Signorello Vineyards - Napa, California

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$60.00

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 2015.

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: Francois Freres and Damy. Oak types: Allier, and Troncais. The wine spent 10 months on the lees in French oak (40% new) followed by bottling in July 2008. The Hope's Cuvée represents the best three barrels from the entire estate program selected through extensive tastings by our Proprietor, Ray Signorello Jr.

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.

2007 Harvest Report

2007 looks to be a stunning vintage despite a few surprises during the growing season. The year began with dry days and very cold nights. As the spring came upon the Napa Valley, warmer days and only 60% of the normal precipitation resulted in an early bud break. As summer progressed, temperatures rarely passed the 100 degree mark, but it did spike over Labor Day weekend. However, this only helped to boost the sugar development we were looking for to complement the excellent acid structure seen the grapes. According to Pierre Birebent, the 2007 vintage should be a very good year.