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Smith & Hook Proprietary Red Blend Central Coast 2019 (750ml)
Price: $24.99
Sale Price: $15.95
...this expressive blend features vibrant berry, cherry and plum flavors. Signature Smith & Hook.
| Producer | Smith & Hook Proprietary Red Blend Central Coast |
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| Country | United States |
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| Region | California |
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| Subregion | Central Coast |
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| Varietal | Petite Sirah, Cabernet Sauvignon, Merlot, Malbec, Cabernet Franc, Petit Ver |
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| Vintage | 2019 |
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| Sku | 23254 |
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| Size | 750ml |
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From its mountain ranges to the jagged, pristine Pacific shoreline, California’s Central Coast is a place of rugged beauty. Here, sundrenched hillside vineyards produce rich, flavorful wines with balanced structure. Crafted from only select lots of superior quality Merlot, Malbec, Petit Sirah, and Cabernet Sauvignon, this expressive blend features vibrant berry, cherry and plum flavors. Signature Smith & Hook.
Smith & Hook Proprietary Red Blend
Central Coast 2019
A classic Bordeaux blend of primarily Merlot, Petite Sirah, Malbec & Cabernet Sauvignon, we craft this Proprietary Red Blend with fruit from three prestigious appellations of the Central Coast: Arroyo Seco, Santa Lucia Highlands and San Antonio Valley.
Appellation: Central Coast
Sub – Appellation (s): Arroyo Seco, Santa Lucia Highlands, San Antonio Valley
Composition: 37% Petite Sirah, 24% Cabernet Sauvignon, 21% Merlot, 15% Malbec, 2% Cabernet Franc, 1% Petit Verdot
Tasting Notes
This expressive blend features vibrant aromas of cranberry, dark cherry and plum underscored by notes of mushroom and subtle hints of lavender. The palate is smooth and rich with flavors of dark fruit, bramble berries, tart cherry and a touch of floral notes on a pleasant long finish.
Central Coast
For more than 40 years, we have crafted bold Cabernet Sauvignon along California’s Central Coast.
Ranging from Santa Barbara north to the Golden Gate Bridge, the Central Coast wine region extends 300 miles along California’s Pacific coastline. To craft Smith & Hook wines, we focus on five unique warmer regions ideal for developing rich, bold Cabernet Sauvignon character.
The 2019 Growing Season
Central Coast, California
Overall, thanks to a colder winter, a mild spring and only a few summertime heat spikes of 100 degree-plus, harvest is two to three weeks later than in recent years, with most pulling the first of the core fruit in mid-September. Not surprisingly, Arroyo Grande was the exception in 2019. Like most years, harvest in the San Luis Obispo County sub-AVA started “on time” about Sept. 1.
Winemakers in Monterey, Paso Robles, Santa Barbara and the SLO Coast note this year’s timing reminds them of the “old normal” of the early 2000s, when harvest began well into September and the last of the grapes came in about Thanksgiving. In recent years, harvest has begun well before Labor Day for most of the Central Coast.
This year’s relatively gentle growing season, the later harvest and current seasonably mild weather are providing longer hang time for the grapes on the vine. Longer hang time – under these current near-perfect conditions – allows grapes to evenly develop rich color and more complex flavors.
This has winemakers very excited about Vintage 2019.
There have been challenges in 2019. In Monterey and Paso Robles, the wet spring may lower yields slightly. Arroyo Grande, Paso Robles, SLO Coast and much of Santa Barbara had to battle mildew this summer.
Still, the outlook for Vintage 2019 is overwhelmingly positive.
Smith & Hook Proprietary Red Blend Central Coast Description
Smith & Hook
In 1980, Nicky and Gaby Hahn purchased former horse and cattle ranches in the highlands of Monterey County. The ranches, Smith and Hook, were home to grazing cattle for generations but had been recently transformed into premium vineyards. At the time of purchase, the land produced some of the first estate grown Cabernet Sauvignon in Monterey County.
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 was a Cabernet Sauvignon produced from those two vineyards.
Today, both Smith and Hook estate vineyards remain family owned, farmed and operated. However, after years of wine growing experience in this region, it became clear that both vineyards were better suited to produce cool-climate varietals like Pinot Noir. While some may have found this discovery discouraging, the Hahn’s, who never shy away from a challenge, did as the climate demanded and began grafting over their estate vines to Pinot Noir and Chardonnay. Simultaneously, they also committed to sourcing fine Cabernet Sauvignon from warmer vineyards further South in the Central Coast.
With 35 years of leadership in Central Coast winemaking, the Hahn family has built and continues to cultivate, strong relationships with small family vineyard owners like themselves, who are recognized for growing prized Cabernet Sauvignon. The result is lush, rich and expressive Smith & Hook Cabernet Sauvignon, hand crafted from California’s spirited Central Coast.
