Proprietor Jeff Smith has developed Hourglass Cabernet into one of the most anticipated releases each year since its debut in 1997. Ironically, it was the phylloxera that attacked the Smith family's four-acre parcel in the early 90s that prompted the replanting of the Zinfandel with Cabernet. Winemaker (and Jeff's fellow band mate) Bob Foley gets the most out of this vineyard, named for its location at the narrowest point of the Napa Valley, just north of St. Helena. Good deep red-ruby. Bound-up nose offers cassis, licorice and mint, plus a suggestion of sweet butter. Suave, sweet and primary, with black cherry and black licorice flavors lifted by a minty nuance. This dense, silky fruit bomb really spreads out to saturate the palate. Wonderfully fine-grained and fresh on the finish, which features sweet tannins and terrific length. The best vintage yet for this bottling, thanks in large part to a very low crop level. After a somewhat disappointing 2003, Hourglass's 2004 Cabernet Sauvignon, made by well-known consulting winemaker Bob Foley, is a blockbuster, opulent, complex, deep ruby/purple effort. Beautiful aromas of melted licorice, white chocolate, creme de cassis, flowers, and background oak soar from this bewitching, opulent, fleshy, succulent Cabernet. This full-bodied beauty will provide delicious drinking early on, and age nicely for 10-15 years. |