Let's talk little, let's talk wine
Located in California's Central Coast wine region, Smith & Hook Vineyard spans high-elevation hillsides in the heart of Monterey County. The plots benefit from sunny days tempered by the cool influence of the Pacific Ocean and sea breezes that rise up the Salinas Valley. The soils, mainly composed of gravel, shale, and well-draining alluvial deposits, promote a slow and steady ripening of the grapes. This environment offers ideal conditions to express the personality of Cabernet Sauvignon with intensity and balance.
Cabernet Sauvignon grapes are harvested at optimal ripeness then destemmed before fermentation in stainless steel tanks, with skin maceration to extract color and structure. Regular pump-overs promote aromatic expression and suppleness of tannins. The wine is then aged in oak barrels, mostly French and American, to impart woody and vanilla notes, while preserving the fruit. This aging gives the cuvée a velvety texture and a balanced structure, characteristic of the house style.
This wine reveals notes of ripe blackcurrant, black cherry, and blackberry, enhanced by hints of violet and sweet spices like vanilla and clove, supported by an elegant woodiness of toasted oak and coffee. The palate is full and structured, with a velvety texture, firm but polished tannins, balanced acidity, and a long finish marked by nuances of dark chocolate and roasted spices.
Where are we traveling?
Monterey
It is located on California's central coast, about a two-hour drive south of San Francisco, along Monterey Bay, made famous by John Steinbeck's novels, and the turquoise waters of Big Sur. The vineyard extends mainly into the Salinas Valley, a 120-kilometer-long corridor often nicknamed "the world's largest cold air duct," where fogs and icy Pacific winds sweep in every afternoon with relentless regularity, causing summer temperatures to drop by sometimes more than 20 degrees in just a few hours. The viticultural history began timidly in the 1960s, when pioneers like the Wente and Mirassou families, coming from Livermore Valley, identified considerable viticultural potential in this agricultural valley dominated by lettuce and artichokes, later confirmed by UC Davis studies that classified the northern part among California's coolest areas. Development accelerated in the 1970s and 1980s, attracting big names like Chalone Vineyard in the limestone heights of the Gavilan Mountains, before the mosaic of sub-appellations — Arroyo Seco, Santa Lucia Highlands, Chalone, Carmel Valley — gradually revealed the region's extraordinary diversity. The climate varies dramatically from north to south: cool, windy, and almost austere at the mouth of the valley near the bay, it gradually warms up moving south, as the oceanic influence diminishes, offering a palette of microclimates capable of accommodating both Burgundian and Bordeaux grape varieties. The soils are remarkably varied, from the granitic and sandy alluvium of the valley floor to the limestones and schists of the Santa Lucia Highlands benchlands, including the marine-origin limestone soils of Chalone, perched at 500 meters altitude. Monterey has established itself as one of the unsung jewels of Californian viticulture thanks to its elegant and fragrant Pinot Noir from Santa Lucia Highlands, its lively and saline Chardonnay shaped by the sea wind, its aromatic Riesling and Gewurztraminer from the cooler sectors, and its ripe and concentrated Cabernet Sauvignon and Syrah from the warmer inland areas, testaments to a region whose immensity and climatic diversity make it a true viticultural continent on its own.
The little history of the country
UNITED STATES
In the United States, 90% of the wine produced comes from California. It was the influx of gold prospectors to California that revitalized the Californian wine industry in the mid-19th century, particularly in the Sonoma and Napa regions. At the beginning of the 20th century, there were 800 wineries. From 1919 to 1933, Prohibition decimated the vast majority of the Californian wine industry, so that by 1933, only 140 wineries remained. It wasn't until 1960 that the wine industry began to recover from Prohibition, and California was primarily known for producing fortified wines (in the style of Port). It was also in the 1960s that some of the most famous wineries were established (Mondavi, Heitz Wine Cellars, Stag's Leap Wine Cellars, etc.). In 1976, a landmark event took place: the legendary tasting competition better known as the "Judgment of Paris." It pitted the greatest French wines against the new American upstarts. On May 24th, an unexpected result shook the wine world, as, to everyone's surprise, the United States emerged victorious. This competition, however, remains relatively unknown to the general public. Today, there is no doubt that the United States produces great wines. While California largely dominates the reputation of American wines with its excellent Zinfandels, the state of Oregon produces some of the best Pinot Noir in the world, and Washington State offers excellent Chardonnay, Merlot, and Cabernet Sauvignon.