2019 Merlot Ecotone Vineyard

Impensata is another exciting debut this year. That's not at all surprising. The estate vineyard is Engelhard, which is located in Calistoga's Franz Valley School district, home to a number of stunning vineyards. This fruit previously went to a number of buyers (some of whom I can't mention), but readers may recognize the Engelhard name from the wines Thomas Brown made for Hobel. I remember visiting the property several years ago and just being mesmerized by its beauty, distinctiveness and potential. Since then, the Ciminelli family have taken the fruit in house and brought on an all-star team headed by vineyard manager David Abreu and winemaker Nigel Kinsman. At present, there are two wines; a Merlot from Ecotone (formerly Thorevilos) and a Cabernet from Engelhard. The 2018s are terrific, and the 2019s are every bit as promising, with the Merlot a big step up from its older sibling. A new Cabernet/Cabernet Franc blend from Abreu's Las Posadas ranch joins the range in 2019. I don't often publish reviews for wines tasted from component barrel samples, but the 2019s are so impressive, I wanted Vinous readers to be aware of them. The numerical scores are, of course, in brackets. It's the words that matter.