Last of the ‘14 in my ‘09-‘19 vertical 😢. Brick Ruby in color. Initial nose at PnP of red fruits, plum, Asian spices, orange peel, and toasty vanilla. Smooth on entry with a touch of heat. A decent amount of acidity this vintage compared to shoulder vintages of ‘13 & ‘15. Some of my favorite Merlot out of Napa!
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First time to have this wine. Very enjoyable and will definitely try more. My regret is that this bottle was a gift and it was the ONLY bottle in my cellar (will change that). I will work towards a vertical of this starting with a younger vintage and moving towards something more recent. In a little depth this time.
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Immediate PNP notes. Black cherry tonight up front and at mid palette so well balanced and with lively acidity. Frankly nearly one of the great Merlot's I have had. This is mouth coating and velvety. Very un-merlot like (at least some Merlot's). Worth finding !!
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October is Merlot month so I felt obliged to indulge in this Blueline Estate Vineyard Merlot. Admittedly it's actually 81% Merlot, 9% Cabernet, and the rest equal parts Malbec and Petit Verdot, but who’s counting? Rich, dense, and fruit forward, this is unmistakably New World and burgeons with notes of blackberry fruit, currants, chocolate, and Asian spices on a plush bed of soft, sultry, tannin and a sumptuously melted texture. The longer it sits the plusher, softer, and melted it gets. Orange peel adds dimension to the velvety finish.
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Very modern and extracted, but lacking in structure to suggest long term aging potential. A bit tiring to drink much of this given it clocks it at over 15% ABV
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I thought this was a solid wine but felt it was a bit dominated by the fruity aspects; blueberry, plums, raspberry on the nose and palate, not finding a lot of the complexity that others noted, for me this was just fruit. held on well into the second day but notes still the same. smooth, med-long finish.
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PnP. Purple color. Medium slow legs. Blackberry jam, green bell pepper and sanguine nose. Coffee and baked red berry palate. Pretty good balance. Suede texture. Medium long finish but just a bit thin. 15.2% ABV.
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Decanted and immediately consumed over 30 mins with neighbors for our last night in SoCal before moving. Great blue fruit, a little less heft / weight to the wine than during the Foley years, but still an outstanding wine that would have benefitted from more air.
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Rich and round wine with a large red fruit bouquet and complexity of flavors. The first impressions is the rich fruit driven mouthfeel which is viscous and smooth. Flavors include Raspberry preserves, ripened plums, some tobacco leaf and clove on the finish. Finish is long and velvety.
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PNV week, tasting at the Hourglass caves. Great to try the newly released Blueline Merlot. This is a wine when I have served to guests in the past they are always blown away that it is a) merlot, b) from California...still working off the Sideways preconceptions.
Really rich nose of red and blue fruits, plums, floral notes. Palate is rounded; red fruits, blueberry, raspberry compote, coffee, cloves/baking spice, vanilla. Tannins strong at this stage but wine is still accessible. As tannins resolve this will be great - give it 3-5 years - should drink for 15+ past that
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Layered and well structured with notes of dark chocolate, red plum, spice, caramel. For the price tag I think could use more, maybe too young now. I prefer their Merlot blend, HG III.
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Hourglass New Releases: Gorgeous aromatics here: rich currant, plums, brighter elements of raspberry and blueberry, and a host of complex non-fruit elements (smoke, clay soil, tobacco, barbecue sauce, roses) this wine really pops and opens with air. Big and bold but wonderfully structured with grippy, dusty tannins. Moderate acidity keeps this wine vibrant. A mix of dark (blackberry, cassis) and red (raspberry jam, plums) fruit, which is rich, moderately extracted but still tastes bright. Sweet flavors of coffee, clove and vanilla mix with savory elements of scorched earth, soy and mushroom. So complex but so easy to sip. This has its best years ahead for sure. 81% Merlot, 9% Cab, 5% Malbec, 5% Petit Verdot. 18 months in 66% new French oak. 15.2% alcohol
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11/11/2021 - TMOVino2 Likes this wine: 91 Points
Last of the ‘14 in my ‘09-‘19 vertical 😢. Brick Ruby in color. Initial nose at PnP of red fruits, plum, Asian spices, orange peel, and toasty vanilla. Smooth on entry with a touch of heat. A decent amount of acidity this vintage compared to shoulder vintages of ‘13 & ‘15. Some of my favorite Merlot out of Napa!
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1/13/2021 - patwjr Likes this wine: 92 Points
Blueberries with a touch of chocolate, tannins got easy after 30 min. Full-bodied & smooth. Drink now or within 2 years.
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5/24/2020 - Mortgage92 Likes this wine: 92 Points
First time to have this wine. Very enjoyable and will definitely try more. My regret is that this bottle was a gift and it was the ONLY bottle in my cellar (will change that). I will work towards a vertical of this starting with a younger vintage and moving towards something more recent. In a little depth this time.
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4/24/2020 - tomoem Likes this wine: 94 Points
Immediate PNP notes. Black cherry tonight up front and at mid palette so well balanced and with lively acidity. Frankly nearly one of the great Merlot's I have had. This is mouth coating and velvety. Very un-merlot like (at least some Merlot's). Worth finding !!
