Smith & Hook Cabernet Sauvignon 2020

Hahn Family wines may seem like a small empire today, but it wasn’t built without big risks being taken. Nick and Gaby Hahn first discovered the Santa Lucia Highlands when they moved to California in the late 1970s. They found a lush, sprawling mountainous region that was largely unplanted, complete with alluvial soils ideal for drainage and plenty of sunshine to develop fruit. Even better, it had enough fog and ocean breeze to keep acids in perfect harmony.

They were among the first to have this idea, and most people didn’t find the rugged terrain suitable for growing world-class wine. Nick Hahn disagreed. Tthe first wine he ever made was in 1980, a Cabernet Sauvignon he called “Smith & Hook” that turned out to be a stunning, rich, and robust Cabernet pulled from Paso Robles and California’s Central Coast. That’s the wine that first took the world by storm.

Over 40 years later, the Hahn family has grown into one of California’s great wine forces, with dozens of wines that offer customers around the globe some of the best Californian wines at amazingly affordable prices.

The 2020 Smith and Hook Cabernet literally has it all, so it’s unsurprising that even at under $20/bottle today ($25 on release), it still comes with an emphatic 92-point score and an Editors’ Choice designation from Wine Enthusiast.