94 POINTS - "The 2007 Padrone. A blend of 84% Cabernet Sauvignon, 8% Merlot, and 8% Cabernet Franc, it is even richer than the 2006, with softer tannins and an overall impression of opulence and concentration. An inky/purple color is followed by a big, sweet nose of white chocolate intermixed with high class cigar tobacco, blackberries, blueberries, and a hint of forest floor. Long, rich, and full-bodied with sweet tannin, and a finish that lasts nearly 45 seconds, this beauty can be approached now, but it will not hit its peak for another 5-6 years. It will evolve for more than two decades.
This is one of the strongest line-ups I have tasted from Ray Signorello's winery off the Silverado Trail in southern Napa Valley." - Robert Parker, The Wine Advocate, #186, December 2009
2006 PADRONE
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92 POINTS - "The 2006 Padrone is composed of 83% Cabernet Sauvignon, 12% Merlot, and 5% Cabernet Franc. Chocolate truffle, black currant, espresso roast, tobacco leaf, and subtle oak aromas soar from the glass of this deep, saturated purple-colored 2006. The wine possesses terrific fruit purity and intensity as well as a full-bodied mouthfeel, and a dense, concentrated finish with moderately high tannins. This is a big, muscular, impressively endowed wine that should age effortlessly for 25 years or more." - Robert Parker, The Wine Advocate, Issue #186, December 2009, Download Review
94 POINTS - "Lots of voluptuous softness in the mouth, like velvet gliding over the palate. But you'll also experience serious tannins that hit midway, creating a lockdown astringency. Evidence of ageability lies in the massive core of blackberries and cassis, as well as the overall balance and tang of acidity on the finish. This Cabernet Sauvignon-based Bordeaux blend should hit its stride after 2012 and continue for many years. Cellar Selection." - S.H., Wine Enthusiast, January 2010, Download Review
4 STARS - Decanter
92 POINTS, TWO PUFFS - "Signorello's latest Padrone bottling is an immense and muscular Cabernet that comes close to overwhelming the senses. For all its sheer size and weight, it does a remarkable job at showing layer upon layer of very rich oak, dark loamy earth and discreet varietal currants, and, while its tannins are massive, they never make moot the the wine's ongoing fruit. Allow for a decade of age here, and do not be suprised if the wine continues to grow for twice that time." - Charlie Olken, Connoisseur's Guide to California Wine, Download Review
92 POINTS - "There is a whopping 83% Cabernet Sauvignon, which at this quality accounts for its striking aromatics of savory meat juices underlying the blueberry, blackberry, and flower fragrance. This Padrone is rich and flavorful with a medium to full-bodied, dense, opulent finish that does not overshadow its refinement and silky tannin. It has gobs of irresistible fruit. Maturity period 2012-2023." - Alan Duran's Periodic Review of Wine, March 16, 2010
94 POINTS - "The extraordinarily heavy, pretentious bottle and cork covered with an almost impossible-to-remove vinyl covering made me want to dislike this wine. But it's impossible not to be seduced by this gorgeous Bordeaux blend - Cabernet Sauvignon (83%), Merlot (12%) and Cabernet Franc. The grapes come from a rocky, low-yielding part of the vineyard at a high elevation. I suspect in addition there must be barrel selection because, compared to Signorello's Cabernet Sauvignon, the tannins are extraordinarily smooth and polished. There's a spectacular panoply of flavors - from fruit to coffee to chocolate and herbs - but the texture is what seduces. It's not soft, just plush and has elegance for such power." -Michael Apstein, WineReviewOnline, January 2010
94 POINTS - "Intense purple hue to the rim. Smoky bouquet of kirsch, mocha and maple syrup. Layers of black cherry fruit, baker's chocolate and drying mineral with youthful tannins providing plenty of grip. A high-energy red that will continue to improve." - Wine News, Winter 2010
2005 PADRONE
