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Fortunati Reserve Cabernet Sauvignon Napa Valley 2019
A background bit of brushy vegetation melds nicely with the fully ripened, black cherry and cassis fruit that is this very rich, full-scaled Cabernet's major theme, and, if a comparatively big wine, it is quite well-balanced and never tips to extremes. Its ample fruit is enriched by a sweetening dollop of creamy oak while holding center stage throughout, and its finely fit tannins afford good aging potential without imparting the kind of toughness that requires a lengthy stay in the cellar to ease. Look for it to start hitting full stride in but three or four years and continue to evolve famously for up to ten, if not more.
- Connoisseurs' Guide to CA Wine, April 2022
Fortunati Signature Cabernet Sauvignon Napa Valley 2019
If not blowing out of the glass, the aromas on offer here come with both range and admirable varietal focus in their mix of currants and black cherries. Boasting a fair share of rich oak and background hints of neatly fit loamy earth, the wine is invitingly supple at entry, and then is firmed up by more-than-ample tannins that do ask for a half-decade of cellaring. With time on its side, this one comes at a price that compares very favorably with so many of its highly rated, more expensive Napa Valley peers.
- Connoisseurs' Guide to CA Wine, April 2022
Fortunati Vinto Syrah Oak Knoll District 2018
Very ripe though it may be, this deep, incisively varietal effort from Fortunati is not defined by runaway ripeness and keeps intense, specific Syrah fruit and spice to the fore from front to back. It is big, to be sure, but it is exceptionally well-balanced with finely fit acidity and tannins providing it with the structure it needs to age and become more complex over the course of the next six to eight years and, perhaps, more, but it is so rich and expressive right now that it will make splendid drinking with savory meat-on-the-bone recipes tonight.
- Connoisseurs' Guide to CA Wine, March 2021
Fortunati Signature Cabernet Sauvignon Napa Valley 2017
Here is a Cabernet that is equally notable for its richness, its fruity depth and its balance, and, while neither the boldest nor flashiest example to be found, it is an exceptionally well-focused offering that manages to reveal more and more complexity with each sniff and sip. Long on the curranty specifics of the grape with a lovely backing of creamy oak and highlights of loam and minerals slowly coming into play, it is solidly built without inflecting to toughness, and its integral tannins never get ahead of its essential fruit. We strongly urge another four or five years of patience here, and those who find a bottle or two lurking about the cellar a decade hence will wish that they had a few more.
- Connoisseurs' Guide to CA Wine, April 2021
Fortunati Signature Cabernet Sauvignon Napa Valley 2016
The richness and sheer fruity muscle inherent in 2016 Napa Valley Cabernets are on full display here, and, if at present, not a wine of great nuance or subtlety, this is a very deep and impressively stuffed wine with all of the requisite parts to encourage age. It is a tad tough, but no more than serious young Cabernet should be, and its very ample fruit handily buffers its conspicuous tannins. It is a big, but balanced version of what Napa very arguably does best, and its enthusiastic recommendation comes on the proviso that it be allowed to rest quietly for no less than another four or five years. Those willing to wait will not be disappointed.
- Connoisseurs' Guide to CA Wine, December 2020
Fortunati Viognier Napa Valley 2020
No shrinking violet this, Fortunati's 2020 Viognier is an intense, full-blown version that hits all of the right varietal marks with emphasis. Its rich, very deep aromas of sweet, honeyed peaches are echoed in kind by its concentrated, equally rich and very continuous flavors, and, if unquestionably a big, fully ripened wine, it is carefully balanced and finishes without so much as a hint of evident heat. Lavish it is, yet it never overplays its hand, though when it comes time for pouring, it would be wise to stay away from delicate dishes and pair it instead with entrees that are, themselves, of a rich and flavorful sort such as butter-poached lobster, not-too-spicy chicken curries or even pork cutlets in cream sauce.
- Connoisseurs' Guide to CA Wine, March 2022
Fortunati Pinot Noir Sta. Rita Hills 2019
Featuring a fair dollop of upfront, very ripe red cherry-like fruit, this full-bodied Pinot is supported by oaky richness and hints of milk chocolate. Somewhat supple on the palate despite its youth, and staying on the direct, drink-me-now side in its flavors, it avoids any sense of heaviness but clearly is on the big side of the Pinot spectrum. Tasty to the end, with a tag-end bit of heat amidst its invitingly juicy finish, it needs only a few years of aging to put its best foot forward.
- Connoisseurs' Guide to CA Wine, June 2022
Fortunati Vinto Syrah Oak Knoll District 2019
Very solidly Syrah albeit in a somewhat straightforward manner, this full-bodied, fairly sturdy effort delivers plenty of blackberry-like fruit along with quiet notes of spice. It comes with enough background acidity to notice, and both the taste and finish are on the energetic side despite the high-ripeness that informs its flavors. Moderate tannins allow this one to be ready to drink in the next few years, or it can be aged for another five to seven years without any worry.
