2020 Signorello Estate 'Hope's Cuvee' Chardonnay
The 2020 Hope’s Cuvee Chardonnay is a bright, vibrant expression of the Chardonnay fruit from our oldest estate block. Rich, generous and full bodied, the wine strikes at you right from the first note. The nose greets you with grilled pineapple, juicy mango, honeysuckle, lemon curds, orange blossom and nuanced oak integration. A creamy texture balanced with soft acidity leads to a long, persisting finish of peaches, gooseberries, brioche and toasted nuts. A complex wine that reflects the history of our 40 year old vineyard block, this will leave you enthralled and captivated.
We love those occasions when fate throws a wrench into someone's plan and everything turns out better than he ever could have mapped it himself. Such was the case with Ray Signorello Sr., who purchased a 100-acre estate in and around Napa Valley's Stags' Leap District with the plan to grow and sell grapes to existing wineries. All was going well until a surplus crop in 1985 left Ray with more fruit than he could possibly off-load. A glass half full kind of guy, Ray decided to give custom crush a shot. The results were so tasty; he realized that if he could make drinkable wine, then a real winemaker could work magic with such top-notch fruit. Since that 1985 experiment, Signorello has evolved into one of our favorite producers of small production Burgundian and Bordeaux-inspired wines. Ray Jr.'s focus is always on the fruit. Ray shares a similar vision with consulting winemaker Luc Morlet and winemaker Pierre Birebent - a vision favoring restraint and elegance to in-your-face and obvious.
Wine Advocate
Hand-harvested at night from vines that sit below the winery site and barrel fermented in approximately 50% new French oak, Signorello's 2020 Chardonnay Hope’s Cuvée is made in a ripe, expansive style that manages to retain a certain amount of freshness. Marked by scents of grilled pear, melon and citrus, it also hints at more savory notes of toasted grain. Full-bodied and creamy textured, it's generous but balanced, with just enough citrus rind coming through on the finish to give this rich wine a sense of equilibrium.
Wine Spectator
This is supple and creamy, offering an elegant background for lemon curd, tangerine and orange blossom flavors, with a savory thread of sea salt and a hint of vanilla bean that linger on the finish. Drink now through 2028.
James Suckling
Ripe apricots, baked apples, spiced pears, pie crust, butterscotch and praline on the nose. It’s full-bodied, ripe and buttery with plenty of praline character. Full and flavorful chardonnay. Drink now or hold.