Immortal Estate Impassable Mountain Cabernet Sauvignon Sonoma County 2016

Immortal estate is a collaboration between two talented men, Tim Martin and Randy Nichols. Tim found his passion for all things culinary at the young age of eleven when he started working for his Italian grandfather as a prep cook. That early glimpse led to two accomplished decades in restaurant and hospitality management. His devotion to food and the restaurant industry took him around the country until he ultimately landed in the Napa Valley, working with the legendary Robin Lail on her wine brand, Lail Vineyards. After helping establish and grow the Lail brand for ten years, he launched his own branding and marketing company in 2004 called Gauge Branding with partner Mark Wiegard. In 2008, he launched his first personal wine brand in collaboration with Philippe Melka and Michael Uytengsu called Tusk, and those who have had the pleasure of experiencing this wine know that it is the epitome of luxury and excellence. The almost immediate success of Tusk reaffirmed Tim's instincts for the business, and he began working towards a second brand launch, this time with his good friend and real estate mogul Randy Nichols. The inspiration behind the name Immortal Estate comes from the lifelong goal of a winemaker to make a wine that will outlive us all, immortal in its greatness. And the jellyfish on the label is the only natural example of immortality that we know of today...that is until this wine was released. 

The name of this wine, Impassable Mountain, is in reference to the steep slopes from which the fruit is sourced. Immortal Estate’s vineyard sits high up on the Sonoma side of Spring Mountain. There, Tim and Randy have 50 breathtaking acres. The vineyards are planted on 55-degree slopes, which is a true anomaly for both Napa and Sonoma Valley. Today, in order to negate erosion, new vineyards are only allowed to be planted on a slope that is equal to or less than 15 degrees, but Immortal Estate’s vineyard and its striking slopes are grandfathered in. The vineyard is broken up into 25 blocks, and each are vinified separately. Winemaker, Timothy Milos, selects individual barrels from the finest lots each year to compose this treasured wine. Lots of 100% Cabernet Sauvignon from the upper ridgeline were selected and blended for their power and pure expression of our unique terroir. Tim describes the wine as, “a study in focus and purity, and the concentration and structure will allow it to evolve and unfold for decades to come. As winemakers, we can aspire to create a wine that will stand the test of time. By dedicating ourselves to excellence in our pursuit of a wine that pairs infinitely well with life’s finest moments.” 

From the very first vintage, we believed this was a brand that would undoubtedly earn cult-like status in the blink of an eye ~ in the same way Tusk did. With its 100-point history, it is clear how special this wine is, and how worthy it is to have a treasured spot in your cellar!