Family Affair

Exclusive Beaver Creek Dinner Honors Tuscan Wine Magnate

Wine aficionados gather for a momentous evening —five elaborate courses paired with 11 of Marchesi Antinori’s most celebrated wines.

By Ted Katauskas February 24, 2026

Castello della Sala, Marchesi Antinori's winemaking estate in Umbria, Italy

Image: Vinattieri 1385 - Marchesi Antinori

At the appointed hour on a snowy Friday evening in February, my Uber drops me off at the doorstep of a nearly 9,000-square-foot Tuscan-style villa on a hillside high above Beaver Creek's main entrance gate. Tiberius—a life-size sculpture of a laughing, wine-bottle-wielding bruin, stands guard outside the entryway, where a bronze plaque tells me that I’ve arrived in the right place: “Casa Di Montagna Della Rotella,” the mountain home of Jonathan and Alysa Rotella, one of this tony resort enclave’s most notable, and sociable, power couples.

The estate’s patriarch, an affable 51-year-old entrepreneur with a perpetual five o’clock shadow and the build of a linebacker, is returning from a walk with Bella, his boisterous charcoal purebred English Labrador Retriever. Dressed all in black, he extends a beefy right hand bearing an enormous diamond-crusted Super Bowl LXI ring and shakes mine. “So glad you could make it!” he says. “Please, come inside!”

We enter through the home's ski-in landing into a below-grade inner sanctum, where, beyond a billiards table, I catch a glimpse of the holy of holies, a former walk-in closet that eight summers ago Rotella converted, at no small expense, into a nearly 500-square-foot temple of Bacchus.

If wine cellars were art galleries, this would be one of the most important and notable private collections in the mountain West. Represented among 3,200 bottles in their original wood cases, preserved at a perpetual 55 degrees and 65 percent humidity, are the requisite five-figure masterpieces from prestigious producers like Domaine de la Romanée-Conti. But he’s also curated one of the world’s most complete collections of exceptional award-winning vintages from Marchesi Antinori, Italy’s largest (employing more than a thousand at 12 estates), and one of its oldest (founded in 1385), family-owned winemaking operations.

I am here because Rotella has invited me, and 49 other guests, into his home for a special dinner—five elaborate courses paired with 11 of Antinori’s most celebrated wines—to honor a dear friend, Marchese Piero Antinori.

Piero Antinori is literally wine royalty, if not something of a god, a Dionysian innovator who upended the staid Italian winemaking industry in the 1970s by blending traditional domestic grapes with international varieties to create the world's first Super Tuscan wine, named for a vineyard on his estate Tenuta Tignanello in the heart of Chianti Classico, south of Siena.

Eleven years ago, after announcing his retirement from actively leading Marchesi Antinori at age 76, Wine Spectator feted Piero Antinori as “the driving force behind one of Italy’s biggest success stories … a leader in the renaissance of all Italian wines.” He's also one of the mentors who has inspired and influenced Jonathan Rotella’s journey as an oenophile and a pioneering entrepreneur. (Rotella made his fortune as founder and CEO of NexGen Hyperbaric, a company that patented a mobile version of medical-grade hyperbaric oxygen therapy technology that has become a not-so-secret weapon for national sports team franchises to help elite athletes return to the field, court, and rink more quickly after injury. Hence, the Super Bowl ring, presented by the Philadelphia Eagles in recognition of the supporting role NexGen played in the team's 2025 win.)

We emerge from a stairway into a bustling professional-grade kitchen that could be a location shoot for The Bear, where Mirabelle Restaurant Master Chef Daniel Joly, a 1986 graduate of the Culinary Institute of Brussels, commands the center of the room, dressed in spotless whites and leaning over dozens of plates arranged on a Capri-sized island of Italian marble.

He’s assembling our first course: hearts of palm salad with avocado, citrus segments, baby greens, Parmesan and Emmental cheese croquettes in Dijon lemon mustard vinaigrette, which will be paired with Antinori chardonnays from Umbria and Napa Valley.

Mirabelle Master Chef Daniel Joly's five-course menu, with Antinori wine pairings, from a February 13, 2026 dinner at the Beaver Creek home of Alysa and Jonathan Rotella, in honor of Marchesi Antinori Wines' patriarch Piero Antinori.

