Impensata Ecotone Vineyard Merlot Napa Valley 2017

Festina Lente, meaning make haste slowly, is a time-honored adage uttered by emperors, kings, and dukes, who valued a job well done over a job quickly completed. A befitting motto for the Impensata team whose vintner family are of proud Italian heritage. For the owners, Impensata is their beacon to the wine world, shining a light on Italy’s longstanding wine traditions that the often-admired French customs of winemaking can overshadow. By not only seeking to emphasize the under-reputed Italian gems, like those of Tuscany’s Maremma region but planting and stewarding new vineyard sites across Napa Valley, Impensata is committing to the “slow and steady” mindset necessary in developing a wine estate worthy of a legacy.  To guide them in establishing their family’s wine estate, the owners procured a select team of wine experts whose track records speak for themselves. In establishing a vineyard and winery showcasing the Merlot varietal, one needs a team who respects the great potential of this grape and understands the soaring heights it can reach under the proper direction.

David Abreu, Michel Rolland, and Nigel Kinsman are the trifecta of vineyard management, winemaking, and master blending. Among his prized personal parcels, David manages the most elite vineyards in Napa and has worked with the best, including Screaming Eagle, Colgin Cellars, Harlan Estate, and Staglin Family Vineyards. His knowledge of farming vineyards in Napa Valley is unparalleled. Since starting his management company in 1980, he has been the “go-to guy” for informed, articulate, and terroir-driven vineyard planting and oversight. Nigel Kinsman, although out of the limelight until recent vintages, is no newcomer to Napa Valley or Italian winemaking. After studying and making wine in his native Australia, Nigel learned under the tutelage of his future colleague, Michel Rolland, in Tuscany at Tolaini. Once settled in Napa, Nigel worked for Krupp Brothers and, eventually, with the Araujo Family at Araujo Estate and now Wheeler Farms. Despite numerous “day jobs,” he might best be known for his highly sought-after personal label, Kinsman-Eades.  And finally, Michel Rolland acts as the consulting winemaker for Impensata, bringing a unique and revered perspective to the aim of producing a Napa Valley Merlot to rival the legends of Sassicaia and Masseto. His experience working in Alta Maremma, Tuscany at Massetto, and with other California top producers such as Harlan, Bryant Family, Staglin Family Vineyards, and Araujo made him the prime candidate for this undertaking.

While searching for the parcel that would one day become the estate vineyard, Impensata was inspired by the fruit and resulting wines of a Howell Mountain vineyard gem called Ecotone. It was yet another property that David Abreu had a hand in planting and managing for Ric Forman before changing ownership to Jack Bittner of Ovid. The Bettinelli Family now farms this exciting plot in a small valley between the Howell Mountain and St Helena AVAs, where Impensata sourced most of the grapes for their inaugural 2017 Merlot. The white volcanic tufa soil in this vineyard imparts minerality and depth to the blend of 79% Merlot, 11% Cabernet Sauvignon, 7% Cabernet Franc, 2% Petit Verdot, and 1% Malbec. Additionally, 22 months in 78% French oak allows this racy and powerful wine to smooth and soften without losing the well-founded structure. Aromas of dried sage, mint, bittersweet chocolate, and baking spices linger on the nose while notes of Bing cherries, red plums, and black raspberries burst on the palate. This 2017 Merlot is distinctly age-worthy and powerful yet uplifting and lively at the same time. In the spirit of Festina Lente, an Impensata imbiber can be delighted in the now by the bright fruit and receive the reward of any bottles patiently laid to rest for the next few years.