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4/9/2020 - Asmiller Likes this wine: 93 Points
Ripe fruit with cherry Coke and spice. Soft tannins. Fantastic with grilled bone-in pork chops.
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4/7/2020 - robdicks wrote: 94 Points
Great bottle
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10/29/2019 - Wbharris Likes this wine: 94 Points
Tremendous merlot. Wish I had more.
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9/8/2019 - MNS wrote:
Superb balance of fruit and Yasmin’s served tuna rau.
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1/18/2019 - tomoem Likes this wine: 92 Points
Quite similar to my last tasting in that the wine is still rich and round. The wine is also large with more muted red fruits than my last tasting.
The bouquet and complexity of flavors is rich and fruit driven. The mouthfeel is viscous and yet quite smooth.
Palette is Raspberry preserves, ripened plums, some tobacco leaf and clove on the finish. Finish is long and velvety.
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1/13/2019 - hhyder Likes this wine: 94 Points
Drank wonderfully after a 90 minute decant.
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10/26/2018 - Cellar1400 Likes this wine: 93 Points
Exceptional Merlot; layered, long finish
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10/25/2018 - Baron Slick wrote: 92 Points
October is Merlot month so I felt obliged to indulge in this Blueline Estate Vineyard Merlot. Admittedly it's actually 81% Merlot, 9% Cabernet, and the rest equal parts Malbec and Petit Verdot, but who’s counting? Rich, dense, and fruit forward, this is unmistakably New World and burgeons with notes of blackberry fruit, currants, chocolate, and Asian spices on a plush bed of soft, sultry, tannin and a sumptuously melted texture. The longer it sits the plusher, softer, and melted it gets. Orange peel adds dimension to the velvety finish.
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6/4/2018 - vancouvermatt wrote: 90 Points
Very modern and extracted, but lacking in structure to suggest long term aging potential. A bit tiring to drink much of this given it clocks it at over 15% ABV
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2/7/2018 - edgar wrote: 88 Points
I thought this was a solid wine but felt it was a bit dominated by the fruity aspects; blueberry, plums, raspberry on the nose and palate, not finding a lot of the complexity that others noted, for me this was just fruit. held on well into the second day but notes still the same. smooth, med-long finish.
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8/25/2017 - sabrage Likes this wine: 90 Points
PnP. Purple color. Medium slow legs. Blackberry jam, green bell pepper and sanguine nose. Coffee and baked red berry palate. Pretty good balance. Suede texture. Medium long finish but just a bit thin. 15.2% ABV.
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6/20/2017 - davidandrose Likes this wine: 93 Points
Decanted and immediately consumed over 30 mins with neighbors for our last night in SoCal before moving. Great blue fruit, a little less heft / weight to the wine than during the Foley years, but still an outstanding wine that would have benefitted from more air.
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6/10/2017 - tomoem Likes this wine: 93 Points
Rich and round wine with a large red fruit bouquet and complexity of flavors. The first impressions is the rich fruit driven mouthfeel which is viscous and smooth. Flavors include Raspberry preserves, ripened plums, some tobacco leaf and clove on the finish. Finish is long and velvety.
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2/23/2017 - walkerjfw wrote: 93 Points
PNV week, tasting at the Hourglass caves. Great to try the newly released Blueline Merlot. This is a wine when I have served to guests in the past they are always blown away that it is a) merlot, b) from California...still working off the Sideways preconceptions.
Really rich nose of red and blue fruits, plums, floral notes. Palate is rounded; red fruits, blueberry, raspberry compote, coffee, cloves/baking spice, vanilla. Tannins strong at this stage but wine is still accessible. As tannins resolve this will be great - give it 3-5 years - should drink for 15+ past that
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2/8/2017 - GTFreek wrote:
Layered and well structured with notes of dark chocolate, red plum, spice, caramel. For the price tag I think could use more, maybe too young now. I prefer their Merlot blend, HG III.
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12/10/2016 - dabigcat Likes this wine: 89 Points
This was good. But in the end boring. Possibly just because it was young, and I am not a massive Merlot fan.
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5/25/2016 - isaacjamesbaker wrote: 94 Points
Hourglass New Releases: Gorgeous aromatics here: rich currant, plums, brighter elements of raspberry and blueberry, and a host of complex non-fruit elements (smoke, clay soil, tobacco, barbecue sauce, roses) this wine really pops and opens with air. Big and bold but wonderfully structured with grippy, dusty tannins. Moderate acidity keeps this wine vibrant. A mix of dark (blackberry, cassis) and red (raspberry jam, plums) fruit, which is rich, moderately extracted but still tastes bright. Sweet flavors of coffee, clove and vanilla mix with savory elements of scorched earth, soy and mushroom. So complex but so easy to sip. This has its best years ahead for sure. 81% Merlot, 9% Cab, 5% Malbec, 5% Petit Verdot. 18 months in 66% new French oak. 15.2% alcohol
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