2005 Smith & Hook Cabernet Sauvignon
From:
Central Coast of California
Price:
$25
Serve with:
Standing rib roast, lamb
This stately, complex red wine from this reliable and underrated winery needs a little aeration to open up, but it reveals itself to be every bit as distinguished as many of its more expensive Napa Valley counterparts. It's a well-structured wine that would benefit from 5 to 10 years of aging but also shows well now. It offers ample black-cherry and black-currant fruit, with hints of chocolate and pipe tobacco, and impressive length in the finish.