Signorello Hope's Cuvee Chardonnay 2013
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Robert
Parker
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Robert Parker's Wine Advocate
The impressive 2013 Chardonnay Hope’s Cuvée displays a lighter green-ish hue to its color, and it backs off somewhat on obvious oak. It reveals copious notes of citrus oil and orange blossom, dense fruit as well as serious concentration. This sensational, full-throttle, Montrachet-like Chardonnay should provide plenty of pleasure over the next 5-6 years.
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Raymond Signorello Sr. and his son, Raymond Jr, founded Signorello Vineyards in 1985. The are producers of estate grown and produced varietals including Seta, a proprietary blend of Semillon and Sauvignon Blanc; Chardonnay and Cabernet Sauvignon. Signorello's Padrone is dedicated to Ray Signorello Sr. who passed away in 1998, a visionary whose dreams became a reality in the wines at Signorello. The grapes used for this Bordeaux blend are sourced from an extemely rocky portion of the estate vineyards yeilding a mere 1.5 tons per acre. The 1999 Padrone is a blend of 75% Cabernet Sauvignon, 15% Merlot and 8.5% Cabernet Franc and is fitting tribute to the life of Ray Signorello Sr. - the Padrone.
One of the most popular and versatile white wine grapes, Chardonnay offers a wide range of flavors and styles depending on where it is grown and how it is made. While it tends to flourish in most environments, Chardonnay from its Burgundian homeland produces some of the most remarkable and longest lived examples. California produces both oaky, buttery styles and leaner, European-inspired wines. Somm Secret—The Burgundian subregion of Chablis, while typically using older oak barrels, produces a bright style similar to the unoaked style. Anyone who doesn't like oaky Chardonnay would likely enjoy Chablis.
One of the world's most highly regarded regions for wine production as well as tourism, the Napa Valley was responsible for bringing worldwide recognition to California winemaking. In the 1960s, a few key wine families settled the area and hedged their bets on the valley's world-class winemaking potential—and they were right.
The Napa wine industry really took off in the 1980s, when producers scooped up vineyard lands and planted vines throughout the county. A number of wineries emerged, and today Napa is home to hundreds of producers ranging from boutique to corporate. Cabernet Sauvignon is definitely the grape of choice here, with many winemakers also focusing on Bordeaux blends. White wines from Napa Valley are usually Chardonnay and Sauvignon Blanc.
Within the Napa Valley lie many smaller sub-AVAs that claim specific wine characteristics based on situation, slope and soil. Farthest south and coolest from the influence of the San Pablo Bay is Carneros, followed by Coombsville to its northeast and then Yountville, Oakville and Rutherford. Above those are the warm St. Helena and the valley's newest and hottest AVA, Calistoga. These areas follow the valley floor and are known generally for creating rich, dense, complex and smooth red wines with good aging potential. The mountain sub appellations, nestled on the slopes overlooking the valley AVAs, include Stags Leap District, Atlas Peak, Chiles Valley (farther east), Howell Mountain, Mt. Veeder, Spring Mountain District and Diamond Mountain District. Napa Valley wines from the mountain regions are often more structured and firm, benefiting from a lot of time in the bottle to evolve and soften.