Impensata Sauvignon Blanc Napa Valley 2022

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.  This is a befitting motto for the Impensata team, whose vintner family is proud of their 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 also 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 resumes speak for themselves. 

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.  Finally, Michel Rolland acts as the consulting winemaker for Impensata, bringing a unique and revered perspective.

At the heart of the Impensata brand is the Ciminelli Vineyard atop Howell Mountain.  David Abreu planted the vineyard in 2020 primarily to the red varietals that Nigel would eventually highlight in the brand’s Estate blends.  In addition to the reds, David planted a mere one acre of Sauvignon Blanc and a tiny quarter of an acre of Semillon.  Over the next two years, Nigel and David meticulously monitored the developing vines, learning the intricacies of their microclimate and terroir.  In 2022, despite their expectations that Ciminelli’s first harvest would be in 2023, the two legends concurred that the Sauvignon Blanc and Semillon were too good to pass up.  Today, we present the inaugural vintage from Ciminelli Vineyard:  Impensata’s 2022 Sauvignon Blanc.  

The 2022 is comprised of 75% Sauvignon Blanc (10% of which is the aromatically powerful Musqué clone) and 25% Semillon, all from the Estate.  30% of the blend aged in new French oak barrels, with the majority, 70%, aging in stainless steel to accent the freshness of the fruit.  Despite the vineyard’s youth, this wine is layered and complex with heightened aromas and flavors of citrus peel, tropical fruits, and white flowers.  While vibrant, the palate is rounded and rich with texture that lingers through the finish.  If you’re seeking a celebratory bottle to cherish with family and friends, look no further than the 2022 Impensata Sauvignon Blanc.  Only 143 cases were produced, making it an exclusive and privileged choice.