2020 | Hourglass Wines | Blueline Vineyard Merlot

Subtle nuances of Mandarin orange peel intertwine with boysenberry, sour cherry, and black olive. The nose translates to the palate with a deep, brooding core of black fruit and crème de cassis dominating the mid-palate. Elegance and power, sleekness and density, natural acidity and blueline minerality uplift harmoniously and provide an unquestionable balance.

Producer Information

Hourglass Wines is a small Californian winery in Napa Valley with a reputation for limited-production Cabernet Sauvignon. It was founded in the 1990s by Jeff Smith, who took over farming the vineyard that his father Ned had planted in the 1970s. Smith replanted the 5 acre (2 hectare) vineyard with Cabernet Sauvignon in 1992. His family had been growing and selling Zinfandel from the vineyard to local producers since 1976, but the spread of phylloxera in California in the late 1980s and early 1990s was killing the vines. Cabernet Sauvignon replaced the Zinfandel and the vineyard was named Hourglass Vineyard after the topography of the valley, shaped by the surrounding Mayacamas Range. The inaugural vintage was in 1997. In 2006, Hourglass Wines expanded with the purchase of the 22 acre (9ha) Blueline Vineyard. Merlot, Cabernet Franc, Petit Verdot and Malbec joined the Cabernet Sauvignon plantings and the winery expanded its range to include Bordeaux-style blends along with its varietal wines. It has since added Sauvignon Blanc to the portfolio as well. All the wines are labeled under the Napa Valley viticultural area, though Hourglass Vineyard is in the St Helena AVA and Blueline is in Calistoga. The wine is sold through allocation via mailing list, and has a waiting list, much like many other small "cult" wineries in Napa Valley.

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