{"product_id":"2023-hourglass-merlot-blueline-napa-750ml","title":"2023 Hourglass - Merlot Blueline Napa (750ml)","description":"\u003cp dir=\"ltr\"\u003eHourglass was founded by Jeff Smith, whose family had grown apples and pears on the property before he replanted it to wine grapes and released his first vintage in 1997. The winery is best known for its Blueline Estate vineyard, situated in the Calistoga AVA directly beside the storied Three Palms vineyard, a site with a long-standing reputation for exceptional Merlot. Tony Biagi has served as winemaker for many years, refining Hourglass's approach to a variety many wineries treat as secondary to Cabernet, and helping build the estate's reputation for structured, age-worthy Napa Valley reds.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp dir=\"ltr\"\u003eThis bottling blends eighty percent Merlot with seventeen percent Cabernet Sauvignon and a small remainder of other red varieties, all grown on roughly thirty-year-old vines on the Blueline property. The 2023 growing season proved cooler and more measured than recent vintages, giving the fruit time to develop concentration without excess heat. After fermentation, the wine aged twenty months in French oak barrels, seventy-five percent of them new, a longer, more generous oak regimen than many Merlots receive, built to match the fruit's density and structure.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp dir=\"ltr\"\u003eThe nose offers mandarin orange oil, dark sour cherry, and black plum, joined by Asian five spice, bay leaf, and cola nut. On the palate, red fruit and black cassis mingle with hoisin and roasted hazelnut, framed by firm structure and Blueline's signature crushed stone minerality. It pairs well with grilled lamb, duck confit, or a peppercorn-crusted steak.\u003c\/p\u003e","brand":"Hourglass","offers":[{"title":"Default Title","offer_id":46503341818042,"sku":"104983","price":59.99,"currency_code":"USD","in_stock":true}],"url":"https:\/\/bassins.com\/products\/2023-hourglass-merlot-blueline-napa-750ml","provider":"MacArthur Beverages","version":"1.0","type":"link"}