Stefano views the farm as a complex holistic system. As such he employs six people year-round to follow the cycles of nature. He has fruit trees (200 different heirloom varieties), various grains, olives, Chianina cattle, pigs, geese, and hens. He is maniacal about low-impact farming.

Stefano says, "if it’s wet we don’t use the tractor, but rather a backpack pump sprayer—two or three treatments a year are done completely manually, like one hundred years ago. Usually, we work the rows in an alternating fashion—one ‘on’ and one ‘off.’ In the ‘off ’ rows, we don’t work them or even step on for a year, not even for treatments.”

He's also one of six winemakers collaborating at Halara' in Marsala, a one-hectare vineyard planted to Parpato and Catarratto.

After an in-depth geological investigation beginning in 2001, Stefano identified eight hectares of land well-suited to his project. The soil is a mix of silty clay sedimentary soil and a base of thriving microorganisms. Interestingly, it's a goldmine not just for winemakers but also for paleontologists, as dinosaur fossils abound.

In the vineyard and in the cellar, the lunar cycle dictates the rhythm of every process. Stefano's ethics include the total absence of corrective measures, the grapes are pressed by foot, old-fashioned way, rendering this wine a true reflection of the grapes in their vintage year.

Variety: 100% Syrah
Denomination: Cortona DOC
Alc: 13.5%
Agriculture: Biodynamic, low-impact farming.
In the Cellar: Total absence of corrective measures.
Region: Cortona, Tuscany