Image: Ted Katauskas

On a wall just outside the cozy space hangs an oversized framed photo of another cozy space oriented around food and wine: the dining room at Tenuta Tignanello, where Piero Antinori invented the Super Tuscan in 1971 and where Jonathan Rotella celebrated his 50th birthday in October 2025. The marchese is seated at the head of a vast set table, chatting amiably with Rotella’s 5-year-old son Lorenzo, while the NexGen CEO blissfully gazes past a wine glass and out a nearby window at undulating vineyards that sparked a winemaking revolution. This is his happy place.

Marchese Piero Antinori with Lorenzo and Jonathan Rotella at Tenuto Tignanello, October 2025.

Image: Ted Katauskas

“I met Piero Antinori at the Naples Wine Festival more than 15 years ago, and we just connected,” Rotella tells me. “It was very organic and real. Piero meets a lot of people—he’s Italian royalty, after all. We had a glass of wine together, and I knew his wines extraordinarily well, so I started asking him questions, and one thing led to another. It’s been an amazing friendship from day one. The Antinoris have been very good to my family and friends, and so this is something that I have wanted to do for them for many, many years. Alysa and I wanted to take advantage of the home we have here in Beaver Creek to host a large event.”

I follow Rotella into the villa’s great room, now a dining hall, where Alysa is assessing four round tables crowned with towering floral arrangements by Vintage Magnolia and crowded with fine china, sterling, and Riedel stemware; with all that hand-blown glass (11 wines times 50 guests), lit by chandeliers and candelabras, the cavernous space glows like a crystal palace.

“This is how I show my love, through entertaining,” she says, tweaking a place setting as guests begin to arrive. “Obviously, I’m not cooking tonight—I’ll let Daniel worry about that. My work is done. Now I’m ready to enjoy the fruits of my labor.”

The home's great room, repurposed as a dining hall for the night.

Image: Ted Katauskas

Due to scheduling demands, not to mention the limitations of advanced age—the marchese will celebrate his 88th birthday in July—Piero Antinori has sent his regrets, with 11 cases of wine, and a proxy: Marchesi Antinori CEO and chief winemaker, Renzo Cotarella, another wine industry legend. The 71-year-old Cotarella lives in Orvieto, where, in 1979, at Marchesi Antinori's Castello della Sala, a medieval castle dating to the 14th century, he made his first wine, a pioneering chardonnay blend Wine Spectator deems “one of Italy's most renowned white wines.”

Dashing in an impeccably tailored Italian suit with a starched white open collar, he's standing at the head of the room, backdropped by floor-to-ceiling windows overlooking an aspen grove. After making introductions, Rotella explains that once the marchese sent the list of wines that would be served with the dinner, he collaborated with chef Joly to craft a menu to complement the pairings, each course starring an Antinori selection from Italy and another from Antinori Napa Valley or Stag's Leap (the company's estates in California), and Cotarella will guide us through the tasting.

“I’ll try not to be too boring,” deadpans Cotarella, smiling broadly, before turning serious. “It’s not just tasting. I think it is something more. It’s a history lesson. And the purpose is not to understand or to decide which one is better than the other, because we are 50 people. I don’t think we are omniscient in saying which is best. What is really important is to understand the style of each wine.”

Pictured l. to r.: Antinori Napa Valley Estate Manager Glenn Salva, NexGen Hyperbaric Founder & CEO Jonathan Rotella, Mirabelle Master Chef Daniel Joly, Marchesi Antinori CEO and Chief Winemaker Renzo Cotarella.

Image: Ted Katauskas

In other words: To swirl, sip, and explore the nuance of Napa Valley, to grasp what Napa on the hilltop means in one glass, and what Napa on the valley floor means in another. Then in the next pours, travel to Italy and experience similar subtleties between a cabernet from central Tuscany and a cabernet franc from the coast.

“It isn’t business, it’s friendship—just friendship—all enjoying the wine together,” Cotarella stresses, adding that Marchesi Antinori considers our hosts to be the greatest of friends. “Rotella is an Italian name; his family comes from Calabria, which is a place in southern Italy.…When I see people like Jonathan and Alysa being so, let’s say, passionate. No, generous is the word. You have to appreciate it. We have been talking about this event for many, many years, and finally, it was time to do it.”

The room is now buzzing with the anticipatory banter of the assembled guests—neighbors from Beaver Creek and Bachelor Gulch, entrepreneurs and CEOs, friends of the Rotellas who have come from as far away as Dubai and Melbourne to attend this event—wine aficionados all. After we take our assigned seats, the babble quiets to a murmur as Jonathan and Alysa Rotella ascend a balcony staircase with Cotarella.

