Immortal Estate Impassable Mountain 2017 is a 96-point mountain Cabernet from terraced Sonoma slopes as steep as 55%. It is the wine in our next Collector’s Drop, coming next week.
Some vineyards you can drive past. Hidden Ridge is not one of them. It sits on the Sonoma side of the Mayacamas Mountains, on terraced slopes as steep as 55%, at 1,100 to 1,700 feet. Every cluster is picked by hand. From this site comes Immortal Estate’s flagship, Impassable Mountain. The 2017 earned 96 points from Jeb Dunnuck, and it is the wine in our Collector’s Drop, opening next week.
Here is what makes it worth a place in a serious cellar, including the parts of the story most product pages leave out.
At a Glance
| Wine | Immortal Estate Impassable Mountain 2017 |
| Grape | 100% Cabernet Sauvignon |
| Vineyard | Hidden Ridge, Sonoma side of the Mayacamas, 1,100 to 1,700 feet |
| Critic | Jeb Dunnuck, 96 points |
| Drink | Now through 2045 |
| Collector’s Drop | Coming next week. Get a text when it opens. |
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From Hidden Ridge to Immortal Estate
The vineyard’s story starts in 1990, when Lynn Hofacker began carving it out of the mountain. Hofacker had a gift for planting vines where few would try. Under the Hidden Ridge name, the site built a quiet following. In fact, Wine Spectator ranked its 2009 “55% Slope” Cabernet #32 in its Top 100 of 2014.
In 2016, Tim Martin, a cofounder of Tusk Estates, invested in the property and renamed it Immortal Estate. The estate released its first wines under the new label in July 2018. The winery has said the 2013 Impassable Mountain, made at the same site, received 100 points from Robert Parker.
The name has a story too. The label shows the immortal jellyfish, a creature that can return its cells to a younger state. The idea is simple: wines meant to outlast the people who make them.
Why 55% Slopes Make a Better Cabernet
Only 50 of the estate’s 150 acres are planted. The vines face mostly east and south, on slopes so steep most rows are terraced. The soils are lean, a mix of uplifted alluvium and decomposed volcanic material typical of the Mayacamas.
That combination does two things. First, lean soil and steep slopes hold back the vines, so the berries stay small and concentrated. Second, the site sits above the fog line but catches cool Pacific breezes in the morning and late afternoon. The winery says this keeps it a little cooler than Spring Mountain, just to the east.
As a result, the growing day is long and moderate. Tannins ripen fully, while the fruit keeps its natural acidity. For a collector, that is the profile to look for: power now, with the structure to keep going.
The Question Collectors Ask About 2017
The 2017 season opened with heavy winter rain that ended years of drought. Spring was cool and summer was moderate. Then the heat arrived over Labor Day weekend and stayed through September and into October.
On the night of October 8, a windstorm and downed power lines sparked several fires across Northern California. We want to be direct about this, because experienced buyers will ask. Immortal Estate picked this wine from October 9 to October 30, after the fires began. The winery reports the vineyard was spared direct impact. It credits fire crews and the same ocean winds that shape its wines, which it says kept a steady stream of fresh air moving and the smoke away.
For context, Sonoma County Vintners reported at the time that about 90% of the county’s grapes were picked before the fires. Most of what remained was late-ripening Cabernet, like this. Still, the best check on any 2017 is the glass. Jeb Dunnuck tasted this one in 2021 and scored it 96.
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How It Was Made
The team picked the vineyard in twelve separate lots over about two and a half weeks. They chose each block by taste, sometimes down to a few rows. After hand sorting, the fruit cold soaked and then sat on its skins for 30 to 40 days in total.
The wine went into 85% new French oak, where it finished its malolactic fermentation. Only barrels from two lots made the final blend. In the end, Immortal Estate Impassable Mountain 2017 is 100% Cabernet Sauvignon. The winery racked it three times and bottled it unfined and unfiltered in July 2020.
What Jeb Dunnuck Tasted in Impassable Mountain
Dunnuck reviewed the 2017 in July 2021 and gave it 96 points. He found black cherry, blackberry, currant, tobacco, chalky minerality and lead pencil. In his words, it is full-bodied, with chocolatey oak, real freshness and a great finish.
Dunnuck was also clear about style. This is not a Cabernet for anyone wanting Bordeaux-like delicacy. Instead, he wrote, it brings “a Napa-like sense of opulence and decadence.” His drinking window runs from 2024 to 2045.
The winery’s own note adds sweet spice, red and black fruit, marionberry and black tea, carried on plenty of ripe tannin.
Immortal Estate Impassable Mountain: Open It Now or Hold It?
The 2017 is nine years past harvest and already inside Dunnuck’s window, with two decades still ahead of it. That gives you a choice most young Cabernets do not.
- Open one now. Give it an hour or more in a decanter. Serve it with a dry-aged ribeye, braised short ribs or a wedge of aged Gouda.
