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$65.00

Hope's Cuvée was first made in 1994, in the memory of Ray Signorello Jr.'s mother, Hope Signorello. This wine not only is made with the highest quality fruit, but it is made with passion, devotion and love from the Signorello family. We miss you Hope!

Tasting Notes

The nose opens with apple and mineral aromas. Ripe fruit flavors, especially of apple and pear enhance the broad palate. French oak provides a touch of spice with hints of clove, cinnamon and nutmeg. Hope's Cuvée is very similar to our Estate Chardonnay but with an extra dimension of depth and concentration from the meticulous barrel selection. Drinkability: Now to 2017.

Winemaking Notes

Careful pressing of whole clusters minimized skin contact. This gentle process helps the wine achieve balance as well as develop a silky mouth-feel and enhances the aging potential. Using native yeasts, the wine fermented in French oak barrels with 50% malolactic fermentation to preserve the natural acidity. Tonnelleries: François Frêres and Damy. Oak types: Allier, and Troncais. The wine spent 10 months on the lees in French oak (40% new) prior to bottling.

Vineyard Notes

Hope's Cuvee was grown exclusively on our estate vineyard on the east side of the Silverado Trail. This shallow, rocky hillside vineyard, planted in 1980, stressed the vines sufficiently during the growing season to ensure intense varietal character. We employed a variety of techniques in managing each vineyard's micro-climate including vertical trellising, leaf removal, and crop reduction.

Harvest Report

The 2009 vintage is producing outstanding fruit that looks and tastes to be a spectacular vintage. Though rainfall was little more than two-thirds of normal for the third year in a row, the timing of the precipitation was on the vine's side. Couple that with the lack of frost and a relatively cool growing season, Mother Nature managed to have it all work in unison to give vines and grapes the best possible scenario.