“We’re very honored to be here with Renzo,” says Jonathan. “I’m honored to have all of you here, and I hope you enjoy what I think will be a momentous evening for all of us.”

I did, immensely. And it truly was.

Jonathan Rotella's Super Bowl LX championship ring. The NexGen Hyperbaric CEO received the ring from the Philadelphia Eagles, in recognition of the supporting role NexGen's mobile medical-grade hyperbaric oxygen therapy technology played in the team's 2025 win.

Image: Alysa Rotella

After Jonathan Rotella introduces Renzo Cotarella to the audience, the Marchesi Antinori CEO takes a moment to congratulate Alysa Rotella, who managed the complex logistics of making the dinner happen: “It’s a pleasure to be here. It’s a pleasure to try to say a few words about wines. Thank you for being with us. It’s a special dinner, not just because it’s the first time we are here, but because we never organized anything like this. We are the 27th generation. We started making wine in 1385.… Through this business, we have had the chance to know many friends, and Alysa and Jonathan are the most important friends we have. I really thank you, thank you again for having organized this beautiful event, and Alysa, you did great, bravo!”

Image: Ted Katauskas

Pictured: Just outside of Orvieto, Italy, near the border of Tuscany, Castello della Sala, built by nobleman Angelo Monaldeschi della Vipera in 1350, occupies the center of nearly 1,500 acres, a third of it vineyards. The Antinori estate’s most celebrated chardonnay, Castello della Sala Cervaro della Sala, was paired with the night’s first course, a hearts of palm salad. Jonathan Rotella explained the pairing this way to his guests: “Cervaro is made in Orvieto. The terroir, the winemaking there, is very unique. It’s really an Old-World approach to making chardonnay. It touches oak, French oak, for a short period of time. We paired this with my wife’s favorite hearts of palm salad because it really brings out the various flavors in that first dish. It’s crisp, refreshing, and it’s actually palate cleansing. Traditionally, I’m not a chardonnay drinker, but when I do drink chardonnay, I drink Italian chardonnay.”

Image: Courtesy Vinattieri 1385 - Marchesi Antinori

At his table at the wine dinner with Rotella neighbor Sandra Dobbins (background), Antinori Napa Valley Estate Manager Glenn Salva explains one of the two wines (Badia a Passignano 2022 Chianti Classico and Pian delle Vigne 2019 Vignaferrovia Riserva Brunello di Montalcino) paired with the meal’s second course (butternut squash mascarpone ravioli): “Historically, the two great red wines of Italy were Barolo, which is made from nebbiolo coming from Piedmont, or sangiovese coming from Montalcino, a wine we call Brunello. The little village of Montalcino is a bit south of Siena and a little bit to the west, a region that has been best known for this Brunello di Montalcino. Our estate there is called Pian delle Vigne. And so from that estate, this is the riserva of Pian delle Vigne. Again, one hundred percent sangiovese. There’s a difference in vintages here [between the two paired wines] because to be a riserva, it has to age at the winery a little bit longer before it’s released to the market.”

Image: Ted Katauskas

Pictured: Antinori Napa Valley’s vineyards on Atlas Peak in California’s Vaca Mountain Range. The estate chronicles Marchese Piero Antinori’s first visit in 1966 this way: “From the first time Marchese Piero Antinori ventured miles up a winding road into the mountains of Napa Valley and saw the magnificent expanse of undulating landscape unfolding below him, he knew this place had incredible potential. The rugged terrain, perched 1,600 feet above the Napa Valley floor, reminded him of his home in Chianti Classico.” In the marchese’s words: “I found myself on the twisting road in an isolated area, with a semi-hidden and almost virgin valley spread before me. Exploration of new land must be guided by the proper combination of intuition and preparation, passion, and curiosity. Often, these encounters are guided by fate or sudden inspiration. The arid landscape of rolling hills had all the signs of a strong location for growing grapevines. The rocky soil on the slope formed a natural amphitheater; the altitude and the cool breeze of the ocean reminded me of home. The light, however, was different, the horizon broader and sharper.”

