Smith & Hook, Cabernet Sauvignon, Central Coast, California, United States 2020

Description

In the mid-1970’s, the Smith horse ranch and Hook cattle ranch located in the highlands of Monterey County became a winery when Nicky and Gaby Hahn founded Hahn Estate and Smith & Hook wineries. Smith Vineyard, home to their namesake winery, and Hook Vineyard, just to the southeast, are located above the Salinas Valley in California’s rugged Central Coast appellation. Among the family’s inaugural releases in 1980 was a Cabernet Sauvignon produced from those two vineyards and Smith & Hook Cabernets are still going strong today. This wine here has become of our best-selling Cab's in the shop. 
 

The fruit for this 100% Cabernet Sauvignon comes from four prestigious appellations of the Central Coast: Arroyo Seco for structure and backbone; San Antonio Valley for rich plum and currant flavors; Hames Valley for dark skin color and intense blackberry and spice aromas; and Paso Robles for black cherry notes and seductively round and supple tannins. The result is a spirited, layered and luscious Cabernet Sauvignon.

After harvest, the Hahn's barrel-ferment Smith & Hook in French oak, beautifully melding each vineyard’s distinctive flavors into a robust and richly layered blend. It is then aged in French oak up to 10 months. Fragrant aromas of plum and black cherry find balance with hints of vanilla, cola, cloves and cocoa dust. Right on the heels of all that aromatic intensity are interwoven layers of blackberry, boysenberry, black currant, dark plums and mocha. This wine is full bodied with supple tannins and a long, generous finish.

Wine Enthusiast 92

This widely available Cab is always hedonistically satisfying, clicking all the rich and delicious buttons for a reliably enjoyable experience. Aromas of cassis, caramel and black cherry cola on the nose lead into a creamy palate where polished tannins present hefty blackberry flavors, with marjoram, wood smoke and sagebrush elements adding complexity.