The Hourglass HG III Red Blend is in incredibly fine form this vintage, and I purchased every bottle my distributor would allow. Winemaker Tony Biagi has crafted a stylish, unique, and harmonious blend of Merlot, Petite Sirah, and Cabernet Sauvignon from Hourglass’s own Blueline Estate as well as other choice sites throughout Napa Valley.
Antonio Galloni named Hourglass winemaker Tony Biagi as his “Winemaker of the Year” for 2020, saying he “is not only gifted as a winemaker, he also has a talent for mentoring young, emerging winemakers.” He’s a good guy, he makes great wines, and he helps others to maximize their talents.
2018 Hourglass HG III Red Blend
93 points Jeb Dunnuck, 93 points James Suckling, 92 points Antonio Galloni
To order, stop by the store or click here to order in our online store.
Hourglass Vineyards deserves mention with the best of the best of Napa Valley producers. This Cabernet Sauvignon and Merlot specialist has been producing award-winning, highly rated wines since 1997 from their estate vineyards in Saint Helena and Calistoga. Their most recent releases, with Tony Biagi handling winemaking, have been especially impresssive.
Tony has quite the resume. He interned at Dry Creek and Hess before accepting a full-time position at Duckhorn in the mid-1990’s. From there, he made the move to Plumpjack in the early 2000’s, where he helped to establish that “cult producer’s” house style. In 2012, he joined the team at Hourglass, but stayed on as a consultant at Plumpjack and Cade. I’d like to say the rest is history, but Tony is an ambitious guy. While he continues as head winemaker at Hourglass these days, he also consults at Clos du Val, Sinegal, and a number of other notables. Let’s just say this guy is really good at what he does.
One sniff and one sip of his HG III Red Blend and you’ll know I’m talking about. This is Tony’s riff on a Napa Valley Red Blend, and he seriously nailed it in the brilliant 2018 vintage. The core here is Merlot, which offers sleek, approachable texture and bright and ripe red fruit notes. The wild card here is the Petite Sirah — it adds the anchoring bass notes of dark blue and black fruits. Last but not least, the Cabernet Sauvignon weaves the other two grapes together with structure and elegance. Put simply, this stuff is delicious, balanced, harmonious, and classy.
Just in case you need more confidence that this is good stuff, here’s what the critics had to say:
Jeb Dunnuck: “Readers looking for an introduction to the wines from this great estate should check out the 2018 HG III, which is always a more Merlot-dominated blend. The 2018 reveals a deep purple/ruby hue to go with a juicy, endearing, up-front style that carries lots of blackcurrant and black cherry fruits, hints of chocolate, spice, and dried herbs, medium to full body, and a plush, sexy, yet beautifully balanced profile. It’s going to evolve for 15 years and is a rock-solid bottle of wine.”
Antonio Galloni: “The 2018 HG III is a delicious entry-level wine from Hourglass. Juicy dark cherry, spice, leather and cedar all run through this racy, open-knit Merlot-based blend. It’s easy to look past the HG III here given the level of the other wines, but that’s a mistake, as the 2018 is fabulous and a great value too.”
This is the cheapest way to get an Hourglass wine in your glass, and it’s well worth the price of entry. I probably don’t need to tell you this works wonderfully well with beef, but I will anyway. Cheers to happy drinking and eating in Asheville this winter.
To order, stop by the store or click here to order in our online store.
Josh Spurling
Owner, Operator, Wine Monger
Table Wine Asheville