2006 CHARDONNAY - VIEILLES VIGNES
Here's the problem: so many superlatives, so little space. I loved the silky texture, beautiful integration of oak and fruit, excellent balance of ripe fruit and acidity and seemingly endless finish. If you can resist savoring (and finishing) this lush, highly refined wine as an aperitif, pair it with flavorful poultry or pork dishes. - "John Vankat, Arizona Daily Sun", August 27th, 2008
2005 CHARDONNAY - VIEILLES VIGNES
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86 POINTS - From 25-year-old vines, this Burgundian-inspired white wine wisely avoids the herbaceousness that can accompany Napa Valley Chardonnay. It has passion fruit and papaya flavors that could be a little more concentrated, and also possesses a rich coating of caramelized oak. - "S.H., Wine Enthusiast Magazine" (5/1/2007)
Ray Signorello Jr. is the kind of man who can get things done. And with all he's got on his plate these days, he'd better be. First, there's Signorello Vineyards, which Ray took over when his dad, Ray Sr., died in 1998. In the mid seventies, Ray Sr. purchased 100 acres of prime Silverado Trail land with the idea of selling grapes. In the plentiful 1985 vintage they had so much fruit they couldn't sell it all. So just like that, the Signorellos went into the winemaking business. Twenty years later, Ray Jr. is still at it, dividing his time between homes in Vancouver , San Francisco , and Napa . With Pierre Birebent, Ray makes all the wine by the “vigneron” method employed in Burgundy . In this tradition, which we might call “winegrowing” here, the winemaker takes part in every step of the process—from grape selection (hand sorted three times) to fermentation (native yeasts) to bottling. “We don't use any consultants,” says Ray; “everything is done in-house. The right way. The old way— where it's the vineyards and the owner's philosophy that leads us.” Signorello's current releases are testament to the quality that comes from this practice, including the elegant and tantalizing 2005 Estate Chardonnay, Vieilles Vignes ($38, 90 points) and the stylishly restrained 2003 Estate Cabernet Sauvignon ($40, 91 points). On top of his work at Signorello, Ray has started a side project called Edge Wines with three of his boyhood friends. Meant to be a premium Napa Valley Cab at a far from premium price, the luscious 2003 Edge Cabernet Sauvignon ($20, 90 points) accomplishes precisely that. Add to that Ray's California Cult Classics project— a private club in which members can make wine in Vancouver (and, soon, other cities) with optimal Napa Valley fruit—and you can see just how full his plate is. But Ray Jr.'s just the kind of guy who can get it all done. - "Blue Reviews"
2004 CHARDONNAY - VIEILLES VIGNES
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93 POINTS – This is another enticing, attractive sophisticated chardonnay from Signorello. Spicy lees, muted vanilla, and tropical fruit tones mark the nose. The textures are rich yet elegant with fine acidity. Again, the oak is being handled very well and less malolactic (30 per cent) allows the fruit to shine. Look for creamy spicy pear apple fruit flecked with orange rind. This is delicious chardonnay well above the Napa norm. – “ GISMONDI on WINE ”
2003 CHARDONNAY - VIEILLES VIGNES
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93 POINTS – Enticing attractive notes of butter, spicy lees, vanilla, melon, orange and baked green apples mark the nose. Rich, round, elegant and concentrated on the mid-palate with fine acidity. Fine length and balance if a bit alcoholic in the finish. This is stylish Napa chardonnay. (ST) “ Wine Access: Canada's Wine & Food Magazine – Dec/Jan 2005/06 ”
2002 CHARDONNAY - VIEILLES VIGNES
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91 POINTS – Heavily oaked, heavy on the lees, one of those wines that sits creamy and thick on the palate. The flavors are ripe and candied, suggesting vanilla ice cream, tangerines and sweet limes. A real lip-smacker, but has elegance and complexity. – "S.H. Wine Enthusiast Magazine, August 2004 "
92/100 POINTS - At Signorello “Vieilles Vignes” means vines that are 24 years old and fruit that is unfiltered and native yeast fermented. The yields are a stunningly low 1.7 tons per acre on average. Less new oak and less toast is de rigueur nowadays at Signorello something we wish the rest of California would catch on to. The emphasis' is more and more on fruit as evidenced by its rich apple/pear flavours and mineral streaks throughout. A complex heady, mouth-filling chardonnay with elegance. - Gismondi on Wine
2001 CHARDONNAY - VIEILLES VIGNES
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94 POINTS - WINE & SPIRITS - This lusty white, grown from 23-year-old vines in the Oak Knoll section of Napa, balances its citrus energy with a more delicate floral aspect. There's a quiet rose perfume, as if opening a book of pressed flowers, that builds into the layers of flavor as this wine takes on air. It adds detail to the burst of lemon fruit, the citrus flavors juicy as a freshly squeezed wedge of lime, compressed and checked by mineral scents and dried honeycomb savor of oak. It's a refined wine for all its heady power, and it's balanced to develop for years. Signorello Vineyards, Napa, CA - "Wine & Spirits - reviewed by Joshua Greene and Patrick J. Comiskey"
91 POINTS TWO PUFFS -"Heavily laid-on oak extends from first sniff through to the long, moderately spicy finish of this fat and fully ripened wine, and, if it is arguably a bit more concerned with oak and lees than it is with classically defined fruit, it is positively mouthfullling and has richness to spare. It handily avoids the latter-palate dryness that so often attends Chardonnays high in both oak and ripeness, and it comes with wholehearted recommendations as a foil to the likes of well sauced salmons steaks. - "CONNOISSEURS' GUIDE; April 2003"
**** (four stars) -"Fleshy and full bodied, this is an extremely supple and fairly rich Chardonnay, tasting of apple, vanilla, orange blossom and toast. Medium long finish. Unfiltered. - "RESTAURANT WINE; Issue #93"
90 POINTS - A bit on the lean side, with apple and citrus flavors typical of the appellation. Acidity is sharp and mouthwatering. This is not a big, fat Chardonnay but it is a well-structured, food worthy wine, with oaky influences. This tight structure is very clean. – "S.H. Wine Enthusiast Magazine - June 2003"