The Wine Palate is a modern, data-driven platform designed by Lisa Perrotti-Brown MW to personalize wine discovery based on individual consumer preferences.
Lisa Perrotti-Brown has spent over 25 years in the wine industry, living and working in London, Tokyo, Singapore, and now Napa, California. In 2008, she became a Master of Wine and received the Madame Bollinger Medal for excellence in wine tasting. That same year, she began working for Robert M. Parker, Jr. at The Wine Advocate.
In 2013, she became editor-in-chief for Robert Parker Wine Advocate and RobertParker.com and was the publication’s critic for Bordeaux, Napa Valley, and Sonoma County wines. Lisa’s first book, Taste Like a Wine Critic: A Guide to Understanding Wine Quality, was published in 2015. In 2021, she left Robert Parker Wine Advocate to become co-founder of The Wine Independent and continues to write about the wines of Bordeaux, California, and further afield.
In 2025, she founded The Wine Palate, a new kind of wine publication designed to help consumers easily find the styles of wines they want, while elevating the experience of wine.
The Wine Independent is the much-anticipated wine review publication founded by Lisa Perrotti-Brown MW, who prior to launching her own site was the much-respected lead wine critic at Robert Parker’s Wine Advocate.
Perrotti-Brown is known for her critical eye and great palate, and we are honored to have received a number of great scores from both The Wine Independent and The Wine Palate
Fortunati Reserve Cabernet Sauvignon Napa Valley 2023
96 points – “Deep garnet-purple colored, the 2023 Cabernet Sauvignon Reserve is a blend of 80% Cabernet Sauvignon, 14% Malbec, and 6% Cabernet Franc. It gallops out with powerful notes of cassis, plum preserves, and boysenberries, plus suggestions of cedar, graphite, anise, and underbrush. The full-bodied palate offers great tension with firm, fine-grained tannins to frame the taut, muscular black fruit layers, finishing long and minerally.” – Lisa Perrotti Brown MW, April 2026
Fortunati Vinto Syrah Oak Knoll District 2023
“Deep garnet-purple colored, the 2023 Vinto Syrah Estate is composed of 97% Syrah and 3% Viognier. It rolls out of the glass with expressive notes of black plums and juicy Bing cherries, followed by hints of licorice, black pepper, and bouquet garni. The full-bodied palate is dense with black and blue fruit layers, framed by firm, lightly chewy tannins and a lively line, finishing long and peppery.” – Lisa Perrotti Brown MW, April 2026
Fortunati Chardonnay Napa Valley 2023
“The 2023 Chardonnay shimmies out with energetic notes of fresh pears and white peaches, giving way to hints of baking bread, marzipan, and honeysuckle. The full-bodied palate is refreshing with a satiny texture and bags of orchard fruit flavors, finishing with a spicy lift.” – Lisa Perrotti Brown MW, April 2026
Fortunati Fortivo Blend 2022
“Deep garnet-purple in color, the 2022 Fortivo Proprietary Red Bordeaux Blend is composed of 75% Cabernet Sauvignon, 12% Syrah, 10% Malbec, and 5% Cabernet Franc. It scoots out of the glass with eager-to-please notes of wild blueberries, black cherries, and mulberries, plus fragrant hints of peonies, fertile loam, and vanilla. The full-bodied palate is soft and juicy with a refreshing backbone and a perfumed finish.” – Lisa Perrotti Brown MW, April 2026
Fortunati Signature Cabernet Sauvignon 2023
“Deep garnet-purple colored, the 2023 Cabernet Sauvignon Napa Valley is a blend of 78% Cabernet Sauvignon, 14% Malbec, and 8% Cabernet Franc. It bursts with gregarious notes of warm cassis and blackberry pie, giving way to hints of cardamom, tapenade, charcoal, and camphor. Full-bodied, the palate is plump and generous, featuring lively acidity and lightly chewy tannins, finishing long and savory.” – Lisa Perrotti Brown MW, April 2026
Fortunati Malbec Oak Knoll District 2023
“Deep garnet-purple colored, the 2023 Malbec Estate Grown is composed of 93% Malbec, 4% Cabernet Franc, and 3% Cabernet Sauvignon. It starts off a little broody, slowly unfurling with notes of stewed plums, tar, garrigue, and black pepper, opening out to reveal fragrant violets and tree moss in the undercurrent. The palate is filled with expressive black fruit and earthy flavors, framed by lightly chewy tannins and bold freshness, finishing with impressive length.” – Lisa Perrotti Brown MW, April 2026
