Topography & Exposure: 
Located two miles north of the town of St. Helena, the vineyard is situated at the tip of a finger of the Mayacamas mountain range that rolls off to create a hillside slope as it meets the valley floor.  The eastern facing vineyard orientation allows for a blanketing effect of sun through the mid afternoon for maximum photosynthesis, while delivering indirect sunlight and a welcome break from the blistering late afternoon heat.   The vineyard rises up from the valley floor with a variety of degrees of slope to an elevation of about 75 feet.  This varied sloping effect allows heat to rise up the hillside in uneven gradients, and settle on the top sections of the vineyard.  The net effect of this heat transfer ripens fruit with a variance of up to six weeks from the bottom to the top of the hill.  During harvest, as many as four to five picking passes are required to bring in all the fruit at its peak maturity.  As labor intensive as multiple pickings are, this is a critical factor in complexity of the finished wine.

Translation to wine:  Elevation, varied degree of slope and exposure to sun all have a direct impact on the ripening of sugar, tannin and complex chemicals that make for a rich and layered wine. Varied ripening, resulting in multiple picking dates over many weeks, renders different wine lots with varying chemical make up.  The result is a complex layering effect often associated with wines blended form different vineyard sites. 

Soils: 
The outcropping finger of the Mayacamas where Hourglass is situated is a composite soil type of volcanic rock and loam known as Hambright.  The intensely rocky Hambright constitutes some of the shallowest soils in Napa County, with a depth to bedrock of 1cm to 15cm.  These shallow soils create an extremely compact vine root zone.  With very shallow root depth and low water holding capacity of the rocky hillside soils, vines struggle to attain sufficient water to grow, thus dramatically stressing the vines and naturally reducing plant growth vigor.  The organic carbon concentration (an indicator of soil fertility) is among the poorest for grape growing soils at 0 - 4.9 (kg-m-2).  Severely limited soil nutrients also limit vine canopy vigor and grape cluster density.  

Translation to wine:  The limited water holding capacity and poor nutrient make-up of the rocky soils, creates a naturally stressed growing condition.  Water and nutrient deficiencies act as a natural limiter and have a direct impact on berry sizing and grape cluster size.  These factors in turn have a major impact on the intensity of the extraction during fermentation through a higher skin to juice ratio.  Thus, small berries yield deeper flavors.          

Climate: 
Defining the "pinch" of the hourglass shaped Valley, the vineyard and its neighboring environs create a constricting effect in this part of the St. Helena AVA.  It is believed this "pinching" effect of the Mayacamas, and Vaca mountain ranges creates a thermal dynamic that conjures up a cooling wind in the late afternoon through the growing season.  This important cooling effect helps to maintain natural acidity and extend the maturation cycle in what is considered a warm growing region.  This wind also moves through the vine canopy exposing a greater leaf area to sunlight providing a higher degree of photosynthesis which influences ripening.  The St. Helena AVA, where Hourglass resides, is home to an extreme Temperature Variance Index, or the difference in high and low temperatures in a given 24 hour cycle.  (Also referred to as the "Mercedes Effect.")  The unique positioning of St. Helena in relation to hot inland daytime temperatures and proximity to cooling coastal fog, is quite unique.  It is common to have a variance of as much as 50 degrees in a single 24 hour cycle during the summer.  This "breathing effect," an almost daily ritual in the summer months, caused by the encroachment and recession of fog, triggers a "push/pull"effect on the development of sugars, acids, polyphenols, anthocyanin, and the other critical building blocks of wine complexity.  Few other grape growing regions in the world have such dramatic variances.

Translation to wine:  Warm daytime temperatures and exposure to plentiful sunlight are directly related to sugar, tannin, polyphenol, anthocyanin, and other complex chemical development.  The cooling effect of wind, and coastal fog help temper warm days and extend the maturation cycle through influencing natural acidity levels, and  pH.  When taken over the length of a growing season, this "push/pull" dynamic  works in concert to effect levels of alcohol (sugar), color (anthocyanin), texture (pH, sugar/alcohol), depth of flavor (polyphenols), astringency (tannin, acid), and the length of "finish" (all of the above). When these climate factors achieve the right balance, the resulting wine should exhibit a converging balance of dark fruit concentration, rounded textures and firm structure.  Few other places in the world outside Napa Valley have the unique climate to deliver such balance.  We strive to manage the vineyard to optimize this climate dynamic to yield this balance.  Hourglass is blessed to sit at the "pinch" of it all.
 
Other Factors: 
Hourglass is flanked by three eucalyptus trees at its western edge.  These trees aerate pungent oils over a small section of the vineyard, which finds its way into the flavor profile.   There is also a field of wild fennel in one of the vineyard blocks, which influences the wine as well. 

Translation to wine:  Heady aromas, and flavors of menthol, mint and pomegranate, are influenced by the eucalyptus trees.  Intoxicating black licorice and anise are the influences of wild fennel and are in abundance in aroma and flavor.  Decanting helps release these aromatics.