Winemaker Notes
Rich, dynamic and concentrated, the 2019 “Padrone” Cabernet Sauvignon is a striking wine. This vibrant, dense Cabernet is packed with black cherry, red and black currant, plum and blueberry jam. This stunning bouquet is wonderfully nuanced with licorice, menthol, lavender and dark chocolate. Opulent and big bodied, the mid-palate is weighted leading into a vibrant finish of tobacco leaf, herbal tea, and mocha. Deeply textured with exceptional balance, this wine will reveal so much more in the years to come.
Blend: 86% Cabernet Sauvignon, 8% Cabernet Franc, 3% Merlot, 3% Malbec
Professional Ratings
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Vinous
Signorello's 2019 Cabernet Sauvignon Padrone is deep, powerful and beautifully resonant in the glass. Lavender, sage, mint, tobacco, wild cherry and menthol fill out the layers. Padrone, and all the Signorello wines, have seen quite a dramatic stylistic shift in recent years. Today's wines showcase the more floral, savory side of Cabernet Sauvignon typical of this part of the valley. The 2019 is gorgeous, but it is also tightly wound at this stage. Give it a few years to soften.
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Decanter
Evidently youthful, this is still reserved and undemonstrative on the nose, although it became more fragrant with aeration. Flamboyant and spicy, this is very concentrated and shows ample energy and exceptional length. Level-pegging with 2018 Padrone in terms of quality, but a touch more racy and polished. The first vintage crafted by Signorello's new consultancy team of Steve Matthiasson (viticulture) and Celia Welch (winemaking).
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James Suckling
A full-bodied red with blackcurrant and crushed-stone undertones, as well as just a hint of chocolate powder. It’s medium-to full-bodied with firm tannins that are polished and nicely crafted. Fresh and reserved palate, giving the wine pleasing austerity and focus. Drink after 2024.
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Robert Parker's Wine Advocate
The winery's flagship is the 2019 Cabernet Sauvignon Padrone, a blend of 85% Cabernet Sauvignon, 9% Cabernet Franc and 3% each Malbec and Merlot, all aged in 50% to 60% new French oak. It's impressively floral and tea-like on the nose, with hints of menthol accenting cassis and blackberry fruit, while the medium to full-bodied palate is welcoming and rich, with a long, velvety finish and a touch of warmth. Best After 2024.
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Jeb Dunnuck
Another great vintage for the flagship cuvée here, the 2019 Cabernet Sauvignon Padrone is 85% Cabernet Sauvignon, 9% Cabernet Franc, and the rest Malbec and Merlot. As classic Cabernet as it gets, with a beautiful perfume of darker currants, toasted spices, iron, sagebrush, and tobacco, it hits the palate with full-bodied richness, a layered, expansive mouthfeel, ripe tannins, and a great finish. It has another two decades of prime drinking ahead of it.
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Wine Spectator
A ripe, dense and polished style, with a core of dark blackberry reduction, plum sauce and black licorice notes that meld nicely together. Reveals a light tarry hint through the muscular finish. This has some serious underlying grip, too, flirting with a mountain fruit profile in the end. Best from 2024 through 2034.
One of the most prestigious wines of the world capable of great power and grace, Napa Valley Cabernet is a leading force in the world of fine, famous, collectible red wine. Today the Napa Valley and Cabernet Sauvignon are so intrinsically linked that it is difficult to discuss one without the other. But it wasn’t until the 1970s that this marriage came to light; sudden international recognition rained upon Napa with the victory of the Stag’s Leap Wine Cellars 1973 Cabernet Sauvignon in the 1976 Judgement of Paris.
Cabernet Sauvignon undoubtedly dominates Napa Valley today, covering half of the land under vine, commanding the highest prices per ton and earning the most critical acclaim. Cabernet Sauvignon’s structure, acidity, capacity to thrive in multiple environs and ability to express nuances of vintage make it perfect for Napa Valley where incredible soil and geographical diversity are found and the climate is perfect for grape growing. Within the Napa Valley lie many smaller sub-AVAs that express specific characteristics based on situation, slope and soil—as a perfect example, Rutherford’s famous dust or Stags Leap District's tart cherry flavors.