Hourglass

Ned Smith, a San Francisco ad man, moved his family of seven to Napa Valley in 1964 and became a real estate agent, only the second to set up shop in the valley. Over the next decade he introduced aspiring vintners including Jack and Jamie Davies (Schramsberg), Dick Grace (Grace Family Vineyards), and Carl Doumani (Stag's Leap) to their future estates. In 1976 he acquired a six-acre property two miles north of St. Helena at the narrowest point of the valley, where an outcropping of the Mayacamas pinches the valley floor to a near figure eight. An orchard he planted there died, and he then planted Zinfandel, which yielded grapes for nearly fifteen years; the fruit was sold to Caymus Winery until 1990. The vineyard then fell victim to phylloxera. In the early 1990s Jeff Smith's mother, Marge, was interested in selling the property; Jeff, then working in management at Skyy Vodka in San Francisco, knew the land was worth saving, and through longtime friend Kelly Maher brought in Dr. Mark Kliewer, Dean of Viticulture at UC Davis, who identified the soil as Hambright. In 1992 Jeff replanted the four acres to Cabernet Sauvignon and named the vineyard Hourglass, a tribute to the constricting geography. In 2006 Jeff and Carolyn Smith purchased the Blueline Vineyard in partnership with their friends Richard and Maureen Chilton and Michael and Pam Clark. Jeff and Carolyn Smith are the vintners, and the Chilton and Clark families are partners.

• 1964: the Smith family moved to Napa Valley, where Ned Smith became a real estate agent
• 1976: Ned Smith acquired the six-acre property north of St. Helena; Zinfandel was first planted in 1977
• 1992: Jeff Smith replanted four acres to Cabernet Sauvignon and named the vineyard Hourglass
• 2006: Blueline Vineyard purchased in partnership with the Chilton and Clark families

Jeff Smith is the founder of Hourglass. Tony Biagi came on board in 2012 to take over winemaking duties from Bob Foley and is the current winemaker; Jeff and Carolyn Smith are the vintners, and the Chilton and Clark families are partners. Jeff Smith first met Bob Foley in 1981; Foley, who landed in Napa Valley in 1978 after graduating from UC Davis, made the debut vintage of Hourglass. Jeff Smith's essay credits viticultural advice from Tony Biagi and "our vine guru, Kelly Maher." Vito Sergio Parente is Vice President Wholesale Director.

• Jeff Smith: Hourglass Founder; vintner with Carolyn Smith
• Tony Biagi: winemaker since 2012
• Bob Foley: winemaker for the debut 1997 vintage until 2012
• Kelly Maher: the winery's "vine guru," in Jeff Smith's words
• Vito Sergio Parente: Vice President Wholesale Director

The Hourglass Vineyard sits at the Narrow Crossing at Lodi Lane, St. Helena, in the St. Helena/Napa Valley appellation: 4 acres of Cabernet Sauvignon, east facing, from the valley floor to a 70-foot knoll top, on Hambright fractured bedrock. The narrow pinch of the valley draws cooler bay air up from the south, creating a breeze that tempers late afternoon heat. The Blueline Vineyard, acquired in 2006, lies at the mouth of Dutch Henry Canyon south of Calistoga on the Silverado Trail, in the neighborhood of Switchback Ridge and Duckhorn's Three Palms Vineyard. Its 20 acres, in the Calistoga/Napa Valley appellation, face west and northwest, with elevation running from the valley floor to a transitional bench to 200 feet; soils are Cortina river wash on the valley floor and decomposed volcanic ash on the gravel bench. Merlot and Cabernet Franc were planted there first in 1991, and several blocks were replanted to five red Bordeaux varietals in 2007. The 20-acre vineyard sits on a 40-acre piece of property. The two estates total 24 acres. Beyond the estates, the 2025 Hourglass Estate Sauvignon Blanc carries the vineyard designation Hourglass Estate, Larkmead Lane, Varozza, and Gamble Ranch.

• Hourglass Vineyard: 4 acres, Cabernet Sauvignon, Hambright fractured bedrock, east facing
• Blueline Vineyard: 20 acres, Cabernet Sauvignon, Merlot, Cabernet Franc, Petit Verdot, and Malbec, west and northwest facing
• Blueline soils: Cortina river wash on the valley floor, decomposed volcanic ash on the gravel bench
• Sauvignon Blanc sources (2025): Hourglass Estate, Larkmead Lane, Varozza, Gamble Ranch

