Hourglass Blueline Vineyard Merlot 2016
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Product Details
Your Rating
Somm Note
Winemaker Notes
Blend: 83% Merlot, 10% Cabernet, 7% Malbec
Professional Ratings
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James Suckling
A soft and velvety merlot with dark berries and chocolate. Walnuts, too. Full-bodied, round and velvety. Shows merlot DNA. 20-plus vineyard age. Delicious. Drink now.
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Jeb Dunnuck
The 2016 Merlot Blueline Estate (there’s 10% Cabernet Sauvignon and 7% Malbec) was brought up in two-thirds new oak and is another beautiful wine from winemaker Tony Biagi. Ripe blue fruits, blood orange, mint, and leafy herbs all flow to a medium to full-bodied, ripe yet also elegant Merlot that shines for its balance and purity. Drink it over the coming decade.
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Robert Parker's Wine Advocate
The deep purple-black colored 2016 Merlot Blueline Estate sings of crème de cassis, dried mulberries and mincemeat pie with hints of wilted roses, fallen leaves, cigar box and cloves. Medium to full-bodied, it fills the mouth with juicy, plushly textured black fruits and finishes with a menthol kick.
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Wine Spectator
Rich, featuring concentrated dark plum and cherry tart flavors that are full, with rich, chocolaty overtones. The creamy finishes oozes with lush spiciness. Drink now through 2022.
Other Vintages
2021-
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Dunnuck
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Suckling
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Spectator
Hourglass wines represent a cutting-edge, modern Napa Valley winemaking style. Ned Smith bought the property in 1976 and his goal quickly shifted from fruit trees to his favorite wine, Zinfandel, with the lofty hope of supplying grapes to local wineries in exchange for finished wine. The land was eventually taken over by son Jeff Smith. In 1992, Jeff enlisted his family friend - and former rock band cohort - Bob Foley as winemaker for their new venture. Like so many aspiring guitarists, Bob had kept his day job over the years, making wine and garnering countless accolades and rock-star status for such labels as Robert Foley Vineyards, Switchback Ridge, Pride Mountain, School House and Paloma. Bob continues to make all the Hourglass wines and has the deep purple-stained hands to prove it. The calluses, however, are as much from guitar playing as his meticulous cellar work. Then, Hourglass's inaugural release came with the 1997 vintage, a seminal Napa vintage by many critics' standards.
With the christening of the winery at Blueline and its distinct single-varietal wines, Hourglass has entered an exciting new phase of its evolution. A brand synonymous with terroir-driven, modern Napa wines of the highest caliber, its goal is and will always remain the same: To capture the essence of two of Napa Valley's most expressive vineyard sites in bottled form, and to have the honor of sharing them with you and your families for decades to come.
As Napa Valley’s third most planted grape, Napa Valley Merlot shows time and time again its potential to produce exceptional results. Napa’s vaunted combination of climate, soil and the human factor of winemaking expertise lead to big, ripe, cellar-worthy and world-class versions.
Whether made by itself in single varietal bottlings or as an important role in Bordeaux Blends, Merlot continues a prominent role in this famous region. While Cabernet typically takes the lead role, Merlot’s contribution—even at 10% to 20% or so—is significant indeed. Often described as “the flesh on Cabernet’s bones,” Merlot lends a soft, round and plush character that beautifully complements Cabernet’s linear, full-throttle structure. Its flavors of plums plus subtle herbs and mint also dovetail nicely with Cabernet’s blackberry and cassis.