Signorello Vineyards - Napa, California

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$110.00

Padrone is dedicated to Ray Signorello Sr., a visionary whose dreams came to a reality in our wines at Signorello, and whose life was as full of character as our wines. Padrone is a wine that expresses the quality and dignity of Signorello Vineyards and is a fitting tribute to the life of Raymond Signorello Sr.

Tasting Notes

The reticent nose opens to blackberry, vanilla, smoky cedar, tobacco and hints of black plum. The lush full-bodied palate continues with flavors of boysenberry, loganberry, vanilla and hints of baked rhubarb. The long and lingering finish is accentuated by the young integrated tannins. A wine to lay down and improve in the bottle for the next 20 years.

Winemaking Notes

Our Estate program follows traditional French winemaking practices. Native yeasts induce fermentation. Techniques include the use of extended maceration (each lot averaged 25 days on the grape skins) and frequent pumping-over (three times a day). The 2005 vintage, aged for 21 months in 70% new Troncais, Nevers and Alliers oak (thin-staved, medium-plus toast Chateau Ferre barrels). Tonnelleries: Seguin Moreau, Radoux, and Sylvain-Doreau. Barrels were topped monthly and racked every 6 months. To preserve fruit intensity and body, the wine was not filtered prior to bottling on August 27, 2007.

Vineyard Notes

Our estate vineyards on the Napa Valley hillsides east of the Silverado Trail provided the grapes. A variety of exposures increased the wine's complexity. Western Slopes: Cabernet Sauvignon and Merlot, Eastern slopes: Cabernet Franc and a second Cabernet Sauvignon vineyard. Crop level and vine growth were closely monitored to achieve balance and intensify fruit character. The vineyards are densely planted with 1240 vines per acre and are vertically trellised. The grapes for this proprietary red wine "PADRONE" are sourced from two extremely rocky parts of our estate vineyard with yields of only a mere 1.3 tons per acre.

2005 Harvest Report

Conditions for growing grapes in the Napa Valley in 2005 have been very good. Healthy winter rains and a warm dry spell in late march proved to be just right for this year's bud break, which was right on schedule. The relatively cool growing season slowed development but overall, growers and vintners are in agreement that the vineyards had never looked better in Napa Valley. The health of the vines was speculated to be partly due to the 2004 lower crop level, which allowed vines to store good carbs for the 2005 growing season.