Join Us in Celebrating the Release of Forty-Six Diamonds,
Fleming’s Proprietary Premium Label Wine
As Fleming’s Director of Wine, Maeve Pesquera’s job comes with an enviable perk — visiting some of the world’s top wineries and tasting great wine with the craftsmen (and women) who make it. And while she loves her trips to Napa Valley, she says she’ll never forget the time she spent this summer in Italy as the guest of Salvatore Ferragamo, the man behind our new proprietary private label wine release: Forty-Six Diamonds Toscana 2009.
Let’s get one thing out of the way. Yes, Salvatore Ferragamo is the grandson of the legendary Italian fashion designer. And yes, his family does own an entire village in Tuscany, where his winery, Il Borro, is located. But beneath all his urbane charm, Salvatore is a vintner with a passion for authenticity and tradition. Forty-Six Diamonds Toscana 2009 is modeled after Ferragamo’s flagship wine, Il Borro. It is a blend of estate-grown Sangiovese, Merlot, Cabernet Sauvignon and Syrah grapes. It is available at all Fleming’s locations in limited quantities (only 350 cases were made) beginning this month.
Fleming’s produced its first private label Forty-Six Diamonds wine in 2007, and since that time we have collaborated every year with premium wineries and winemakers to offer our guests a wine that is truly one of a kind. Working with Salvatore Ferragamo was a natural choice. (We’ve collaborated with him for many years, and have included Il Borro on our Reserve List.) We were especially thrilled to have access to Salvatore’s brilliant young winemaker, Nicolò d’Afflitto, and some of his very best grapes.
There’s no questioning this wine’s Tuscan vineyard origins and pedigree. The Sangiovese grapes come from Politi Vineyard, which is one of the highest on Salvatore’s estate at 350 m (1,140 ft). Politi’s soils are composed of marl and mudstone, the result of a lake that was present in the Pliocene. The warm southwestern exposure of the vineyard and significant diurnal temperature changes are ideal for cultivating Italy’s famous Sangiovese grape.
Nicolò D’Afflitto describes Forty-Six Diamonds as “a wine with solid structure crafted on noble tannins and complemented by spices and a core of sweet red and blue forest fruits.”
As in previous years, the renowned artist and wine aficionado, Thomas Arvid, has created an original painting for our wine label, using one or more diamond shapes. You can also see his artwork hanging on the walls of every Fleming’s restaurant.