Flash News - 2004 Fortuni gets top honours in Espresso's Wine Guide 2008 - According to Espresso s Wine Guide 2008, the best Italian Pinot Nero is from Tuscany's Mugello region.
That the 2004 Fortuni won top honours was unanticipated as it was the winery's first ever vintage. The rating was also surprising given that the Mugello is not particularly known for great wines; however, the '04 Fortuni has demonstrated its strength by beating out Pinot Neros from the Alto-Adige, typically considered the only Italian alternative to wines from Burgundy.
The wine was ranked number 52 out of the 1,000 Tuscan wines listed in the guide. The vines were replanted in 2001 on a portion of the Podere Fortuna an area that has a documented history of vineyards since 1400.
The land belongs to a piece of property once owned by Lorenzo dei Medici (Lorenzo il Magnifico) as part of the Cafaggiolo castle. The '04 Fortuni Pinot was produced 'naturally' - without additives - in small French oak barrels.
The wine was then transferred to a barrique, where it matured for 12 months before being left to refine itself, first in cement vats then in bottles for at least 18 months.
