Wines – Impensata Wine

Inspired by our family’s Italian forebears, we embrace the iconoclastic winemaking of modern Italy in what is typically Francophile territory here in Napa Valley. Our muse is Maremma, the “wild west” of southern Tuscany, with its bucolic, hillside vineyards that are home to some of the region’s most imaginative and pioneering bottlings: Sassicaia, Masseto, Redigaffi, and Messorio. Sharing a similar climate and spirit of innovation, we pay homage to our ancestors’ love of farming and their passion for food, wine, and time spent with family and friends.

Festina Lente. Make haste, but make time.

2019 Impensata Engelhard Vineyard Calistoga Proprietary Red

Nestled between 600 and 720 feet in elevation, the Engelhard Vineyard resides within the Calistoga AVA, just north of the Diamond Mountain District AVA border, giving birth to its distinctive terroir. In these western hillsides, where volcanic soils are known to reign supreme, Engelhard stands apart with its Forward-Kidd soil series, uniquely weathered from rhyolite and volcanic ash known as rhyolitic tuff. This well-draining soil urges roots to delve deep into the Earth in search of water, nutrients, and trace elements. Through this struggle, the vines yield a concentration of phenolic compounds, weaving an unparalleled intricate tapestry of power and flavor. But the story does not end with the soil, as the Engelhard Vineyard is blessed with a microclimate that nurtures the growth of extraordinary fruit. Basking in the ripening power of the Calistoga AVA's warmth and sun, this pocket of land is gently tempered by the cooling Chalk Hill Gap from Sonoma. With the tender caress of cool nights, morning fog, and afternoon breezes, the vines bask in respite, guarded against the intense daytime heat. This delicate balance preserves the freshness and natural acidity of the grapes, laying the foundation for wines that embody vibrancy, richness, structure, and finesse.

The Engelhard Estate Vineyard in the western hills of Calistoga continues to produce some of the most undeniably exquisite fruit in Napa Valley. The 2019 Engelhard Proprietary Red, crafted by winemaker Nigel Kinsman and blender Michel Rolland, is a co-fermented mélange of 61% Cabernet Sauvignon, 19% Cabernet Franc, 12% Petit Verdot, and 8% Malbec. "An absolute beauty, the 2019 Engelhard Vineyard Proprietary Red boasts all the energy, expression, and power this site has become known for; and captures the essence of one of Napa Valley's most under-the-radar vineyards." Nigel Kinsman. With just 222 cases lovingly produced, this wine manifests our unwavering commitment to harnessing the spirit of this extraordinary vineyard.

2019 Impensata Ecotone Vineyard Merlot

We proudly source our Merlot from the Ecotone Vineyard, the legendary vineyard formerly known as Thorevilos. Hidden amongst a whimsical forest on rolling hills near the base of Howell Mountain, this renowned vineyard was planted in 1989 by Napa Valley icons David Abreu and Ric Forman. Meticulously cultivated by Abreu for nearly thirty years, the land is now stewarded by Jack Bittner and farmed by the esteemed Bettinelli Family. Planted on white volcanic tufa, the fruit from this unique site exudes extraordinary power, richness, depth, and intense minerality. While Cabernet Sauvignon-dominated wines are the lion's share of what is produced from the 22-acre Ecotone Vineyard, Impensata is proud to be the one and only to source and bottle Ecotone's Merlot. This extraordinary fruit comes from a single acre of thirty-plus-year-old vines, where ribbons of red clay are threaded throughout the tenderloin of the vineyard.

A vintage defined by 'energy,' 2019 had a mild, temperate summer providing ample phenolic-ripening, acid-preserving hangtime that resulted in classic wines with invigorating freshness, concentrated fruit, impeccable structure, and precise balance. Like the movements of a ballet dancer, our 2019 Ecotone Vineyard Merlot has long, graceful lines exhibited with precision, supported by a powerfully sophisticated and structured core. Full of personality with juicy ripe red and black plum, blood orange, and ripe cherry gingered with crushed violet, bay leaf, dried sage, anise, and bittersweet chocolate. Energetic, enduring, and wildly sensual, this wine is as classic as classic gets - built to last and best enjoyed with patience, either in a decanter or after time spent in the cellar. 229 cases produced.

