From his winery just off the Silverado Trail in southern Napa Valley, Ray Signorello has fashioned two more brilliant Chardonnays. The 2008 Chardonnay Hope’s Cuvée is a blend of the top three barrels that is bottled as an homage to the memory of Ray Signorello’s mother, Hope. It reveals a similar straw/gold color as well as intense aromas of apricots, white peaches and nectarines, great acidity and minerality, full body and an intense inner core that suggests some cellaring will be beneficial. This cuvée suggests a hypothetical cross between a grand cru white Burgundy and the more tropical, ripe fruit obtained in Napa Valley. Drink it over the next 4-5 years, although my instincts suggest it will last much longer.