Smith & Hook Central Coast Cabernet

Homework, homework…hard life, but someone’s got to do it.
Tonight, it’s a bottle that I picked up at my new favorite bottle shop in Minnetonka – corner of Hwy 169 and Shady Oak Rd, in between Eden Prairie and Minnetonka – a spot called Pairings Food & Wine Market www.pairingsfoodandwine.com   About the coolest couple of peeps that I’ve met in a long time – owners Mark Peregory & Holly Damiani – along with manager Anissa Gurstell.  Cool peeps and great, great competitive prices.  Check it out!  Friendly staff, fun wines PLUS you can pick up some food to go on the other side at their great food market for snacks, breakfast, lunch or dinner – just what we needed on the west side of town!
So, I picked up the Smith & Hook Cab, Central Cost, CA – price:  $25  
Notes of a lushy, herbaceous Cabernet grape reminiscent of mint tea, cocoa dust and dark chocolate covered raspberries. The oak is solid on the wine – not gooey, like coconut ‘Malibu’ rum, smelling of dark tanning cream, BUT sun-drenched & interwoven.  Fine for a ‘Hahn Reserve’, the Smith & Hook  www.hahnestates.com  is quite typical for a Central Coast Cali Cab $25 and under.  Big, bursting with fruit, but no real roots to outstanding Cab at its price point.  I don’t have much on this wine, because it’s not a ‘whistle blower’ for its category.  
I give it a B Rating for the product versus price point.  Good, but not outstanding.  $25 might be too high, and I’m talking winery price point, NOT the Pairings Market price point.  I think Pairings has some of the best wine prices in town, I think it’s the winery asking too much for this little puppy.  Tone it down guys, you’re still just Hahn.
Good for a date night, but not the best BUCK for BUCK value when it comes to backyard BBQs.