Image: Courtesy Vinattieri 1385 - Marchesi Antinori

Pictured: Antinori Napa Valley estate manager Glenn Salva (far right) toasts/roasts the night's guest of honor, Marchese Piero Antinori, his boss and the company's patriarch, with a glass of Proficio, the California wine estate's most lauded and exclusive (available only to those who purchase an estate membership) signature cabernet. He tells this anecdote: "I've been with the Antinoris for 40 years. About 20 years into being on this property, one summer when Piero Antinori was in Napa Valley, I said to him, 'If you think I'm doing a really good job for you and you want to gift me something, I don't want a Rolex watch. I want this vineyard that sits high up on the hillside (I also knew it was his great favorite). And he said, 'I don't think so. 'So the next summer he was out here and I said, 'Well, I must have asked for the wrong thing. 'Piero Antinori has three daughters ... and I said, 'If you think I'm doing a really great job for you, just allow me to marry one of your daughters.' And he said, 'But Glenn...You are already married!' And I said, 'But you have the pope. We can come to an understanding!"

Image: Vinattieri 1385 - Marchesi Antinori

Pictured: The Solaia and Tignanello vineyards at Marchesi Antinori's Tenuta Tignanello estate, where Piero Antinori pioneered the world's first Super Tuscan wine in 1971 with the debut of Tenuta Tignanello. Tenuta Tignanello 2022 Solaia was paired with the meal's third course (beef Wagyu tenderloin with black garlic bordelaise, duck fat potato pave, and roasted cipollini onions). As the course was served, Jonathan Rotella explained the pairing: "The Antinori family founded what we know as the Super Tuscan. Solaia is one of the most famous names in Super Tuscans, and it just happens to be one of my favorite wines. The blends change from year to year depending on yields, soil, terroir, and what Renzo wants to do with it based on his palate. I'm honored to serve, to share this wine with you, and I'm certainly honored to have the winemaker here. " Then Cotarella continued: "Solaia was a milestone. [The debut 1997 vintage] was the first Italian wine named as best in the world by Wine Spectator in 2000. I think it represents in a few words what Antinori thinks about wine. Not a wine that is too heavy, but a wine that is multi-layered. It is a little bit shy, so it requires some time to be understood."

Image: Vinattieri 1385 - Marchesi Antinori

Pictured: Antinori CEO Renzo Cotarella lectures about the second course’s second pairing, Pian delle Vigne 2019 Vignaferrovia Riserva Brunello di Montalcino. Jonathan Rotella began the conversation: “Now we’re having Pian delle Vigne, which is really one of my favorite wines. It’s a classic Italian wine. This is 100 percent Sangiovese. It’s a very approachable wine. It’s universal, meaning it doesn’t matter what you’re eating, it pairs extraordinarily well with pretty much anything. Extraordinarily well balanced, low acidity, fruit forward, and just what I call Italy in a glass. It doesn’t get any better than this for me.” Then he hands off the discussion to Cotarella: “What we want to try to do is to make a Brunello more elegant and refined. And I think with the 2019 vintage we were very close to that goal. This is a wine that requires some years of aging. It’s a classy glass. Marchesi Antinori started making Chianti Classico 640 years ago, so we have relatively more experience. Some people think that after two or three or four years, everything is clear. No! You never finish learning. I think it’s not just about wine, but it’s about life. There is always room to improve, always room to better understand. In the case of wine, there is the weather; every year is different, it changes every year, it changes every day. So to readdress: Making wine requires a lot of attention, and most of all, passion.”

Image: Ted Katauskas

Jonathan Rotella commissioned this life-size bronze of his first Labrador Retriever, Brunello, after the dog crossed the Rainbow Bridge in 2020. At perpetual rest under a grand piano in the great room, Brunello seemed to be there in spirit, absorbed in the evening's goings on.

Image: Ted Katauskas

WINE FINDER
Area restaurants with bottle selections served at the Antinori dinner

Castello della Sala 2023 Cervaro della Sala: La Bottega, $165 (2021 vintage); Tavernetta Vail, $168 (2022 vintage)

Badia a Passignano 2022 Chianti Classico DOCG Gran Selezione: La Nonna, $220 (2016 vintage)

Pian delle Vigne 2019 Vignaferrovia Riserva Brunello di Montalcino DOCG: La Nonna, $205; Sweet Basil, $80 (Pian della Vigne 2021 Rosso di Montalcino DOC)

Tenuta Tignanello 2022 Solaia: Mirabelle, $875 (2022 vintage); La Nonna, $1,350 (2012 vintage)

Tenuta Guado al Tasso 2021 Matarocchio Bolgheri DOC Superiore: Fattoria, $300; Tavernetta Vail, $414 (2022 vintage); La Nonna, $697 (2020 vintage)

Local Antinori wine retailers
Alpine Wine & Spirits

Avon Liquor

Beaver Liquors

Vail Fine Wines

West Vail Liquor Mart

Wine

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