Spectacular Napa Valley Wine from Hourglass – At Gasbarro’s on Federal Hill

Once again Mark Gasbarro of Gasbarro’s Wines, has presented us with a great opportunity to try some pretty spectacular wine.  This time it was Hourglass Winery, from Napa Valley, who presented four wines.  All of them were of impeccable quality.  None of them were inexpensive, but you don’t really expect that when they are this good and hail from one of the wine meccas of the world.  Here’s what they poured.

2015 Hourglass Estate Sauvignon Blanc – this was 100% Sauvignon Blanc, with 50% fermented in stainless, 25% in seasoned oak barrels and 25% in new French barrels.  This was simply a beautiful wine, with an elegance and structure that left you in awe.  The oak is there but not dominate in any way.  Some grapefruit and melon are clearly evident.  It is so smooth, so classy and so clean, it’s got to be one of the best Sauvignon Blancs I have had.  Fairly expensive at $39.99, but really worth it.  We bought a bottle to bring home.

2014 Hourglass HG III Red Blend – this wine is a blend of 76% Merlot, 13% Petite Sirah and 11% Cabernet Sauvignon.  It spent 20 months in a mix of new and seasoned French oak, and was full of dark berry fruit.  There was caramel and oak as well.  It is medium+ to full bodied.  The wine is so smooth, and almost a little sweet.  Tannins are soft.  To us it seemed like something you could have a glass of after dinner as a dessert wine, or just sip.  It is delicious.  $54.99

2014 Hourglass Blueline Estate Merlot – Hourglass has two vineyards, the Estate Vineyard in northern Napa and the Blueline a bit further south.  This is all from Blueline.  A blend of 81% Malbec, 9% Cabernet, 5% Malbec and 5% Petite Verdot, the wine saw 18 months in French oak, 2/3 of which was new wood.  There is a wave a rich, berry fruit that hits your nose and palate.  Here the tannins are much more brisk than in the previous wine, and there is a great balancing acid.  A little coffee/caramel creeps in and the oak is subtle.  It has a very long finish.  Really top notch wine.  $74.99

2014 Hourglass Blueline Estate Cabernet Sauvignon – a blend of 90% Cabernet Sauvignon, 6% Malbec and 4% Petite Verdot.  This is a classic, high end Napa Cabernet.  Currant and blackberry scream out of the glass.  I got a touch of blueberry as well.  It’s rich and long and luscious, but still tight and fresh.  It’s expensive at $119.99, but you can put this up against a bottle of Phelps Insignia or Caymus Special Selection Cabernet any day, and then it seems a lot less expensive.  Great wine.

All of these were special.  You could tell immediately on the first sniff that each of these was wonderfully made.

Another great wine tasting at Gasbarro’s.  I believe Mark will be hosting a tasting of 2012 Brunellos in the near future, so keep an eye out for that.

A votre santé!

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