Manfredi Martini worked for the Biondi Santi estate in the 1950s. In 1958 Manfredi and his wife Fortunata bought what is now Il Paradiso di Manfredi, an estate then with more olives than vines. After a severe frost in the early 1960s killed many of the olive trees the main focus became wine production. Il Paradiso di Manfredi became a founder member of the Brunello consorzio in 1967. In 1982 Manfredi died, leaving the estate to his daughter Rosella (an elementary school teacher) and her husband Florio Guerrini (a school bursar by profession, born 1946) who decided to work on the estate full time. Florio made 300 bottles in his first vintage. Florio and Rosella’s two daughters are Silvia and Gioia (Gioia Guerrini’s grandmother was Fortunata Martini (Manfredi’s widow). The estate was sold and is now called Il Paradiso di Cacuci.
Vineyards: There are 2.5 hectares of vines near the town of Montalcino, in the Canalicchio area of Montalcino, of which 2 hectares produce Brunello and 0.5 hectares produce Rosso di Montalcino. Pliocene soils. The vines are cultivated using a spurred double cordon. The main rootstock is 420A, to prevent excess vigour. Vine density is 3,300 vines per hectare (90 cm between vines and a row width of 2.7 metres). The average age of the vineyards is 28 years. The vines face north north-east. The altitude of the cellar is 355 metres and the vines are above and below this on the steep hillside outside Montalcino. From the cellar one can see the vineyards of Altesino, Caparzo and Capanna di Cencioni, and the cellars of Val di Suga. The neighbouring vineyards are Il Paradisone Colli degli Angeli, La Gerla, and Il Marroneto.