Paradiso di Cacuci

Located in northwestern Montalcino, in the renowned area of Montosoli, lie the vineyards of the historic ‘Paradiso di Mauro Fastelli’ farm. Mauro Fastelli first purchased the land in 1965 and, as one of the original sixteen Brunello Consortium founder-members, became a great advocate of the local, traditional winemaking. In 2018, when Mauro reached his 80s without family to take over his vines, Dr. Ovidiu-Gogu Cacuci, a Romanian doctor with roots in Montalcino, bought the vineyards with the goal of preserving Mauro’s philosophies and bringing the estate into another generation.

The property, located about 370m above sea level, comprises five organically farmed hectares of vineyards dedicated to the production of Brunello di Montalcino, 3.5 ha for Rosso di Montalcino DOC, and another 4.5 ha for the production of IGT wines. In addition to the elevation, the most distinctive characteristic of the estate is the soil, composed of roughly half clay and half sand, with deposits of chalk and lots of limestone. The soil helps the vines avoid the stresses of drought and climate change, and the fruit is never allowed to over-ripen, which keeps the wines elegant and balanced. The wines are ready to drink upon release, yet still hold great potential for bottle aging.

Of the 250 or so wineries in Montalcino, Paradiso di Cacuci is one of the only still making traditional Rosso and Brunello di Montalcino, aging exclusively in neutral 50hl Slavonian oak Garbellotto barrels for 36-42 months for the Brunello (more than the 24 months required by the DOCG) and up to 12 months for the Rosso di Montalcino. Vineyard manager Daniel and cellar manager Stefano are both born and bred in Montalcino and have 20 and 27 years, respectively, experience in local winemaking.