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97 POINTS - "Marks a welcome return to the magnificence of the 2002, although more recent vintages haven't exactly been slouches. The '05 is amazing, a densely structured, deeply flavored Bordeaux blend that's mainly Cabernet Sauvignon. Shows classic notes of cassis, currants and black cherry liqueur, while 70% new oak adds enticingly rich layers of sweet toast and smoky vanilla. The tannins are pure, classic Napa, very refined and ripe, offering solid structural support with no trace of astringency. Beautiful now, and should slowly develop for many years." - S.H., Wine Enthusiast, December 2008, Download Review
92 POINTS - "Signorello's flagship red wine is the 2005 Padrone, a blend of 88% Cabernet Sauvignon and the rest Cabernet Franc and Merlot. With a sweet nose of black cherries, cassis, and spicy oak, medium to full body, noble tannins, a layered mouthfeel, impressive ripeness, and a long finish, it can be drunk now or cellared for 12-15+ years." - Robert Parker, The Wine Advocate, Issue #180, 12-31-08
93 POINTS - "Striking for its mix of power and finesse. Dark, full-bodied, intense and concentrated, the core currant, mineral, fresh earth, anise and graphite flavors are tightly focused, firm and structured, yet the flavors are woven together with a supple texture. Cabernet Sauvignon, Cabernet Franc and Merlot. Best from 2010 through 2017." - James Laube, Wine Spectator, March 2009
95 POINTS - "A proprietary blend, based on the estates top parcels of Cabernet, with 7% Cabernet Franc and 4% Merlot. Only 1.4 tons per acre in this dense and concentrated red. Just starting to open on the nose, revealing ripe and concentrated, highly complex aromas. The palate is fully dry, firm, with significantly more structure and flavour intensity than the estate Cabernet. Long finish. Loads of depth and complexity. Superb wine." - John Szabo, Wine Access, May 16, 2009
3 STARS - "Hot, spicy, berry jam, roasted. Leathery mountain of tannin. Super high extraction. Ripe. Massive. Very young. Drink from 2016." - Decanter
# 31 of top 100 wines for 2009 Canadian Wine Awards
- Anthony Gismondi, Wine Access, December 2009/January 2010
93 POINTS - "Very spicy, peppery, ripe cassis, blackberry, tobacco leaf, floral, coffee, licorice aromas. Rich, round, dry, full bodied style with supple but grainy tannins. Cedar, smoky, earthy, tobacco, peppery, cassis jam, blackberry, resin, savoury, vanilla flavours. Finish is warm and a bit tight, needs 3-7 years to soften. The current edition is slightly tighter with a dash of herbal cabernet character not seen." - Anthony Gismondi, Gismondi on Wine
4 STARS - "Fleshy and full bodied, this is a concentrated, moderately tannic wine, with dried berry, herb, cedar, toast, and spicy oak aromas/flavors. Can be aged somewhat. 7% CF, 5% ME. 295 cases." (2012 - 2017) - Ronn Wiegand, Restaurant Wine, Issue #129
95 POINTS - "Intense inky hue. Mixed aromas of smoked meat, leather, pencil shavings, black cherry and vanilla extract. This substantial, well-made wine offers a tsunami of rich fruit, toasted oak and minerals with a promise of a long life. Intensely rich right now; cellared properly, it will easily age for a decade-plus." - Wine News
TWO PUFFS, 92 POINTS - "7% Cabernet Franc; 5% Merlot. A wealth of rich oak sits atop deep, impressively concentrated, cassis-like fruit in the extracted aromas of this muscular youngster, and its dense flavors follow suit with a like-minded mix of currants, loam and ample oak. It is a touch soft at the edges but is toughened by varietal tannins to spare, so it is not one for drinking anytime soon despite its initial accessibility." - Connoisseur's Guide, August 2008
16.5/20 - "The 2005 Padrone is a blend of Cabernet Sauvignon, Merlot and Cabernet Franc. Dedicated to Ray Signorello's father, Padrone is an extremely special wine to Ray, Jr., and is therefore made from some of the winery's finest grapes. The result is a big-bodied wine with a tight structure perfect for aging. On the nose it offers ripe blackberry and black currant. In the mouth there are more sweet berries mingled with an earthy, masculine note and a hint of smoke on the finish. Such a robust wine deserves a rich meal like seared venison with blackberry sauce, blue cheese-stuffed filet or a duck cassoulet."
