Vinification takes place in caratelli, the typical small Tuscan barrels holding between 100 and 200 liters (22 and 44 gallons), and it is triggered by the inoculation of the so-called “madre” (“mother”) - colonies of different types of yeast deriving from previous vinifications – into the must from grapes that have been partially dried on racks. Maturation continues for 8 years in the small chestnut–wood barrels, in which the fermentation lasts a very long time but is intermittent, starting and stopping depending on the natural variations of temperature and pressure.