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A popular Napa winery was reduced to rubble by the fires ravaging California wine country - here are the photoshttps://www.businessinsider.in/a-popular-napa-winery-was-reduced-to-rubble-by-the-fires-ravaging-california-wine-country-here-are-the-photos/we-are-eventually-going-to-rebuild-and-are-hopeful-for-the-future-birebent-told-bi-/slidelist/61044862.cms2017-10-12T03:20:18+05:30

A popular Napa winery was reduced to rubble by the fires ravaging California wine country - here are the photos

Oct 12, 2017, 03:20 IST

"We are eventually going to rebuild and are hopeful for the future," Birebent told BI.

Signorello Estate is among at least five wineries that sustained damage in the fires. With the blaze still burning, many winemakers have been unable to return to their properties.

A spokesperson for Signorello Estate told Business Insider that, luckily, the vineyards escaped damage. The winery does not expect to lose next year's vintage wines.

Bottles of wine on site were also destroyed.

The tank area — used for fermenting wine — escaped a considerable amount of damage, but Birebent said that he has yet to assess the stored wine for heat damage.

In a Facebook post, Signorello wrote that the 2015 vintage of red wines and 2016 vintage of white wines were stored off site at the time and were not harmed in the fire.

Winemaker Pierre Birebent and a few vineyard workers arrived at the Signorello Estate as the fire began. They did their best to water the surrounding landscape and dampen the blaze, but the creeping flames forced them to push back and watch from the perimeter.

Today, it looks like a scene from a post-apocalyptic movie.

The infinity pool was one of the estate's main attractions.

Looking in through the window, it appears the tasting room has been reduced to rubble.

A photo taken inside a tasting room at the winery shows a circular window.

But it's nearly unrecognizable.

Burned pieces of the stone wall still stand.

Here's what the entrance to the property looked like before the flames arrived.

All that remains of the patio are pillars.

A photo taken before the fire shows the Signorello Estate's patio for wine club members, which looked out over an infinity pool and featured sweeping views of the valley.

The main building has been leveled, leaving behind metal framing and pieces of foundation.

Owner Ray Signorello was away on a trip when the fire hit. He returned to the property to find it destroyed on Wednesday morning, a winery spokesperson told Business Insider.

Ronald Plunkett, the estate sommelier, posted a photo on Facebook that showed the winery engulfed in flames. "I can't even put into words the devastation I am feeling," he wrote on Facebook.

Early Monday, the Atlas Peak fire climbed the ivy-covered walls of the winery, sparking the surrounding landscape before finally swallowing the main building.

One of the few family owned wineries in Napa, Signorello is known for its wine and food pairings and gorgeous hillside views.

Established in 1977, Signorello Estate winery sits high in the hills off the Silverado Trail.

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