Maurleo was the winery’s second wine to appear, made in 1988; it represented the second stage in my experimentation.
I am continuously striving to achieve balance and expressiveness, with the objective of producing my second standard Sangiovese, one that shows greater freshness and approachability, and always reflecting my steadfast decision to utilise only own grapes and respectful fermentation methods.  
In the course of my researches, I was able to isolate at least 15 new native grape varieties, and I later selected from them a worthy travelling companion in Maurleo.
After four years of experimentation, in 2003, I produced Maurleo with equal proportions of sangiovese and malvasia nera. This research enabled me to better understand the quality potential of the various malvasias in our own soils. These varieties have long been cultivated in Tuscany, but usually in small blocks and never utilised in such a substantial percentages.  
With the production of this wine, I also began to encourage the vineyard’s spontaneity and individuality. I always source it from the same vineyard blocks, looking for the most effective balance, so that I do not have to interfere with the vine’s growth or ripening process. This will yield what I consider to be the most Tuscan of my wines.  
Fermentation is always in lined cement vats at 28-30°C with just the yeasts on the grapes themselves. The wine then macerates on the skins for 28 days, and the malolactic follows the first racking, still in cement vats; maturation, as with all my wines, begins in late spring, in French oak barrels and tonneaux for some 12 months. Maurleo then ages in the bottle at least 6 months before release.
ALCOHOL: 13.5% vol.
BOTTLES PRODUCED: 27,000
BLEND: 50% Sangiovese 50% Black Malvasia
GROWING AREA: San Miniato (Pisa), Italy.
SURFACE AREA: 6,5 hectares
AGE OF VINES: (30%) 35 years, (70%) 15 years
TRAINING SYSTEM: Spurred cordon
HARVEST PERIOD: First and second third of September.
SOILS PROFILE: Base of sandstone, with considerable intrusion of marine fossil formations, well integrated with abundant clay.
ALTITUDE: 100-150 m. SLM
VINEYARD DENSITY: 7,000 vines per hectare.
YIELD PER VINE: 1.3 Kg grapes
VINIFICATION: In temperature-controlled glass-lined cementvats, with two weeks’ maceration on the skins.
MATURATION: Black Malvasia in French barriques. And Sangiovese in big barrels Slavonian Oak for 12 Months
AGEING: 6 months in glass
RECOMMENDATIONS: Store the bottle on its side at 20°C or less. Avoid full light. Uncork at least an hour before serving.
SERVING SUGGESTIONS: Grilled meats, wild fowl, medium-aged cheeses.
SENSORY PROFILE:
Colour: purple-edged deep ruby
Nose: Rich, showing berry fruit and subtle vanilla
Palate: lovely velvety texture, supported by expressive tannins, and exhibiting all the smoothness typical of the Malvasia grape.