing season was among the most favorable in recent memory at Castello della Sala. Mild winter, a moderately rainy spring that replenished groundwater, lower-than-average spring temperatures that prompted even budbreak and vine growth, and a hot, stable July and August with considerable day-to-night temperature swings that ensured gradual and ideal ripening. The result, in Antinori's own tasting note: "intense fruity notes of pink grapefruits and lychees dominate the nose, leading over to fresh hints of limes and pineapples. The palate is elegant and lively with a well-balanced structure and crisp freshness. The finish is long and refined, accentuated by hints of passion fruit, citrus fruit, and a light mineral note."

Origins & Craftsmanship

Marchesi Antinori has been making wine without interruption since 1385, when Giovanni di Piero Antinori joined the Arte Fiorentina dei Vinattieri — the Florentine Winemakers' Guild. Today the company is led by Marchese Piero Antinori as Honorary President alongside his three daughters Albiera, Allegra, and Alessia — the 26th generation of an unbroken family line. Castello della Sala was acquired in 1940 and has been developed across the decades into one of Italy's most celebrated white wine estates, culminating in the 1987 introduction of Cervaro della Sala, widely regarded as one of Italy's defining white wines.

Conte della Vipera, first produced in 1997, draws from vineyards at 250 to 350 metres above sea level within the Castello della Sala estate — sites on clay and calcareous soils rich in marine fossils, with eastern and southeastern sun exposure and the dramatic diurnal temperature variation that is the estate's most specifically quality-determining climate feature. The vines grow in an area that Antinori describes as ideal for white varieties in all but one exception: Pinot Noir, the sole red variety that has found genuinely ideal conditions here.

The 2024 harvest was executed with Antinori's most meticulous precision. Hand-picked bunches were immediately transferred to the cellar and cooled via refrigerated conveyor, preserving the delicate varietal aromatics by lowering temperature before pressing. After soft pressing, the must was clarified naturally at 10°C before fermentation at a controlled 16°C in stainless steel — a temperature regime specifically designed to preserve every volatile aromatic compound of the Sauvignon Blanc and allow the Sémillon to contribute its characteristic creamy texture and weight without the two varieties losing their individual identity. Refined in stainless steel before bottling without oak influence.

Critics Reviews

No published numerical score is available for the 2024 vintage at this time. Scores from adjacent vintages for context:

Wine Spectator — 90 Points (multiple vintages):
"A sleek, zesty, mouthwatering white, light- to medium-bodied and aromatic, with hints of chive blossom, ripe apricot, flint and lemon peel. Offers a minerally, lip-smacking finish."

James Suckling — 90 Points (2021 vintage):
"This is a wonderful improvement, with bright lime and green apple aromas. Medium-bodied, crisp and bright. So lemony at the end. 70% sauvignon blanc and 30% sémillon. Drink now."

Luca Maroni — 93 Points

Robert Parker / Wine Advocate — 90 Points

Wine-Searcher aggregate — 90/100 (all vintages average)

Marchesi Antinori official 2024 tasting notes:
"Conte della Vipera 2024 is a bright straw yellow color with delicate light green hues. Intense fruity notes of pink grapefruits and lychees dominate the nose and lead over to fresh hints of limes and pineapples. The palate is elegant and lively with a well-balanced structure and crisp freshness. The finish is long and refined accentuated by hints of passion fruit, citrus fruit and a light mineral note that enhances its complexity and liveliness."

Anthony Gismondi (prior vintage, house style):
"Fresh, savoury, aromatic sauvignon blends with a softer, supple, tropical sémillon. On the palate, an alluring green character mixed with grapefruit and grassy notes all wrapped up in a refined, licorice-flecked jacket. Another wine built for food in that classic Italian way."

Vino.com (2024 vintage):
"On the palate it is well structured and harmonious, savory and sweet at the same time, with an aftertaste reminiscent of grapefruit."

Tasting Profile

Nose
Bright straw yellow with delicate light green hues — the stainless steel, low-temperature fermentation producing a color of genuine freshness and vitality. Pink grapefruit and lychee dominate the nose with the most vivid and the most immediately expressive tropical-citrus aromatic combination — the 2024 vintage's favorable ripening phase most directly apparent in the intensity and the luminosity of the fruit character. Fresh limes and pineapple follow, adding the most zesty and the most specifically lively secondary citrus and tropical dimension. Boxwood adds a specifically herbaceous and the most characteristically Sauvignon Blanc secondary note. White flowers and elderflower add delicate floral lift from the estate's marine fossil soils.

Palate
Elegant, lively, and well-balanced — the most consistently confirmed and the most specifically accurate characterization of Conte della Vipera's palate identity across every vintage. Crisp freshness drives the entry with vibrant, food-inviting acidity. The 80% Sauvignon Blanc component provides the structural backbone of citrus, herbs, and minerality while the 20% Sémillon adds the most specifically creamy texture and tropical softness that distinguishes this from single-variety Sauvignon Blancs. Well-structured and harmonious, savory and sweet simultaneously, with an aftertaste reminiscent of grapefruit. Chive blossom, ripe apricot, and flint add complexity through the mid-palate.

Finish
Long and refined — passion fruit, citrus fruit, and a light mineral note from the marine fossil soils carrying the close with genuine length and complexity. The mineral note enhances the finish's liveliness — a specifically Umbrian quality that adds refinement without weight. A minerally, lip-smacking close that leaves the palate genuinely refreshed and ready for food.

Quick Overview

Food Pairings

• Appetizers and antipasti — the producer's own first recommendation
• First courses — pasta with delicate sauces, risotto with vegetables or seafood
• Fish and seafood
• Vegetable dishes
• Grilled white fish with lemon
• Goat cheese and fresh cheeses