- Gayout.com, May 2010, read full review
3 STARS - "Padrone - a tribute to Raymond Signorello Sr. - is made of fruit from low-yielding vineyards located on a very rocky portion of the estate. The nose is layered and complex, with sweet dark plum, ripe blackberry, tobacco, smoked meat and floral and baking spice undertones. It has a palate of dense, concentrated dark fruit wrapped in lively oak spice; young tannins need some time to resolve. A serious wine that will age well. (88 percent Cabernet Sauvignon, 7 Cabernet Franc, 5 Merlot)" - San Francisco Chronicle, 2008
VERY GOOD, EDITOR'S CHOICE BEST WINE - "Blend of 88% cabernet sauvignon, 7% cabernet franc, and 5% merlot. It spent 21 months in French oak, 70% new. A very appealing nose of blackberry, blueberry, earth, dark cherry, plum, and a bright rhubarb note repeats as flavors laced with fine tannin and good acidity and carries through the long, medium-broad finish. Well balanced, structured, and integrated and it is drinking nicely now." - Colorado Wine News, October - December 2008
#3, Top Wine of the Year
- SteveHeimoff.com, Steve Heimoff is the world renowned West Coast Wine Editor and wine reviewer for the Wine Enthusiast magazine. He also writes his own wine blog and comments on all things wine. This year, he rated Signorello Vineyards 2005 Padrone as his third top scoring wine of the year. Check out 2008: The Year That Was... on his blog at http://www.steveheimoff.com/?p=1427
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89 POINTS - "A Bordeaux blend of mainly Cabernet, with Merlot and Cab Franc, the grapes are from the estate, just outside the Stags Leap District on the Silverado Trail. There's a luscious power, as the sweet young fruit hits the palate, supported by firm, lush tannins. But the oak, which is 70% new, really takes center stage, especially on the finish. Some time in the bottle could bring everything together." - S.H. Wine Enthusiast, November 1, 2007
95 POINTS, EXCELLENT - "Big Cedar, tobacco, plum, blackberry, spicy, floral, peppery, earthy, coriander, mineral aromas. Rich, round, full-bodied and concentrated, with lots of young, smooth-grained tannins. Spicy, coffee, cedar, vanilla, mocha, earthy, tobacco, cassis jam, blackberry, liquorice and orange peel flavours. Youthful, warm finish, but very good finesse and fruit throughout. Needs 4 to 7 years." - Anthony Gismondi, Wine Access, Dec. 2008 / Jan. 2009
93 POINTS - "Mixed aromas of blueberry, plum, black cherry and bacon fat. Accessible, delicious cherry flavors highlighted with mocha, coffee bean and new oak. Well-integrated tannins and acids make for a well-balanced finish."- Wine News
91 POINTS - "Layered aromas of blackberry, cherry, tobacco, leather and slate. Minerally, very intense, though not overwrought, flavors of cherry, dusty earth and tea. Loamy close packs peppery punch." - Wine News, August/September 2007 issue
93 POINTS, 2/3 PUFFS, "While sporting only a proprietary title, this well-muscled, very big-shouldered wine is Cabernet through and through, and its highly extracted themes of ripe currants are laced with lots of very sweet oak and colored by intimations of root beer-like spice....it has the look of a bona fide winner..." - Connoisseurs' Guide to California Wine
4 STARS - "Dark, spicy oak and cherry. Big, rich, very thick. Spicy redcurrant fruit. Long. Very fine effort - it's all here. Drink 2020-26." - Decanter, 2008
4+ OUT OF 5 STARS- "Luscious and fullbodied, this is an impressive blend, with rich fruitiness and layers of complexity. Very long finish, tasting of blackcurrant, blueberry, cherry, toast, cedar, and tobacco." - Ron Wiegand, "Restaurant Wine", Issue 119 & 120, Jul - Oct 2007
"The 2004 Padrone, Napa Valley, $95, is a blend of 82% cabernet sauvignon, 12.5% merlot, and 5.5% cabernet franc. Matured for 21 months in 70% new French oak, it has very ripe, soft aromas of sweet vanilla, blackberry, black cherry, and mocha which introduce round, ripe, rich, sweet edged flavors of the same with very prominent vanilla and the addition of light, grainy tannin. The medium-broad, medium-long finish shows increasing alcohol." - Colorado Wine News, October - December 2007
"We finish with a terrific bottle of Signorello Padrone 2004 from Napa Valley. Signorello seems to best understand the power and elegance equation with this spicy, floral, peppery, earthy scented red wrapped in a round, full-bodied, smooth-grained tannin jacket. Look for spicy, coffee, cedar, vanilla, mocha, blackberry and licorice fruit flavours perfectly flecked with bits of orange peel. Certainly this wine is the beneficiary of a wine grower who waited for perfect ripeness." - The Vancouver Sun, Saturday, November 1, 2008, Read the complete article