The estate wines are Hourglass Estate Cabernet Sauvignon, Hourglass Sauvignon Blanc, Blueline Estate Cabernet Sauvignon, Blueline Estate Cabernet Franc, Blueline Estate Merlot, Blueline Estate Malbec, Blueline Estate 36, and HG III. The 2022 Hourglass Estate Cabernet Sauvignon is 100% Cabernet Sauvignon from the Hourglass Estate, St. Helena, aged 22 months in new French oak; Estate Cabernet vintages go back to 1997. The 2022 Blueline Estate Cabernet Sauvignon blends Cabernet (80%), Petite Verdot (10%), Malbec (7%), and Cabernet Franc (3%). The 2022 Blueline Estate Merlot includes 2% Cabernet, and Blueline Merlot vintages go back to 2006. The 2022 Blueline Estate Malbec is 100% Malbec, aged 17 months in 100% new French oak. Blueline Estate 36 appeared as Blueline Estate 36-24-36 from the 2013 to 2016 vintages. The 2024 HG III blends Merlot, Petit Sirah, and Cabernet Sauvignon from the Hourglass Estate, aged 16 months in new and seasoned French oak. The 2025 Hourglass Estate Sauvignon Blanc is 91% Sauvignon Blanc and 9% Semillon. Trade technical sheets also cover Mabon Wines: Chardonnay, Syrah, GSM, and Heritage Blend. Total production of the Hourglass wines is usually between 3,500 and 4,000 cases a year.

• Hourglass Estate Cabernet Sauvignon: 100% Cabernet Sauvignon (2022), 22 months in new French oak
• Blueline Estate Cabernet Sauvignon: Cabernet-led blend with Petite Verdot, Malbec, and Cabernet Franc (2022)
• Blueline Estate Merlot, Cabernet Franc, Malbec, and Blueline Estate 36
• HG III and Hourglass Sauvignon Blanc
• Mabon Wines: Chardonnay, Syrah, GSM, Heritage Blend

Hourglass describes its wines as "rich with layers of concentration yet vibrant with a tensional edge; classically structured yet silky in texture; unquestionably modern but with traditional stripes." Of his approach, winemaker Tony Biagi has said: "I want my wines to be rich, but if that's all they are they become one dimensional and monotonous." Micro-lots, picked in multiple passes, are blended very early in the aging cycle, and hot fermentation bonds color with tannin. In his Vision Unfolding essay, Jeff Smith writes that at Blueline the wines, pushed to the far reaches of ripeness, "took on weight and traded vitality for intensity," and that he came to the conclusion it was not the place to reside.

• Hourglass: "classically structured yet silky in texture"
• Micro-lots picked in multiple passes and blended early in the aging cycle
• Hot fermentation used to bond color with tannin

Carolyn Smith found San Francisco architect Olle Lundberg to design the winery, which was carved into the hillside at the northeastern corner of the Blueline property. By the winery's account, the 1997 Hourglass Napa Valley Cabernet Sauvignon was included in a high profile tasting against Screaming Eagle, Harlan Estate, and Bryant Family, and the debut wine sold out within days. The Hourglass winery and guest house were destroyed in the Glass Fire on September 28, 2020; owner Jeff Smith told the San Francisco Chronicle the winery facility and a 162-year-old guest house were demolished, and that an underground cave containing barrels of aging wine likely survived.

• Winery designed by architect Olle Lundberg on the Blueline property
• September 28, 2020: winery and guest house destroyed in the Glass Fire

Primary sources (producer's own site): https://www.hourglasswines.com/Vision-Unfolding, https://www.hourglasswines.com/Vineyards, https://www.hourglasswines.com/Winery, https://www.hourglasswines.com/Wines, https://www.hourglasswines.com/Trade, https://www.hourglasswines.com/product/2023-Blueline-Estate-36-Red-Wine, https://www.hourglasswines.com/product/2022-Blueline-Estate-Malbec, https://www.hourglasswines.com/product/2022-Hourglass-Estate-Cabernet-Sauvignon, https://www.hourglasswines.com/product/2022-Blueline-Estate-Cabernet-Sauvignon, https://www.hourglasswines.com/product/2022-Blueline-Estate-Cabernet-Franc, https://www.hourglasswines.com/product/2022-Blueline-Estate-Merlot, https://www.hourglasswines.com/product/2024-Hourglass-HGIII--750ml, https://www.hourglasswines.com/product/2025-Hourglass-Estate-Sauvignon-Blanc. Secondary sources: The Napa Wine Project (https://www.napawineproject.com/hourglass/), San Francisco Chronicle (https://www.sfchronicle.com/wine/article/list-Napa-Valley-wineries-damaged-Glass-fire-15604567.php; https://www.sfchronicle.com/california-wildfires/article/Glass-Fire-burns-houses-and-well-known-wineries-15603514.php). Where the producer's site and a secondary source disagree, the producer's site governs. Last verified 2026-10-12