2017 Hourglass HG III Red Blend Napa Valley 750 ml

Robert Parker has called Hourglass winemaker Tony Biagi “one of my favorite personalities in the valley,” and his efforts “virtually perfect.” It’s no surprise: Biagi has racked up an astonishing run of 99- and 98-point wines during his nearly decade-long tenure at PlumpJack and CADE (producing bottles that now retail for $300 to $800 per bottle). Hired by standout Hourglass winery in 2012, the winemaker is on fire yet again. 

Ever since the first release of HG III Red back in 2012, Robert Parker and Antonio Galloni have heaped on the praise—and so have Wine Access members, who have rated this wine an outstanding 4.57 out of 5 stars, which puts it above wines twice the price. 

Since 2016, Biagi has taken this super-cuvée to new heights, blending Blueline Vineyard Cabernet Sauvignon with select Merlot and Petite Sirah parcels in Napa. The 2017 comes from top-scoring vineyards, and is a dynamite red overflowing with blueberry, boysenberry, plum, sweet clove, and graphite aromas, with an open-knit texture on the palate.

At Hourglass, Biagi has continued to demonstrate why he’s one of the Valley’s greatest winemakers, and he’s only getting better. As Antonio Galloni wrote of Biagi’s wines “there is plenty to admire in these new and forthcoming releases from Hourglass.” 

But Biagi’s deft touch is only half of what makes the 2017 HG III outstanding. The other half, comes from the vines: Cabernet comes from the Blueline Vineyard, named for the two “blue-line” streams that run along its edges, which lie within a stone’s throw of both Switchback Ridge and Three Palms—two sources of California’s most famous Merlots since the 1980s. Biagi’s lush HG III Red leverages Merlot with a touch of Petite Sirah from select Napa parcels to add depth and richness. The result is pure harmony in a gorgeous red blend.