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95 POINTS – Signorello's proprietary Bordeaux blend is largely Cabernet Sauvignon, with Merlot and Cabernet Franc. If you're laying down ‘02s to cellar, this is a very good bet. It's shut down right now, but offers tantalizing hints of black currents and cassis that quickly disappear into a dry, tannic underworld. But the wine has the balance and authoritative class to age well beyond 2010. Cellar Selection – S.H . “ Wine Enthusiast Magazine – December 2005 ”
90 POINTS – Ray Signorello has turned out an attractive 2002 Padrone, a blend of 80% Cabernet Sauvignon, 13% Merlot, and 7% Cabernet Franc. The winery's flagship red, it reveals a dense ruby/purple color as well as a bouquet of smoky wood, black currants, graphite, licorice, and tar. Medium to full-bodied with moderate tannin, outstanding purity and depth, a sense of equilibrium, and a finesse-styled, Bordeaux-like personality, it should drink well for 10-15 years. – Robert Parker. " Wine Advocate – Issue #162, Dec 2005 "
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95 POINTS – Big, open blackberry jam nose laced with licorice, dark chocolate, cigar, black olive, orange rind, and pudding aromas with a hint of mineral, violet and cassis underneath. Quite rich and concentrated with intense, fat, ripe tannins and more cassis jam, blackberry, chocolate, cigar and spicy orange peel flavors. The finish is a mix of creamy vanilla, toasted licorice with some dusty earth aspects. Ripe, long, warm but balanced with great acidity and length. Primo stuff and relatively good value. The '01 Padrone is a 77/13/10 blend of cabernet sauvignon, merlot and cabernet franc. (ST) “ Wine Access: Canada's Wine & Food Magazine – Dec/Jan 2005/06 ”
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93 POINTS - Massive and brilliant, a distinctly Napa Bordeaux blend made succulent by its deep, rich flavors of blackcurrent, cassis and sweet black cherry. The tannins are soft and modulated, and crisp acidity gives the mouthful a clean feel. This is a wine to ooh and aah over, and is a special success for the vintage. - "Wine Enthusiast Magazine, - April 2004"
95 POINTS - Rich, round, concentrated and refined with supple tannins. A bit tannic on the finish, but ripe, long and balanced. A big and excellent 2000 that will improve over the next seven years. - Wine Access, December 2004
93 POINTS – 8% Merlot; 5% Cabernet Franc. Long on extract, full in body, and heaped high with creamy oak, this very deep and decidedly brooding young Cabernet is a sturdy wine with plenty of mass and muscle to go along with its impressive if still nascent fruit. It invites early drinking at entry with a supple and slightly rounded feel, but it takes a certain turn to tannic toughness in a way that speaks to a need for extended cellaring, and five or six years of patience seems the minimum wait. - “Connoisseurs' Guide To California Wine – December 2003”
San Francisco Chronicle's Top 100 Wines Of The Year - Vanilla and oak leap from the glass, plus pencil shavings and old leather; lush dark berry, blueberry, cassis fruit flavors. Balanced acidity - San Francisco Chronicle
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90+ - "Signorello's top offering, Padrone, is a proprietary blend from a rocky vineyard that tends to yield about one ton of fruit per acre. There are only 550 six packs of this offering. The outstanding 1997 Padrone was reviewed in issue #141. The newest release, the 1999 Padrone is equally impressive. Its deep saturated blue/purple color is followed by aromas of crushed black fruits intermixed with licorice, mineral and vanilla scent. Dense, full bodied, powerful, and tannic, it is only for those with patience. Anticipated maturity: 2006-2020. - "ROBERT PARKER JR.'S-THE WINE ADVOCATE - 8-31-02; Issue 142
92 POINTS - A big, ripe, intense and deeply concentrated wine. This is rich, with well-focused mineral, currant and blackberry fruit, offering depth and subtle nuances. Cabernet Sauvignon, Merlot and Cabernet Franc. Best from 2003 through 2012. 290 cases made. - "J.L. Wine Spectator - Oct 15 2002 "