- Hold one for the 2030s. Mountain tannin and fresh acidity are what carry a Cabernet into its second decade.
In short, if you are building a cellar, a pair is the collector’s move: one to learn the wine, one to see where it goes.
A Holiday Recipe for Impassable Mountain: Coffee and Cocoa Crusted Beef Tenderloin
A big mountain Cabernet wants a centerpiece. This roast echoes the wine’s chocolatey oak and tobacco, and the beef’s richness softens its firm tannin. Serves 6 to 8.
For the Tenderloin
- 1 center-cut beef tenderloin roast, about 3 pounds, trimmed and tied
- 2 tablespoons finely ground coffee
- 1 tablespoon unsweetened cocoa powder
- 1 tablespoon brown sugar
- 1 tablespoon kosher salt
- 2 teaspoons coarse black pepper
- 1 teaspoon smoked paprika
- 2 tablespoons olive oil
For the Red Wine Shallot Sauce
- 2 tablespoons butter, plus 2 tablespoons cold butter to finish
- 3 shallots, finely chopped
- 1 cup everyday Cabernet Sauvignon (save the Impassable Mountain for the glass)
- 1 cup beef stock
- 2 sprigs fresh thyme
Method
- Mix the coffee, cocoa, sugar, salt, pepper and paprika. Pat the beef dry, rub it all over with the mix, and let it sit at room temperature for 45 minutes.
- Heat the oven to 425°F. Sear the beef in the olive oil in an oven-safe pan over medium-high heat, about 2 minutes a side, until browned all over.
- Roast until the center reads 125°F for medium-rare, about 25 to 35 minutes. Rest it on a board for 15 minutes; it will rise a few more degrees.
- While it rests, melt 2 tablespoons of butter in the same pan. Cook the shallots for 3 minutes, add the wine and thyme, and reduce by half. Add the stock and reduce by half again.
- Off the heat, swirl in the cold butter. Remove the thyme and season to taste.
- Slice the beef thick and spoon the sauce over it.
Why it works: cocoa and coffee pick up the chocolate and tobacco in the wine. A sauce reduced from Cabernet bridges the plate and the glass. Decant the Impassable Mountain when the roast goes in the oven, and it will be ready when you carve.
Why This Is a Collector’s Drop
Collector’s Drops are how we release the rarer wines our buyers find. They are limited, they arrive one wine at a time, and when a drop sells out, it is gone. We hold every one to the same three questions. We call it the Rare Find Test, and you will see it in every Collector’s Drop story from here on.
| THE RARE FIND TEST | Immortal Estate Impassable Mountain 2017 |
|---|---|
| 1. Is the site proven? | Passes. Hidden Ridge has 36 years of history and a Wine Spectator Top 100 ranking. |
| 2. Has a trusted critic reviewed this vintage? | Passes. Jeb Dunnuck, 96 points. |
| 3. Is it ready, or close? | Passes. In its window now, with room to age to 2045. |
| Verdict | A Rare Find. 3 of 3. |
Past Rare Finds: this is the first wine to carry the test. Each new Collector’s Drop story will link back to the ones before it.
Online retailers list the 2017 at roughly $300 to $350 a bottle today.
Be First to the Next Drop
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Immortal Estate Impassable Mountain FAQ
About the Winery and Vineyard
It is Immortal Estate’s flagship Cabernet Sauvignon, grown at Hidden Ridge Vineyard on the Sonoma side of the Mayacamas Mountains. The 2017 is 100% Cabernet Sauvignon, aged in 85% new French oak and bottled unfined and unfiltered.
On the Sonoma side of the Mayacamas Mountains, west of St. Helena, near the Napa and Sonoma border. Its vines grow at 1,100 to 1,700 feet on terraced slopes as steep as 55%.
Yes, the estate grew out of Hidden Ridge Vineyard. Tim Martin invested in 2016 and renamed it Immortal Estate. Its first wines under the new name were released in July 2018.
The label honors the immortal jellyfish, which can return its cells to a younger state. The winery chose it to stand for wines that last.
About the 2017 Vintage
Jeb Dunnuck gave it 96 points in July 2021. He suggested drinking it from 2024 to 2045.
The 2017 was picked from October 9 to 30, after the fires began on October 8. The winery reports the vineyard was spared direct impact and that ocean winds kept smoke away. Jeb Dunnuck scored the finished wine 96.
It is in its drinking window now and should keep improving through about 2045, based on Dunnuck’s review. Decant it for an hour or more if you open it now.
Rich red meat works best. Try coffee and cocoa crusted beef tenderloin, a dry-aged ribeye, braised short ribs or aged Gouda.
About the Collector’s Drop
A Collector’s Drop is a limited WTSO release of a rare, highly rated wine at a Collector’s Price. Each drop ends when it sells out. VIP text subscribers get a message when a drop goes live.