- Connoisseurs' Guide to CA Wine, March 2022
Fortunati Zinfandel Mt. Veeder 2019
A bit more mannerly and not as concerned with pushy ripeness as its claimed 15.3% alcohol might suggest, Fortunati’s 2019 Mt. Veeder Zin delivers a good measure of upfront, dark berry- and cherry-like fruit in a balanced, relatively lively, medium-fullbodied package. Its continuous, well-defined varietal flavors are in no way complicated by heat, and it is a wine that will prove a versatile partner to a wide range of dishes from tomatoey pastas to pork cutlets and barbecued ribs over the course of the next three or four years.
- Connoisseurs' Guide to CA Wine, July 2022
Fortunati Fortivo Napa Valley 2018
Getting on a very good track right from the start with its nicely measured, well-extracted aromas of ripe berries, cassis, toast and slightly savory spice and living up to promise with its ensuing flavors, this supple, full-bodied effort is, despite its obvious youth, already showing a tantalizing sense of layering and inklings of refinement that encourage great hopes for the future. It is moderately tannic, just enough, in fact, to argue for at least few years of cellaring before pouring, but there is nothing gruff or grating about it should one chose to drink it sooner. We, however, would wait for what is sure to be a complete and fairly classy wine a half-decade or so hence.
- Connoisseurs' Guide to CA Wine, April 2021
Fortunati Chardonnay Oak Knoll District 2019
Rich, well-ripened and not in the least stinting in judiciously oaked, apple-like fruit, Fortunati's is a precise and continuous varietal expression of moderate density and weight. It is carefully balanced and crisply finished without being waylaid by acidy stiffness and is at once both very easy to taste now and capable of developing a bit more complexity with additional bottle time. While it will drink well tonight with fleshy fish fillets bathed in buttery sauces or a juicy roasted chicken, it can be counted on to hold up quite nicely for another four or five years.
- Connoisseurs' Guide to CA Wine, May 2021
Fortunati Fortivo Napa Valley 2019
Complexing elements of green olives and herbs sit quietly to the side of fully ripened black cherries and cassis in the deep and outgoing aromas of this immediately inviting blend, and the wine is every bit as generous and easy to like once in the mouth with a rounded, close-to- plush palate feel. It is underpinned by enough well-integrated tannins to encourage mid-term cellaring, and, if given the choice, we would choose to let it rest for a few more years, but, in truth, we also must admit that it is so appealing now that its enjoyment does not depend on patience.
- Connoisseurs' Guide to CA Wine, April 2022
Fortunati Chardonnay Oak Knoll District 2020
Here is a rich and outgoing Chardonnay loaded with very nicely stated, red apple fruit that gets a nice boost in richness from its always-complementary, seamlessly fit oak. Fairly full in body and rounded in feel with temperate acidity providing a welcome bit of brightness, it is a plump and flavorful, slightly succulent effort that stays away from extremes, and, while it will age without any loss of energy for three or four years, it is a juicy and generous effort with lots of immediate appeal.
- Connoisseurs' Guide to CA Wine, May 2022
Fortunati Reserve Cabernet Sauvignon Napa Valley 2018
Inclining a bit more to full-throttle ripeness than its non-reserve companion and a very rich wine right from the start, this generously filled offering leads with a voluminous nose of ripe currants and plums that is filled out with a careful complement of sweet oak and touches of loamy soil. On the palate, it is as full and ripe as predicted, and, while its nominal varietal tannins impart good deal of finishing grip, they do so without curtailing its ample and continuous fruit. A little too tough to encourage near-term drinking with any but the heartiest roasted meats, it is a wine best tagged for pouring after four or five year have passed and will reward cellaring for ten or more.
- Connoisseurs' Guide to CA Wine, August 2021
Fortunati Signature Cabernet Sauvignon Napa Valley 2018
Introduced by a well-defined, distinctly curranty nose accented by a deft touch of oak and a mocha-like note, this is a mannerly, nicely crafted Cabernet that, while not as full and weighty as its pricier Reserve counterpart, is a bit less driven by pushy ripeness. It is not without a good spine of tannin and comes with the promise of at least a half-dozen years of positive growth, yet its overall impressions of polish make it the more inviting of the pair for those who choose to pour it in the shorter term.
- Connoisseurs' Guide to CA Wine, August 2021
Fortunati Dessert Wine 2017
Very much following the lead of Fortunati's sweet Petite Sirah from 2014 that was reviewed in these pages a year back, this edition is a big, highly concentrated offering that features immense, blackberry fruit and, in this outing, is a bit more temperate in its tannins. Complexity will come with age, and the wine is balanced and definitely structured to keep, but it is a little more polished than its predecessor and not at all hard to access now. 750 ml bottle.
- Connoisseurs' Guide to CA Wine, January 2022
Fortunati Pranzo Rosé 2021
Here is a Rosé that exhibits a little more fruity volume than most mainstream pinks, and, while it begins on a positive note with a nose of ripe berries and subtle spice, it is its mix of richness, palatal polish and fine fruity length that earns it a place near the head of the pack. A wholly appealing wine on its own, it has the balance and slight extra stuffing to make it one whose preferred place for us is at the table with the likes of lightly smoked turkey, a spicy chicken salad or a cheesy tomato tart.
- Connoisseurs' Guide to CA Wine, July 2022