Fortunati Viognier Oak Knoll District 2024
93 points – “The 2024 Viognier Estate swans out of the glass with flamboyant notes of ripe apricots and honeydew melon, followed by suggestions of allspice, rose water, and aniseed. The full-bodied palate delivers a seductively oily texture with soft acidity and bags of spicy orchard fruit flavors, finishing long and perfumed.” – Lisa Perrotti Brown MW, April 2026
Fortunati Cabernet Franc Oak Knoll District 2023
“Deep garnet-purple colored, the 2023 Cabernet Franc is composed of 82% Cabernet Franc, 13% Cabernet Sauvignon, and 5% Malbec. It skips out of the glass with bright, vibrant notes of blueberries, red currant preserves, and black raspberries, leading to an undercurrent of pencil shavings, Provence herbs, and fallen leaves. The full-bodied palate delivers energetic blue and red fruit layers with a firm, grainy texture and a racy line of freshness, finishing savory.” – Lisa Perrotti Brown MW, April 2026
Fortunati Chardonnay Napa Valley 2022
“The 2022 Chardonnay struts out of the glass with confident notes of ripe apples and baked pears, giving way to hints of butterscotch, cedar, and candied ginger. The full-bodied palate has an alluring oiliness to the texture with a lively line cutting through the ripe orchard fruit flavors, finishing chalky.” – Lisa Perrotti Brown MW, April 2026
Fortunati Vinto Syrah Oak Knoll District 2022
91 points – “The 2022 Vinto Syrah is 100% Syrah. Deep garnet-purple colored, black cherry preserves, juicy blueberries, and raspberry pie notes jump from the glass, followed by nuances of black pepper and dried herbs. The full-bodied palate delivers a racy backbone and rounded tannins to support the black fruit preserves and savory flavors, finishing with an herbal lift.” – Lisa Perrotti Brown MW, April 2026
Fortunati Reserve Cabernet Sauvignon Napa Valley 2021
“The 2021 Cabernet Sauvignon Reserve, with 20% Cabernet Franc and 4% Malbec in the blend, is deep garnet-purple in color. It barrels out with bold notions of blackcurrant jelly, plum preserves, and black raspberries plus hints of Sichuan pepper, tar, rose oil, and forest floor. The medium to full-bodied palate delivers mouth-coating, fresh black berry flavors with a firm, fine-grained texture and great tension, finishing long and fragrant.” – Lisa Perrotti Brown MW, November 2023
Fortunati Malbec Napa Valley 2021
“The 2021 Malbec, with 5% Cabernet Sauvignon in the blend, is deep garnet-purple in color. It springs from the glass with vivacious notes of redcurrants, fresh blackberries, and ripe plums giving way to hints of iris bulb, wild thyme, and red roses. The full-bodied palate delivers great intensity and energy, framing the red and black fruit layers with fine-grained tannins and a lively backbone, finishing long and perfumed. This is nicely done!” – Lisa Perrotti Brown MW, November 2023
Fortunati Signature Cabernet Sauvignon Napa Valley 2021
“The 2021 Signature Cabernet Sauvignon, with 14% Cabernet Franc and 6% Malbec in the blend, is deep garnet-purple in color. Notes of blackberry preserves, warm cassis, and dark chocolate jump from the glass, giving way to touches of cardamom, lavender, pencil lead, and tree bark. The medium to full-bodied palate is taut with crunchy black fruits, supported by firm, grainy tannins and lovely tension, finishing long with compelling purity.” – Lisa Perrotti Brown MW, November 2023
Fortunati Vinto Syrah Oak Knoll District Napa Valley 2021
“The single-varietal 2021 Vinto Syrah is deep garnet-purple in color. It needs a swirl or two to release notes of black cherry preserves, plum pudding, and blackberry pie followed by hints of cracked black pepper, violets, and salami. The full-bodied palate is jam packed with expressive black fruit and savory layers, supported by ripe, rounded tannins and bags of freshness, finishing long and peppery.” – Lisa Perrotti Brown MW, November 2023
Fortunati Chardonnay Oak Knoll District Napa Valley 2021
“The 2021 Fortunati Chardonnay jumps from the glass with scents of lemongrass, fresh Bosc pears, and Golden Delicious apples, followed by hints of baking bread and chalk dust. The full-bodied palate delivers great tension, with loads of bright, crunchy apple and pear layers, finishing with a skip in its step.” – Lisa Perrotti Brown MW, November 2023