Signorello Estate Hope's Cuvee Chardonnay 2015

”98 points. The best Chardonnay I have ever tasted from Ray Signorello has to be the 2015 Chardonnay Estate Unfiltered Hope's Cuvee. With its tiny yields, old vines and unfiltered style of keeping the wine nine months in barrel (of which half is new French oak and the rest used),this wine is absolutely spectacular. The wine has a Montrachet-like richness” 
Robert Parker

Topvinen Hope’s Cuvée Chardonnay er navngivet efter Ray Signorellos mor, Hope. Vinen kommer fra en lille parcel med 40-årige vinstokke - nogle af de ældste Chardonnay-stokke i Napa.

Signorello Estate er en lille familiedrevet vingård på den legendariske Silverado Trail i Napa Valley. Familien har dyrket deres 17 hektar vinmarker siden 1970'erne, og de har et indgående kendskab til hvert lille jordlod. Signorello-vinene repræsenterer noget af det ypperste vin, USA kan præstere, men faktisk er husets stil snarere fransk end amerikansk - her prioriteres elegance og kompleksitet fremfor fad og solmodenhed. Signorellos vine fremstilles så naturlige som muligt: vinstokkenes pleje og høst foregår pr håndkraft, druerne sorteres enkeltvis inden presning, der gæres udelukkende på druernes egne gærceller, og vinene aftappes ufiltrererede.

Familien Signorello holder vinstokkenes udbytte på et minimum, og vingårdens produktion er mikroskopisk. Derfor skal man som regel stå på venteliste, hvis man vil have fingre i topvinene. Efter at vingården mistede en stor del af sit lager i den californiske skovbrand tilbage i 2017 er det desværre kun blevet endnu sværere at opdrive Signorellos vine.

Du kan læse mere om Signorello og den tragiske brand her i Business Insider: 

Robert Parker - 98 Point

"The best Chardonnay I have ever tasted from Ray Signorello has to be the 2015 Chardonnay Estate Unfiltered Hope's Cuvee. With its tiny yields, old vines and unfiltered style of keeping the wine nine months in barrel (of which half is new French oak and the rest used),this wine is absolutely spectacular. The wine has a Montrachet-like richness with profound concentration from the tiny yields, loads of caramelized citrus, honeysuckle, white peach, melons and a touch of brioche. It is full-bodied, but great acid, purity and length make for an incredible wine from this old vineyard’s clay and loamy soils. Drink over the next 10-12 years as this has every indication of being long-lived."

Ray Signorello’s winery sits at the very southern end of Napa Valley where he has a moderately sized estate of 43 acres of vineyard, including some of the oldest Chardonnay vines in all of Napa Valley – the 37-year-old vines that go into his Hope’s Cuvée.