Signorello Estate Vieilles Vignes Chardonnay, Napa Valley, USA

辛格羅酒莊老藤霞多麗白葡萄酒

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There are usually two cuvées of Chardonnay made by Ray Signorello. The 2014 Chardonnay Vieilles Vignes, which comes from relatively old vines on the estate (largely Old Wente), is fermented with 100% wild yeasts and goes through partial malolactic. It is aged in 41%-51% new French oak. The 2014 reminded me of a crisp, minerally Chevalier-Montrachet from Burgundy. Loads of steely white currant, poached pear and apple butter notes jump from the glass of this medium to full-bodied, elegant and refreshingly well-delineated and rich wine.

The 2013 Chardonnay Vieilles Vignes shows beautiful honeysuckle and tangerine oil in a slightly more dramatic style. This wine went through 57% malolactic, whereas the 2014 went through 44%. (Signorello measures the necessary acids in dictating how much malo the wine is subjected to.) This is full-bodied, opulent and pure, with a touch of pineapple giving it more tropical fruit than its 2014 counterpart, which is more dominated by minerality.

From the estate vineyard on the Silverado Trail, this is always one of the better Napa Valley Chardonnay bottlings. The wine is rich in pineapple, pear, green apple and oak flavors, and is a little sweet. But it has brisk acidity and a nice scour of minerality. Drink now.——S.H.(7/1/2011)—— 92

From his winery just off the Silverado Trail in southern Napa Valley, Ray Signorello has fashioned two more brilliant Chardonnays. The 2008 Chardonnay Vieilles Vignes Estate is one of those rare California Chardonnays that come from vines nearly 30 years of age. Exotic, restrained but authoritative scents of nectarines, tangerines and orange blossoms emerge from this light straw/gold-colored wine. Full-bodied with zesty acidity, lots of minerality and a rare intensity in the mid-palate, this impressive, structured Chardonnay’s framework is reminiscent of a red wine’s. It should drink nicely for at least 3-4 years, possibly a decade given its singular style. The wood is completely hidden by the wealth of fruit intensity.