2011 Signorello Las Amigas Vineyard Pinot Noir

Signorello Estate is on the Silverado Trail in Napa. It was founded by Ray Signorello Sr. in the 1970s as a vineyard. Signorello was a businessman based in San Francisco and Vancouver, B.C., but he bought the 100-acre estate with the idea of growing quality grapes to source to local producers. A bountiful harvest in 1985 prompted the family to try their own custom crush, and from then on they made and sold their own wines. Today the estate is still run by the family, now headed by Ray Signorello Jr. The estate’s 40-acre vineyard is planted to Cabernet Sauvignon, Merlot, Cabernet Franc, Syrah, Viognier, Chardonnay, Semillon and Sauvignon Blanc. The Cabernet Sauvignon blend Padrone is the flagship wine and it typically earns ratings in the low to mid-90s from wine reviewers.

Carneros AVA, also known as Los Carneros, is at the southern end of the Napa and Sonoma Valleys at the top of the San Francisco Bay. The 8,000 vineyard acres are mostly planted to Pinot Noir and Chardonnay, both of which thrive in the district’s cool, marine climate. Carneros became an AVA in 1983 and it has attracted foreign wine companies along with local producers. It has been especially appealing to European producers of sparkling wines including the giant Spanish cava producers Codorniu and Frexinet, and the French Champagne house Taittinger. Codorniu in Carneros is called Artesa, and Frexinet’s Carneros brand is Gloria Ferrer. Taittinger calls its Carneros winery Domaine Carneros. The European producers also make still wines in Carneros.

This red wine is relatively light and can pair with a wide variety of foods. The grape prefers cooler climates and the wine is most often associated with Burgundy, Champagne and the U.S. west coast. Regional differences make it nearly as fickle as it is flexible.