89 POINTS - 75% Cabernet Sauvignon; 15% Merlot; 10% Cabernet Franc. “Shy” and “retiring”” are two words we rarely use in describing the wines of Signorello, and this massive, highly ripened, very full-bodied wine is as far from either as it is possible to be. From its outgoing aromas of black currants, cream, coffee and cocoa to its very rich, ominously extracted flavors and its slightly hot, imposingly tannic finish, it is singularly lacking in polish and may never find the same. Still, its richness cannot be ignored, and a patient few might be rewarded handsomely by setting a bottle or two aside for ten or fifteen years. - "Connoisseurs' Guide to California Wine - April 2003"
92 POINTS - Black and brooding when I first poured, this blend of cabernet (75 percent) with merlot and cabernet franc offers round plum and rich red raspberry flavors that fall into a hole at the end. Then air extends the supple fruit, building a generous, more substantial length of flavor, perfumed, pleasurable, and grippingly dry. Give it age, and the darkness may become more resonant, suited to wild boar. Signorello Vineyards, Napa, CA - "Wine & Sprits the practical guide to wine - April 2003"Cork's Washington D.C. Blind Tasting Results January 2004 1999 Cabernet Sauvignons:
1. Shafer Hillside
2. Chapellet Pritchard Hill
3. Harlan Estate
4. Signorello Padrone
5. Stag's Leap Cask 23
6. Axios
7. Merryvale Profile
8. Dr. Stephens Moose
9. Paras
10. La Jota 18th Anniversary
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92- "Cassis liqueur, blueberry notes and a smoky cured-meat element comprise the nose of this engaging, beautifully balanced offereing. Dried cherry, cedar, tea and tobacco flavors predominate, and the texture is supple. The long finish displays handsome cherry and coffee notes, with plentiful but even tannins. Almost drinkable now, but best after 2002-" -Wine Enthusiast Magazine - November 2000.
90+- " An impressive blend of 75% Cabernet Sauvignon, 16.5% Merlot, and 8.5% Cabernet Franc, the 1997 PADRONE (only 580 six packs produced from yields of one ton of fruit er acre) boasts a satruated black/purple color as well as aromas of new oak, licorice, cassis liqueur, and earth. Full-bodied, rich, and super-extracted with high tannin but good balance, this full-bodied, powerful rich red requires a4-5 years of cellaring; it will keep for two decades."- ROBERT PARKER JR.'S-THE WINE ADVOCATE; 6-29-02; Issue 14196- "Beg, borrow or steal a bottle of this tribute to Ray Signorello Sr.! It is sensational! Impossibly low yields of barely one ton to the acre; mostly Cabernet Sauvignon with 15% Merlot and 7.5% Cabernet Franc mixed in and aged in 90% new oak. We love the elegance and Bordelais styling. Understated, classy and the way wine should be." - Wine Access; December 2000
93- " The nose shows evidence of brett along with smoky oak. Not for the faint of heart, this is an enormous wine, brimming with deep, ripe, rich, complex raspberry-cassis fruit, clove and leather elements that give the wine and almost Rhone-like quality; massively extracted and deeply brooding, yet with flashes of red fruit, oak and mineral. What a prize it will be with five to eight years of cellaring." - The Wine News; June/July 2000Two Puffs- "Signorello's limited edition Cabernet is sure to delight any and all who think that Cabernet is meant to be gig, meaty and long on sheer power and potency. The wine shows immense oak and loamy earthy elements intermixed with highly extracted fruit in the nose and follows with huge flavors that echo the nose in their imposing depth and density. Still quite tough, but clearly built for the long haul, this one will impress even after a decade or two has passed." - Connoisseurs' Guide to California Wine - December 2000
95 Points - " Ray Signorello Jr. made this wine as a tribute to the memory of his father, the late Ray Signorelllo Sr., who founded the winery in 1985 and died in 1998. Ray Sr. used the title "PADRONE" to signify his place as head of his family. A blend of 75 percent Cabernet Sauvignon, 18.5 percent Merlot and 8.5 percent Cabernet Franc. this is an amazingly rich and smooth, bold, ripe and polished wine with currant , mocha, vanilla, plum and chocolate flavors. Signorello didn't make a 1998 PADRONE, but this wine returns with the 1999 vintage."- James Laube's HOT Wines
2nd Place- **+ " Very dark red, purple edge; rich berry, truffle, spice, mustard seed, tobacco & toast bouquet; medium body, excellent fruit, good acid-tannin balance; dry & lingering, excellent finish, rich, long, lush aftertaste, robust style with lots of tannins, 12-18 year. - Jim Gallagher's Wine Seminar; 2/21/2001