2019 Impensata Las Posadas Vineyard Howell Mountain Proprietary Red

David Abreu and his wines need no introduction, nor do the legendary vineyards he farms. The wines produced from his vineyards are revered by many and attained by few. And over the last thirty years, only a select band of vintners have been allowed to source from Abreu's personal vineyards for projects of their own. Our key to the gate was forged from a partnership and friendship between David Abreu and our founder, Louis Ciminelli, permitting us passage to study Howell Mountain fruit while we patiently waited for our own estate vineyard on Howell Mountain to mature. Knowing we were still years away from producing wines from the vineyard he was helping to develop with us, Abreu suggested we source fruit from his Las Posadas Vineyard on Howell Mountain. Similar in climate, elevation, and soil composition to our property on the northeastern side of the mountain, this would allow our winemaker, Nigel Kinsman, the opportunity to experiment with Howell Mountain fruit. Not to anyone's surprise, what began as "research and development" resulted in our first Howell Mountain Proprietary Red Wine in 2019.

The Lucia Abreu Las Posadas Vineyard sits majestically atop Howell Mountain, surrounded by a quiet forest of fir and pine trees. Planted high above the fog line with predominantly Bordeaux varietals in Red Aiken soils over layered white tufa, this special vineyard has become known as the "benchmark" of Howell Mountain. Our 2019 Howell Mountain Proprietary Red from Abreu's Las Posadas Vineyard is a mélange of 58% Cabernet Sauvignon and 37% Cabernet Franc with a small percentage of Petit Verdot and Malbec. This debut vintage, crafted by Nigel Kinsman and blended by Michel Rolland, hedonistically captivating and wildly luxurious and possesses the classic characteristics this site has become known for: personality, opulence, complexity, and longevity. Only 279 cases produced.

2022 Impensata Ciminelli Vineyard Howell Mountain Sauvignon Blanc

The spiritual home of Impensata is the Ciminelli Vineyard, perched at the summit of Howell Mountain. This majestic vineyard was planted in 2020 by David Abreu and his vineyard management team to Cabernet Sauvignon, Merlot, Cabernet Franc, and Petit Verdot, with a small parcel separating the upper and lower vineyards comprised of just one acre of Sauvignon Blanc and a quarter acre each of Sauvignon Musqué and Semillon. While 2023 was planned to be our first harvest, in the late summer of 2022, David Abreu and Nigel Kinsman both agreed that the parcel of white varietals tasted too good to abandon; thus, the first vintage from the Ciminelli Vineyard was born.

Nigel's classical approach to winemaking and Michel Rolland's prodigious blending skills have produced yet another exquisite wine that speaks to tradition and innovation. Our inaugural vintage from the Ciminelli Vineyard is a blend of 75% Sauvignon Blanc (10% of which is Sauvignon Musqué) and 25 % Semillon, thoughtfully aged in 30% new French oak and the remaining in stainless steel to complement and honor the integrity of the fruit and the vineyard's terroir, respectively. Bright aromas and flavors of guava, lemon peel, nectarine, kiwi, and pineapple are mingled with hints of ginger, citrus blossom, and lemon verbena. This young vineyard's depth of character is astounding, and the balance of richness, texture, and vibrancy is remarkable. And though youthful today, this vintage is complex, layered, and full of personality and hints at the years of evolution ahead. Worthy of pairing with holiday dinners and celebrations, this wine should be enjoyed whilst in the company of good food, close friends, and cherished family. 143 cases produced.

2018 Vintage Notes

In Napa Valley, 2018 was a year of what dreams are made. A vintage following a dramatically challenging year, Mother Nature graciously gifted us a near-perfect growing season, bringing a collective sigh of relief and gratitude from grape growers and winemakers around the valley.

Much-needed rains in February followed by a cool, moderate spring resulted in later bud break and flowering, ensuring a copious and even fruit set, greatly desired by growers after several years of drought and devastating fires from the year before. Spring slowly sauntered into summer with warm, sun-dappled days and radically cooler nights, accumulating precious flavor complexities and sugar levels while maintaining freshness and natural acidity. As summer frolicked towards autumn, Mother Nature spared us from dramatic heat spikes and fire events and continued to provide the vines with kind, sunny days to gently bask in, allowing the fruit to ripen evenly and naturally through the end of harvest.

These dreamlike conditions afforded a slow and steady harvest that gave us a pantry full of “ingredients” from which to pick, with the vineyards boasting an abundance of perfectly ripe, intensely flavored, and concentrated fruit. Unhurried, Nigel was able to parade through each block, and each row, meticulously selecting the most pristine clusters for what was to become our debut vintage ~ a vintage full of life, expression, and synergy.

Four years later, as we now pour these wines into our glasses to enjoy, we look back to 2018 and reflect on the gifts bestowed on Napa Valley that year and celebrate the perseverance of every grape grower and winemaker here since. We are grateful to be able to share our memories of 2018 with you in a glass of Impensata, and we look forward to sharing many more in the years to come.